Re-finishing a sole

[GMFL]

Hi, I'm looking to purchase and was wondering was was involved in re-finishing a teak and holly sole to make it look pretty.

Thanks in advance.

[GMFL]

Oh, also I was wondering what would cause the sole to look that way? Natural? Neglect? Moisture?

Thanks again,

[MARC2012]

Is it ply veneer or plank?Do you know what is on it polyurathane or oil?Can be sanded but if veneer must be extremely cautious because veneer is thin.Can strip either.marc

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by MARC2012

Is it ply veneer or plank?Do you know what is on it polyurathane or oil?Can be sanded but if veneer must be extremely cautious because veneer is thin.Can strip either.marc

I'm not exactly sure, but I'm pretty confident it's plank. Also not sure if it's water or oil based.

Any idea what would cause it?

[Minnewaska]

Hard to tell from the pic, but looks like a little bit of wear and a little bit of moisture. The later could be coming from the backside. Best way to refinish is to remove them from the boat, but that looks tough, if not impossible, in your case. I see flush dowels on the planks. Are they screwed to an underlayment and could there be moisture between the two?

[PorFin]

GMFL,

Just a few guesses here, based on your posted pic.

I think you've got a real plank sole there, so it should handle a good sanding without ill effect. The following is based on that assumption.

The holly looks to have discolored from moisture penetration. Depending on the grain pattern of the holly, it may have swelled a little proud of the adjacent teak and thus the finish wore off or failed more rapidly than the teak. This may or may not be a challenge, depending on the condition of the holly.

You should be able to strip the old finish off using traditional methods: sand, heat, scraper, and/or chemical stripper. The choice is yours.

Once you get the old finish off, assess the condition of any of the holly that remains discolored after sanding it fair. If it's still sound, you can probably get it a little closer to the original color using a decent bleaching agent. I prefer to use a two-part -- I've had good results with Klean-Strip, but there are others out there.

If the holly is a little "punky" -- appreciably softer than other parts -- you may need to do a little careful surgery to replace the bad sections of holly.

As far as new finishes go, if you'd asked this two years ago I think the overwhelming recommendation would have been Ultimate Sole. Sadly, it's no longer available. I've not used anything other than that, so I've got no direct knowlege on how other products will fare over the long haul. Other folks have recommended GymSeal and other gym floor finishes, as well as polyurethane floor finishes.

Hope this helps.

[Sabreman]

Our Sabre 28 had a plywood/veneer sole and our Sabre 38 has a real teak & holly sole. I've refinished each several times.

IMO, the discoloration is due to an originbal thin finish that's been worn away and dirt and moisture (in the air, water drops, etc) have discolored the wood. This is a relatively simple job. Get a 5" random orbit sander attached to a shop-n-vac and sand with 100 grit, then 150, then 220. Change sanding disks every 2' of floor (it is much more economical and far faster to switch pads frequently). When done, vacuum the floor and tack.

The finish is probably varnish or urethans so you should be able to apply a Spar Urethane (I highly recommend Minwax Spar Urethane) directly over the floor. If you have any hesitation regarding compatibility, use Zinsser Sanding Sealer to isolate the old finish from the new. Sand w/220 and vacuum/tack. Apply the new finish with a high quality china bristle brush. Sand lightly between coats with 220, vacuuming and tacking. Repeat for at least 3 coats. 5 is better. Repeat every few years as needed. The result will look like the following link.

VICTORIA (and her mistress)

PS. I used the same process on the table too. Spar Urethane is not the hardest finish and not nearly as hard as normal flooring urethanes, but in this application you want flexibility since the floor will be expanding and contracting continually (spar varnish and urethane is more flexible). The few scratches that you get from dirt are nothing compared with the effect of a dropped winch handle or hammer. Don't sweat it.

[GMFL]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses. I'm guessing the repairs aren't as drastic as I thought. I'm still working on this deal but think I'm going to buy her. She's very nice, event with the sole as is.

BTW, Victoria is beautiful, I'm working toward that quality of finish. Thanks again.

GMFL

[Sabreman]

working toward that quality of finish

Thank you. It really isn't that hard. The floor was easy, the rest of the interior took about 3 seasons to get through the acres of teak. We had 20 years of grime over the unfinished wood. The PO used various oils which look good for like 10 minutes and then attract grime. When I rebuilt the bulkhead in the head, I cleaned the teak with acetone and 220 grit, then finished with Minwax satin urethane (gloss on high wear areas). I went from there forward, working in stages. Spreading the job out over 3 seasons made the work seem much easier. I only did finishing in the spring because the interior was stripped, I brought home as many pieces as I could easily remove. Working in the shop is faster and quality is easier to control. The result was well worth the effort, IMO. I still play with the finish, using high gloss spar urethane on accent strips in the window trim, overhead, and around deck hatches. Doing the interior handholds next spring in high gloss.