12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

[ABCmeteor]

Hello all! Long time listener, first time caller.

My father was an avid poster on here (pila) but he passed away last year in November. While I was in high school in 1999/2000 we started project, shelved it for about a decade, then ultimately completed in 2010. (Here's the related post: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?126731-Father-son-project .)

Unfortunately, I can't ask for his advice anymore, but I thought I would get input from the next best thing, the Wooden Boat Forum. (I have promised myself not to go to the Bilge, though.)

I've brought the boat home with me to Florida and I am currently planning on working on it and storing it during on-season in my garage. Once I finally got it down here, I began to go through a finish check up and noticed some spots that I am unsure how to diagnose. Here are some pictures:

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I'm not sure if these are issues with checking or if there is some lifting going on. I always felt like we could have used more layers of varnish. The original base coat is 10 years old at this point, and the most recent coats are likely 6 or 7. The boat has been in dry storage in a hangar for most of that time, but recently I've lost that option, so it sat outside for about a month and a half.

My big question is whether or not it is worth taking the whole thing down to redo the finish or just working on those spots.

I've worked through Wittman's Brightwork book and it sounds like that process could either be heat, chemical, or sanding. She seems to prefer heat gun for most projects. Everything I've done up to this point has been on solid mahogany (old 26' Owens) which involved sanding to bare wood. I'm a bit hesitant to do that here, given the 6 mm meranti ply. Assuming I'm going to remove finish either way, I'd love some suggestions the best route but I'd rather not paint it.

I've got a few other questions, too, but I'll save them for later and post this picture instead: 120043014_1016252348846820_8782466034039207881_n.jpg.

Thanks for any advice!

~ABC

[wizbang 13]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

I think that going at her spots with an RO sander. 100 grit..see how it goes. Don't let the sandpaper get hot, as that will lift the varnish at the edges. Seeing as the present finish is old, it should sand nicely...lots of dust without jamming the abrasive. Hook up a vac , of course.
Do you remember the varnishing "schedule"? Was she coated with epoxy first? Because epoxy turns wood a different color than varnish, and it may lead to a color rematch problem later.
I don't recon the spots are a bad problem , meranti like that is the bomb.
Thank You for coming here with yer Dads boat.
bruce

[Peerie Maa]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

Welcome to the forum
Rather than risking the heat from a power sander try a really sharp scraper, broken window glass used d to be favourite. Gently shave away to feather the edges of the sound varnish, and then rebuild those 7 coats.
The finish is a bit toffee apple ish do a good sanding over all and a final top coat will not go amiss.

[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

I
Do you remember the varnishing "schedule"? Was she coated with epoxy first? Because epoxy turns wood a different color than varnish, and it may lead to a color rematch problem later.

Thanks for the suggestion! We definitely did the entire inside in a coat of epoxy as well as a sheet of glass on the hull for durability, but the sides and the deck are all just varnish as far as I remember. We knew the deck would get a lot more sun and since we weren't putting any glass on it we wanted to avoid the UV battle with epoxy and varnish together, opting for just varnish. I have pictures of the building process, too, and it looks like the move was from opaque stain to varnish with no extra glossy appearance that usually comes with epoxy.

[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

Whether sanding or scraping, any suggestion for knowing when you're into an intact enough layer of varnish to begin building back up coats? I'd like to avoid having to match stains if I get too deep. But maybe polka dots are in this year?

[Peerie Maa]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

Whether sanding or scraping, any suggestion for knowing when you're into an intact enough layer of varnish to begin building back up coats? I'd like to avoid having to match stains if I get too deep. But maybe polka dots are in this year?

When you use a scraper, you will know by the feel of it. Less so with a power sander.

[wizbang 13]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

You will see it and feel it. Sometimes you can notice indiviual coats.
Nick likes scrapin, I like sanding . I would bet that I can taper off a spot better and faster with a sander than he can with a broken window...but we shall never know, and shall disagree on here happily ever after.
You need to reach the bare wood where the white spottiness is, THEN the trick is to only go enough to getthe color back in.If the spottiness is everywhere,the boat may need complete stripping. By "need", I mean for cosmetics.
One thing about the maranti over a softer ply, that meranti is freakin hard! Is is not so easy to accidentally slip and gouge or sand through a paper thin top veneer.
If this happenned to an ocoume boat, I'd say the finish is toast and she needs tp go to paint,because softer wood is very hinky about being stripped.
Refinishing plywood is a bit risky, no matter what technique is used.


The boat looks pretty dang good ....maybe just focus on hooking up a 30 hp !
...here is a meranti runabout I built ..

[wizbang 13]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

...come for a ride...hold on @ 50 seconds!

https://live.staticflickr.com/video/4777306811/9c1fd56100/700.mp4?s=eyJpIjo0Nzc3MzA2ODExLCJlIjoxNjA0NzYzNzgzLCJzIjoiZTE5OTQ4MTViZGI1OGQzYzJiZGQ4ZjIzYTk0NDhmZDgyNDkxMTY0OSIsInYiOjF9

[David G]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

ABC -- good to see you join in. Sorry to hear about your dad.

Good luck with your repairs. You're getting good advice so far.

[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

The boat looks pretty dang good ....maybe just focus on hooking up a 30 hp !

That's a pretty slick looking runabout!

I was thinking about this as well, but my current motor is a '53 Mark 20 that needs to be brought back into working order. Getting parts is always a pain. It's never been a dependable motor, either, so I'm toying with the idea of putting on a newer motor and making or adapting a faux shroud. The biggest gas motor I can get away with on some of the calmer bodies of water here maxes out at 10. Sad for the adrenaline uptake, but probably happier for my bank account.

[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

Minor update:

I have taken two small test spots down to wood or stable varnish and feathered them out, and then ran into a new problem: the original stain was a min-wax product that is no longer made! I attempt to use a small amount of an alternate mahogany stain, but it is not nearly as red as the original. Still toying with the idea of a full strip, but either way I need to find a good substitute for Min-Wax's "Rustic Mahogany" rubbing stain. Anyone made a color match to this already in their experience?

[wizbang 13]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

stain is a house carpenters thing
we na stain bote
heh

[willin woodworks]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

I use tinted shellac under varnish when there is a color match needed. Amber shellac with some garnet mixed in, fairly light cut and I think the brand is called Trans-Tint. Red mahogany, brown mahogany, dark mahogany are the three tints I use most often. It only takes a couple drops of tint and with a light cut its possible to change the color gradually without any real build up.

[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

Time for an update! It's been about two and a half years.

I decided to just refinish all of the non-trim and non-rails. I took those parts down to bare wood by scraping and hand-sanding up to 220, then staining, tung+boiled linseed sealing, and put on 8 coats.

When I had it to bare wood, which I took a year hiatus in the middle of, I restarted the project by buying and rigging up everything for an Elco 20-hp electric motor, the battery bank, and a steering system.

It's been an adventure, but at least now I can use it. Now I just need to replace the trailer and get ready for maintenance coating.

Pictures for your enjoyment:

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[ABCmeteor]

Re: 12.5' Runabout: Somewhere between Repair and Upkeep

And here are a few of the finished project:

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