Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Took a chance


Recommended Posts

After paying a little over $100.00 for a half barrel and shipping last year I came across a local farm type supply store close to home selling some dried up falling apart barrel halfs. Will when I went inside to find out the price the manager couldn't so he made me an offered of $20.00 apiece. Will I decided to take a chance picked the best out of four and prayed it would not fall apart puttng in the back of my SUV.

Will when I got home I put it in a tub that only let it fill up a couple of inches (it was the biggest tub I have) and let it sit all day and night. Will to make a long story short it holds water and works like a champ. I was able to fill it up to about two inches from the top and so far it is still holding. I am even thinking of going back and getting another, if he will honer the same price, even if I don't need it now might some day.

So the moral to this story is even if it looks hopeless give it a shot it just might pay off, if the price is right.
BillP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next time I head out to TN I will load up a truck full of barrels, we get a lot of them out here in CA with all the vineards around here. There is a guy at the flea market that sells half barrels cut real nice and sanded off the rough edges for 20 bucks a piece, and they are fresh not falling apart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things like half barrels are never a waste.The ones we have that don`t hold water are used as planters.We have 2 in the back yard that hold tomato plants every year and one in the front that holds a Norfolk pine that we decorate every winter for the birds.
Well worth the money if you ask me,makes no difference if they hold water or not.
You can always line them if you really need them to be water tight.

BTW-Wood hulled boats that have been stored out of water for a while always fail to hold water.We used to set them up on the pier and run water into and on them with hoses till they swelled and started to hold water.Then we launched them and tied them to the floats at the end of the pier with extra automatic bilge pumps on board and plugged in to shore power.Only after a boat stopped taking on water and we were sure that the owner`s bilge pumps and batteries could handle it did that boat get put out on a mooring.
Barrels and wood boats have a lot in common.The main difference is which side the water is on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Things like half barrels are never a waste.The ones we have that don`t hold water are used as planters.We have 2 in the back yard that hold tomato plants every year and one in the front that holds a Norfolk pine that we decorate every winter for the birds.
Well worth the money if you ask me,makes no difference if they hold water or not.
You can always line them if you really need them to be water tight.

BTW-Wood hulled boats that have been stored out of water for a while always fail to hold water.We used to set them up on the pier and run water into and on them with hoses till they swelled and started to hold water.Then we launched them and tied them to the floats at the end of the pier with extra automatic bilge pumps on board and plugged in to shore power.Only after a boat stopped taking on water and we were sure that the owner`s bilge pumps and batteries could handle it did that boat get put out on a mooring.
Barrels and wood boats have a lot in common.The main difference is which side the water is on.

Bob just gotta ask if the hoses were fresh or salt. Bought a hull a few yrs ago had rain water in it. Rotted the stringers motor mounts and transom.
Ken.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Bob just gotta ask if the hoses were fresh or salt. Bought a hull a few yrs ago had rain water in it. Rotted the stringers motor mounts and transom.
Ken.


The reason we put `em out on the pier was to use the water from the harbor to swell the planking.
Many of the older boat owners used to throw rock salt into the bilge in order to hold back rot from rainwater that might collect there.
Some of them took it a little too far though.We used to work on some larger boats,the Sherman Zwicker for example,where the engineer used to pack rock salt and Cuprinol into every available space while we were working on the hull.Made it real interesting when it came time to drive the hardware to attach the planks.Hard to stay focused with green rock salt runnin` down your neck and fillin` your shirt. <_<

Wooden boat owners weren`t the only eccentrics on the water though.More than one steel hull owner had his "special secret" for keeping rust at bay.One guy swore by drenching everything in dogfish liver oil.Man,did that boat STINK,and it only got worse when you got to cutting or welding on something.We hated to see him show up.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...