How to Refinish Wooden Boat Seats

Author	Topic: All-time Manner to Refinish Mahogany???
Josh I	posted 08-31-2002 08:31 AM ET (United states) Hey guys, just recently purchased a 1988 BW 13 Sport. The gunkhole is in almost perfect condition, but I would like to refinish the mahogany seats, covers, and side console. What is the all-time style to refinish the wood? What is the best product to use? Cheers, Josh Idol
JBCornwell	posted 08-31-2002 08:52 AM ET (U.s.a.) Hi, Josh. Take the forest out of the boat, sand it down to bare, vivid woods. As many coats of UV protected Polyurethane as your patience volition permit. Smoothen each glaze with #600 wet between coats. Brand? You will find a different favorite with each user. I similar Helmsman, but volition endeavour Dura-Thane two part when I do the interior of my 11 Tender. Skilful luck. Red sky at night. . . JB :)
Sammy	posted 08-31-2002 11:03 AM ET (United states of america) Josh, I hold with JB'due south method - with some boosted recommendations. When you reach the indicate of bare forest, utilise a woods bleach as the final clean-upwards stride. Since mahogany is a very open grain woods that's naturally a piffling bland, use a 'filler' stain before you begin applying the terminate material. It fills the open grain and brings out the highlights in the wood. I used a deep ruby mahogany stain on my 13' - cute. Getting an agreement on the best finish is impossible. Each finish (varnish, urethane, oil, variations of the iii) has postives and negatives. Generally, oils tend to exist used more for teak, but after a while you meet but about everything. If y'all utilize a varnish (my preference) or urethane, utilise a good 1. Sparse the start two coats with thirty-40% mineral spirits (or follow manufacturer directions for thininng) to become a proficient 'bite' on the wood. For the first 4-5 coats, you can scuff the surface with a automotive grade Scotch Brite pad. Then get to the wet sandpaper and sanding block for coats 6 through ix or ten. Be careful (gentle) with the wetsand, information technology can remove a lot of cloth in a hurry. To speed up the procedure, I make what I phone call 'spike boards'. Screw 1 ane/two" sheetrock screws into pieces of scrap plywood so the screws roughly lucifer up with the corners of the mahogany pieces you lot're refinishing. Utilise varnish/urethane to the bottom side of the mahogany first, gently gear up them on the 'spikes' and utilize a trivial pressure, then finish the topside. The 'spike' marks are virtually invisible, and you tin glaze the entire piece with each coat. On the final coat, use a 1500 grit wetsand and buff it out with Scotch Finesse It (sp?). Every ii to three years (or when the finish becomes visibly tiresome), just lightly scuff up the surface with a fine grit and apply another coat or two. The finish will final for years with a look that'southward second to none. Varnishes and urethanes are more work up front with less on-going maintenance. Oils are a little less work initially, simply you have to go through the consummate stripping/finishing procedure every year - or every other year. To speed the process up, I make what I call a 'spike board'.
Sammy	posted 08-31-2002 11:06 AM ET (The states) Forget that last sentence - don't know how that happened.
whalerron	posted 08-31-2002 eleven:10 PM ET (U.s.) Do a search on the terminal 6 months of entries in the Repairs department. There are some threads there discussing this. I simply refinished the wood in my boat and I used a heat gun to remove the varnish. It worked great! Up until this time, I have e'er sanded off the sometime end and I was concerned about the amount of forest that was being removed in the process. With the heat gun, I only had to practise some stop sanding before I applied the new finish.
jimp	posted 09-01-2002 07:29 PM ET (U.s.) Josh I - Get down to blank mahogany, so add four-6 coats of marine spar varnish. Whaler, mahogany, varnish... can't beat out information technology. JimP
bapman	posted 09-01-2002 11:forty PM ET (US) Josh , I ,too hold with JB's recommendation. A suggestion- I only finished refacing the trim on my Revenge. There are nearly 35 pieces of it many quite similar except mirror images or slightly unlike hole patterns. Make a careful inventory of what comes off and from where, and lay out your workspace with a separate location for each, unless you lot like jigsaw puzzles even more than than you similar woods refinishing. My forest is all teak or teak faced marine plywood. I used Beloved Teak with results that fabricated me happy, however the price of that stuff did not. The upside-it should last several seasons and is easy to add a few coats of clear top to refresh it. an environment with HEPA air makes the misery less. -bapman
gansett	posted 09-02-2002 09:01 PM ET (The states) I read somewhere that all plywood cease grain should be sealed with epoxy before varnishing. I've seen light weight kit built kayaks where mahogany plywood was saturated with epoxy and and so sanded before several coats of varnish. Anyone varnished old Whaler woodwork over initial coat of epoxy saturate?
RichAA	posted 09-03-2002 x:48 AM ET (US) I used JB'southward method (although information technology was but a method dorsum then since I hadn't heard it from JB still) with 7 coats of marine-grade poly. Similar he says, lightly sand in betwixt coats. Also, here's what NOT to do: I hung the dissimilar components, seats, risers, console, and applied the poly. But poly will run, even if it doesn't while you're watching and even if y'all utilise light coats. And so brand sure you lay the panels flat, apply even coats, and let dry thoroughly before sanding. Mine was washed 9 years agone and is only now showing signs of needing a touch-upward. Rich 1983 Sport fifteen
Kolbert	posted 09-03-2002 11:57 AM ET (US) Volition be starting my finishing procedure on my Sakonet rebuild soon (hopefully). Can anyone pass along more info on the epoxy sealing of the plywood edges? Want to do this right and non over. As well, when thinning the start few coats, what blazon of thinner do yous employ. I already bought ZSpar Flagship varnishy but their thinner was almost $twenty. Is the stuff from Abode Depot similar? Information technology is about 2/iii less dough.
andygere	posted 09-03-2002 02:21 PM ET (US) Employ a high quality marine varnish--avoid polyurethane or home center 'spar' varnish. Nil else will agree up likewise, or wait as good. Varnish tin be maintained by adding a sparse coat or two every few years or as needed subsequently first wet sanding. My feel with poly is that recoating looks awful, and the intial durability, even with 'UV' poly is poor. I've had bully luck with Captain'southward brand, but there are many other good brands discussed elsewhere in this forum.
ShrimpBurrito	posted 09-05-2002 01:57 AM ET (Usa) Josh - I just finished refinishing all the wood in my 15' SS. I paid $100 for a local shop to strip all the varnish off the wood. Information technology's the best $100 I ever spent. If I were to exercise it myself, I'd use Jasco, a not-fragrant but extremely caustic chemical stripper. Use vinyl gloves, and vesture pants and a long sleeve shirt when using it. It burns peel on contact, and will eat through apparel and latex and nitrile gloves. Merely it works like a amuse. Apply, watch information technology bubble, and scrape off varnish and paint with ease. Earlier applying whatsoever varnish, you should apply 2 coats of epoxy sealer (subsequently sanding, of course). I used Steve Smith's ii-part "Restor-It" epoxy organisation. It's easy to piece of work with, and came recommended by a marine woodworker. Using it protects the wood from wet and prevents rot, and and so the varnish is generally only aesthetic. I didn't varnish the underside of my console; I just practical 2 coats of epoxy. You tin buy it here: http://world wide web.go2marine.com/frameset.jsp?servletPath=/g2m/action/GoBPage/id/65392F/&df=30 Adjacent, I applied 7 coats of Detco's Crystal varnish, also recommended past the marine woodworker mentioned higher up (with 20 yrs feel). Supposedly, Crystal (a marine varnish) has ~10x the corporeality of metals that shield the forest from UV. Information technology looks very adept, and is forgiving in the awarding process. It's best to apply using a high-density cream roller (Home Depot, Lowes). Then, very lightly run over it with a cream brush to get rid of the bubbles. You lot won't see any castor marks doing it this style. I purchased the Crystal varnish a few months ago from Fisheries Supply in Seattle ([url]http://www.fisheriessupply.com[url]), but their site is downwards this night. You can find more info on it, also as a list of other vendors, at: http://www.detcomarine.com/dcrystal.htm
ShrimpBurrito	posted 09-05-2002 01:58 AM ET (Us) Argh......that site is: http://world wide web.fisheriessupply.com
T Party	posted 09-05-2002 10:05 AM ET (US) I like the await and the durability of Sikkens Cetol products. Cetol is more durable and flexible than varnish, which seems to become brittle. You can use fewer coats and still get a dandy, durable stop. Some folks around here don't similar the look, withal, as it does have a flake of an orangish tint. I have had great results with it, though, and like the way it looks. Varnish is prettier, only it's lots more than work, IMHO. To each his own. :-) Good luck with whatever product you choose.
raygun	posted 09-05-2002 11:10 AM ET (U.s.) Final year I refinished all the mahogany article of furniture(tons of information technology-vi tables, 24 chairs, 4 big chairs, 3 small tables and iv benches), well-nigh of which was silvered over, on our deck (faces n correct on the water)with teak oil. looked peachy. this jump however.... it didn't expect too hot. black stuff coming up. This twelvemonth i used Calcium hypochlorite mixed with soap and water to kill the mucus once more, oxycalic acid to bleach, and VARNISHED with Interlux products.Interlux also makes a sealer for the plywood that works real well. They have a great filling stain for mahogany. I actually liked working with it and the color. 10 coats of their Schooner varnish. Sammy'south procedure describes it well. Kohbert- employ the recommended thinner. you lot merely need one can so y'all aren't saving much. Like a dummy i used some stuff i found on the internet called teak guard on the teak on the montauk ii years ago. yellow kinda like cetol. Super easy to utilize and protects the woods well, but doesn't look so hot. Only comes off with wear or acetone. Almost worn off so this winter it'll be varnish. Like shooting fish in a barrel after the 2 month piece of furniture project.