On Tue, 17 Jan 2017 09:59:01 -0800, Electric Comet wrote:


thought wood boats were made so that the wood swelled and created the
water proof joint but had to be wet to stay sealed

but maybe that is ancient technique



Seems to me that one of the crucial features of boats is keeping the
water out! Almost as soon as multi-plank boats began to be built, people
used pitch or resins to seal the joints. Speaking as an amateur boat
builder, you *do not* want your seams expanding and contracting at all,
much less at different rates, depending on whether it rained last night.

Cheers,
Colin