[r1200gs_chris]

Hi folks,

I always start a project then halfway thru decide I should have taken pictures to document the process. I remembered early this time so I will post this as I go along. Not a very exciting project but it's something we all have to do at some point and this may encourage others to tackle the same job.

I just picked up my new-to-me boat this fall and I pulled these off as soon as I had her on the cradle for the winter. They came off without any issues, about a 15 minute job start to finish. I drilled a small hole in the center of the plugs and then screwed a 2" screw down until it hit the screw head below the plug. A few more gentle turns and this will force the plug up and out of the hole. It may leave a few bits and pieces behind but I used a smaill screwdriver to encourage them to let go. No pics, just use your imagination. While removing one plug the rail chipped and a large piece of the teak came off. I will epoxy this into place once the varnish has been removed.

Here is a pic of a both rails, I had already started stripping one. You can see the difference between the bare wood and the weathered finish. I used a small orbital sander 80 grit paper and that ate thru the varnish quickly stripping the entire 3 loop rail took about 10 minutes. I then went over the entire rail by hand with 120 grit.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

I had a few small nick to address so I used wood filler mixed with teak dust to address those. Once sanded and varnished it will be hard to notice.

I also had to epoxy the chip back into place. I used a 2 part marine epoxy and clamped the piece into place. Bake at room temperature for 2 hours and sand away any excess wood/epoxy.

In picture you can see the 2 clamps holding the chip in place.

Here is the finished product. This should keep the water out and prevent it from chipping or splintering in the future.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

Don't forget to sand the bottom of the loops. You need a clean even surface to bed against the cabin top.

Here are mine before and after sanding.

One of my loops had a chip that the previous owner decided to ignore. It had a small piece that was lifting as well as a missing chip.

I used the same epoxy for this repair. I gently raised the part that was lifting and applied epoxy. I also used some of the epoxy as a filler for the section that was gone. Once sanded and varnished I should have an even surface for bedding.

Filling with epoxy.

Clamping in place as the epoxy cures.

Filling the chip with epoxy.

Here is the result after it had cured.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

More to come. Still a few nicks to fix and then a final sanding at 180 grit before paint. I'll keep posting as I make progress.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

Here is the finished bottom repair. This should bed nicely and keep the water out.

Final step is to clean out any bedding material from the screw holes. I used a small sharp screwdriver to scrape out and leftovers. This will ensure a water tight seal when you re-install.

Notice the amount in the hole.

And you should be left with a pile of silicone that lookls like this.

Scrape. Rinse. Repeat until all holes are clean.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

I did a final hand sand with 180 grit. These are going into storage for now. Next is refinishing the hatch covers. I will varnish once all my wood work is ready to be finished. Stay tuned for more.

 

[weephee]

What product do you intend to use to finish them and how many coats will you apply

 

[r1200gs_chris]

I am leaning towards one of the Interlux products, either Schooner or Spar. I am sure this will stir some debate. I am open to suggestions from other members as I would like to apply something will last for a few seasons. I am up here in Canada so it only sees sun for 7 months of the year and lives under a tarp for the other 5.

 

[capt jgwinks]

I've had better luck gluing the chipped off pieces in before stripping off the finish. That way you're not rounding off the edges of the hole and you're sanding the old finish and excess glue off all at once.
I'm faced with doing this job on my '69 Columbia this winter and a tougher one with the teak "eyebrow" strip which runs along the corner of the cabin top / cabin sides. This strip was originally about a 3/4" half-round, but after 45 years it's been sanded down to about nothing. I'm planning to mill half-rounds out of some Trex decking boards and using that. It'll never have to be refinished and from 20 feet away you won't be able to see the difference. Could make new hand rails from it too.

 

[r1200gs_chris]

I finally started working on the rails again. I just paid my mooring fees and figure I should start working on the boat before spring gets arrives. Here is a picture of the loop rails and my companionway cover. First coat of varnish on the loop rails cut with 333 10%. I've also started refinishing my companionway cover, this is definitely on the list to be replaced but they still have some life left in them. You will notice I screwed the loop rails down to 2 boards with a small spacer to prevent pooling. This allows me to pivot the rails on the boards while varnishing to have access to all exposed wood. One coat down, 10 more to go!

You can see I used a small nut as a spacer to prevent varnish from pooling around the base.

These were in rough shape but should come back to life with 6 coats of marnine varnish.

First coat went on well. Back in 24 hours to sand and apply coat 2 of 10.

 

[SHNOOL]

Wow very nice work.

 

[seaner97]

What Varnish did you end up settling on?

 

[r1200gs_chris]

I am using Interlux Original Y90.

Here are 2 pictures from today. First one is the rails with second coat of varnish, 5 hours old. Second one is the companion way hatch with 3 coats. I sanded with 220 between coats. Second coat went on very smooth. The checking on the hatch has been filled by varnish, providing a very smooth finish that will keep the water running down instead of into the cracks. It will only get better with additional coats.

 

[westsailpatti]

Well because you asked what other people use I thought I would share . We are using a product called Cetol Light .
As you can see it's kind of orange . I'm going to try Cetol Natural maybe that will tone down the orange . Our boat sits in the water year round in a mild climate , on average I would say the Cetol lasts 2 yrs. We love varnish , but for us the Cetol works as we have a bit of wood on our boat . From bare wood 3 coats is all it takes . Down below it's a different story varnish city !

 

[r1200gs_chris]

Wow, looks sharp. What are you using down below? My teak is all bare and I need to do something with it this summer. I know some people like it natural, but it's not for me.

 

[JimsCAL]

I redid all my outside teak last spring (toe rails, entryway trim, etc.) with Cetol Natural Teak. I like it a lot. Look is VERY close to varnished teak and looks like it will hold up much better than varnish. I did not apply Cetol Gloss on top. My plan is to do a light sand and put a fresh coat on each spring.

 

[seaner97]

Well because you asked what other people use I thought I would share . We are using a product called Cetol Light .
As you can see it's kind of orange . I'm going to try Cetol Natural maybe that will tone down the orange . Our boat sits in the water year round in a mild climate , on average I would say the Cetol lasts 2 yrs. We love varnish , but for us the Cetol works as we have a bit of wood on our boat . From bare wood 3 coats is all it takes . Down below it's a different story varnish city !

Man- I had Cetol on my teak and that stuff was horrible to get off when it started to flake. The natural won't significantly change the orange unless you get the orange off, and then it is kinda brownish. Not as pleasing to my eye as regular varnish. Did the oil thing with Tung and Teak oil for a couple seasons, but really kind of blackens quickly. I've had good results (cosmetically- not sure about durability yet) with the Petit Captain's Varnish, and am considering Le Tonk for below as the smell when working it is supposedly not as nasty.

 

[westsailpatti]

The trick is to not let flake , that trick I have a hard time with . but I'm working on it . Chris thank you for the complement , to tell you the truth I forget what kind of varnish I used in the cabin, it was a long time ago . That's why I varnish down in the cabin,
it lasts . However lately I have been using Captains by Pettit and thinned with their thinner . Our name boards are about the only varnish I will commit to outside .

 

[seaner97]

Yeah, the flaking was all PO stuff. But the Cetol natural vs varnish stuff is all personal preference. Didn't mean to suggest that yours wasn't beautiful(it is). I just like the oiled look of wood, and if not that, then the clearest or glossiest varnish that brings out the natural wood. The Cetol natural is certainly harder than varnish, but practical sailor actually found it about as durable as captains, a few of the interlux and le tonk. As well as some hardware store varnish- minwax, I think, but I forget. I'm not going to argue which looks better. That's all in the eye of the beholder.

 

[westsailpatti]

Hey there seaner97 , thank you for the complement . And I didn't take it any other way. We tried oil on the outside with our first boat , and like you decided that was not working . We do use oil below in the cabin on some over head trim strips and the teak slats on the sides .