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inside stained from factory?

Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:01 am
by Thomas Mackin
Have stripped out the inside of my new 58 Sea Lancer and the floor and sides I think were stained at the factory. I have the front seats with the compartments with wood doors on the back and they were a bugger to remove. The stain in that area indicates the factory did indeed stain the entire inside. In checking with the former owner the floor boards were not even removed. Is soda blasting a possibility due to the difficulty of sanding? Any Wi members who live near Eagle River? LOve my new boat!!

Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:42 am
by Phill Blank
Thomas,

I do not recommend blasting of any sort on wood. Problem is the wood grain can be raised especially on the fir plywood that was used on these lapstrake boats. Fir has a combination of soft and hard grain layers and blasting will erode the softer layer before the harder layers and you will have a lot of waviness on the planking as a result.

If you need to strip the varnish or paint use a stripper and sand lightly to smooth out the surface prior to finishing. Also not a bad idea if you strip to bare wood to use Smith's CPES (Clear Penitrating Epoxy Sealer) before varnishing or painting. It will seal the wood against water penitration and rot, yet allow it to breath naturally.

It is a lot of work to sand the interior but well worth the effort in the long run and you will be happier with the end result.

On the outside you need to sand very very carefully because the plywood had a smooth paper like surface, most likely MDF, bonded to it and heavy sanding will strip that layer to the bare wood and then you have an uneven surface to try and fare out before painting. Not fun and a lot more work.

Good Luck,

Phill

Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:30 pm
by LancerBoy
I have never seen a lapstrake Thompson of Peshtigo boat with factory applied stain on the interior ceiling planking and ribs. They were varnished only.

The 1950s boats do not have the paper overlay on the plywood painted surfaces. Thompson of Peshtigo did not start using that stuff until circa 1963.

I too nix the idea of soda blasting. The spring and summer wood is so different in density that you will remove more of the softer stuff than the harder wood. You'll end up having to sand it anyway.

Get at the structural issues FIRST, if any, before doing any refinishing. I bet the outer keel is a leak point. Removal of the outer keel and recaulking is pretty much a necessity to any restoration.

Andreas