Wood on Rails around Cruiser Stern

[DandGNWales]

We will be re-ferbing our boat over the next few months, at the moment she has steel rails topped with wood around the cruiser stern I don't think it's rotten but will require a good sanding and re-coat, so my questions are as follows:

 

1. Worst case, if the wood is rotten when we start poking around, what wood would be the best to replace it with ?

 

2. If we get lucky and it's a simple sand back and re-coat, what product would be the best to use ?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies

Denise & Geoff

[Higgs]

We will be re-ferbing our boat over the next few months, at the moment she has steel rails topped with wood around the cruiser stern I don't think it's rotten but will require a good sanding and re-coat, so my questions are as follows:

 

1. Worst case, if the wood is rotten when we start poking around, what wood would be the best to replace it with ?

 

2. If we get lucky and it's a simple sand back and re-coat, what product would be the best to use ?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies

Denise & Geoff

 

The little advice I can give is that all old yellowing varnish needs to be completely removed until you're back to bare wood. The first coat of new varnish should be thinned, thinners/varnish - 50/50, then 25/75, then just thinned as needed for further coats. Some fresh application may be needed each year to keep the condition up.

[Ally]

We use Iroko for these, it's a very oily timber that won't rot easily even if left untouched outside. We oil them, having washed it down with white spirit first to remove the woods top oils, and allow the application oil to coat it more evenly. You could use something like sapele otherwise. Don't use oak, it will just go black!

[Bill]

We will be re-ferbing our boat over the next few months, at the moment she has steel rails topped with wood around the cruiser stern I don't think it's rotten but will require a good sanding and re-coat, so my questions are as follows:

 

1. Worst case, if the wood is rotten when we start poking around, what wood would be the best to replace it with ?

 

2. If we get lucky and it's a simple sand back and re-coat, what product would be the best to use ?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies

Denise & Geoff

 

 

1. If you can get it Teak is good ,

 

2. Varnish is a pain in the rear, no matter how carefully you prepare and varnish it will eventually crack and peel and need re sanding again. After sanding back to bare wood use an oil finish, then when it starts to look tired just add another coat, wipes on in minutes and looks nice. Obviously if you are after a hard brilliant shine you may have to go the varnish route (Coovar vacht and seaplane varnish would be my choice in that case).

[Higgs]

 

 

2. Varnish is a pain in the rear, no matter how carefully you prepare and varnish it will eventually crack and peel and need re sanding again.

 

I think people go wrong by not thinning. Thinning will get the varnish well soaked in to the wood, make it progressively thicker with the first few coats. The bond will be stronger.

[Teadaemon]

If you're going to replace the wood, Iroko is a good choice, and a lot cheaper than Teak. Personally I'd oil Iroko rather than varnish, wiping with white spirit or acetone first to get a nice even coating.

 

If you prefer varnish, have a look at Le Tonkinois - it's a traditional varnish used by a lot of traditional wooden boat owners, and has a pretty good reputation for durability and finish. Not cheap, but I've heard a lot more good reports about it than I have bad.

[DandGNWales]

If you're going to replace the wood, Iroko is a good choice, and a lot cheaper than Teak. Personally I'd oil Iroko rather than varnish, wiping with white spirit or acetone first to get a nice even coating.

 

If you prefer varnish, have a look at Le Tonkinois - it's a traditional varnish used by a lot of traditional wooden boat owners, and has a pretty good reputation for durability and finish. Not cheap, but I've heard a lot more good reports about it than I have bad.

Thanks for the info, I will have to have a look around our local builders yards to see if they can get it for me, but after completing the boat handover earlier today will probably start on the inside now and concentrate on the outside after the winter.

[Neil2]

The guy who is the designated wood expert on Practical Boat Owner raves about acrylic finishes such as Sadolin Superdec. This stuff is supposed to give a similar finish to gloss paint but doesn't crack peel or flake.

 

You are only supposed to use two coats maximum of this type of "paint" otherwise it doesn't work properly.

 

I used it on the wooden balcony of our rented property which gets a lot of weather, but it's not been on long enough for me to confirm/deny the claims.

 

The new breeds of multi surface paints like the stuff from Bedec are pretty much the same as Superdec, but the range of colours isn't that great. I used to have a few contacts in the painting/decorating business and they all reckoned Bedec MSP was the dogs wotsits. It is more widely available now but I think you would still have to go to a builders merchant or specialist paint suppliers.

 

PS. Higgs tip about thinning varnish makes sense to me and probably explains why i've never had a lot of success with it.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Neil2

[smileypete]

Also have a look at protective wood stains like Sikkens Cetol HLS or Sadolin Ultra, use a light shade on dark timbers.

 

Decent varnish is fine but must have guaranteed timely maintenance. The above is more tolerant of neglect, it'll weather off without blistering and peeling and is fairly easy to strip or repair and recoat. Also it's microporous so if the wood does get damp it can dry out easily.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[DandGNWales]

I have had a quick look at the wood and it's not the best, so was having a chat with a local builder that frequents our pub and he agrees with the choice of Iroko wood and oil it as Ally suggested, but all good info supplied above just in case we try to fix the excisting, so thanks all for your help, this is a great forum for newby boaters like us

Cheers

Denise & Geoff

[smileypete]

If you go for Iroko do source some with full FSC certification.

 

If that's not possible or out of budget then why not have a look for alternatives.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[DandGNWales]

If you go for Iroko do source some with full FSC certification.

 

If that's not possible or out of budget then why not have a look for alternatives.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Cheers for that Pete, it's the least of my worries at the mo,got to get her serviced and legal then a 9 day steam from Loughborough to Chirk Marina North Wales, then begin the full re-fit