Novice Needs Help with Pond Boat

[reuben]

I am a novice after building lots of boats in my youth in the Jurassic age almost before television and combustion engines.

I just got an antique pond boat as a gift--it has some damage and I want to start working on it--before I do I thought I would go to the source..

It is plank on frame construction and it has a broken boom and is missing a rudder and the stern. I am not sure what the stern and rudder looked like but my plan is to replace them with fixed wooden pieces that match the boat's wood. There is no connection from the boom to the rudder. do you all think a fixed rudder will compromise sailing ability?

The othe problem is crack where a large section of the hull has become separated (can faintly see it in the photo--appears as a dark line). It looks easy enough to fix if I can remove the glued section of planks and advance it up a bit so that the seams join.

My question to you all is what would you use to detach the section of the hull safely so that I can shift it slightly? Assume that there must be some sort of glue removing solvent or heat/steam approach but hesistant to ruin the boat in the process..

thanks for wading through this post and would be grateful for any advice!

[ingura]

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[reuben]

Thank you very much for the comprehensive reply--provides a good road map. Next challenge is to find the materials in Geneva across the cultural and language divide!

Will definitely go with not removing the planks--veneer seems like good solution although I am also thinking about another type of filler--has to be the right one else it will be unsightly given unpainted wood. Bottom line is that I think that your advice on the planks is very helpful.

If and when I get this done I will post the new and improved version. Of course the proof of success will be if my 5 year old can sail it! Goal is to get it done before he is in college...

Really appreciate it--realize that it is pedestrian compared to your amazing work!