Cuprinol?

[moguls2go]

Our trim tabs are fastened to the hull via blocks of wood that are either screwed or epoxied to the hull (or both). They need to be repainted with bottom paint, but before I do that I'm thinking I need to apply some type of wood treatment to prevent those blocks from rotting. My old man always talks about using Cuprinol "back in the old days"... I don't think I can buy the stuff now.

Any suggestions how to to properly maintain that wood to prevent rot?

[IRGuy]

Max...

On my B33 the mounting bases for the trim tabs were some kind of wood. When I bought the boat they were so worm eaten and rotted that the trim tabs were loose. Rather than using wood replacements I opted to go with PVC, which can be painted and epoxy glued (sand well to remove the shiny surface and give the epoxy some tooth to hold onto) but is rot proof and will not absorb water. Home Depot and Lowes both stock PVC in standard wood board dimensions. One trade name for this material is Azek, but there are several different manufacturers with their own trade names. Some manufacturers make one side smooth and the other side with a faux wood grain.. I don't buy this, I buy the material with both sides smooth.

Based on Captain Patrick's recommendations I have been using PVC for many things on my boat as a replacement for wood. I get 4' x 8' sheets of either 3/8" or 3/4" from a local building products supplier, and board stock from Lowes. PVC is not recommended for structural applications as it is more flexible than wood

[Tony Meola]

The other option is too give them a good coat of epoxy cut 10% with alcohol so that it soaks in. Then give it a coat of glass. It will probably outlast you if you seal the screw holes well.

[Yannis]

Cuprinol was (I don't think it exists anymore) a good way to protect wood from bugs; either by preventing them from attacking or just killing them if they were already there.
I don't think it was any protection against humidity or the elements in general. I remember it to be very thin and applied with the brush to give a rather dark tan to the wood treated. My dad used to treat the beams on the ceiling with it, some oh 40 or so years ago...

[Pete Fallon]

Moguls,
You can' find Cuprinol any more, too much toxic stuff. I used it on my clear extra cedar shingles on my waterfront house in Salem 40 years ago, soaked them in an old bath tub I never had any rot problems and the weathered to silver gray, they are still on the house all though the new owner painted them. On your boat, I would use a piece of PVC to re- secure your trim tabs.
Pete Fallon