Deck Boards

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Deck Boards

Postby Lubrdink » Tue Mar 29, 2022 5:46 pm

I got these floor boards with our 70 DS. Last owner didn’t use them but passed them on and I’d like to refinish and use.
Are they teak? Has anyone refinished theirs successfully?
I’ve seen some nice ones on the gallery.
Thanks
2962
Captain Rocky
S/V Per Aspera
1970 DS 1 #4143
Topeka, KS
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Re: Deck Boards

Postby GreenLake » Tue Mar 29, 2022 6:56 pm

@Rocky,
these can look very classy when refinished. You do need to take them all apart, sand all pieces on all sides and then do the finish and put them all back together. Later, you may get away with spot refinishing.

The most durable finish would be PU over epoxy. Downside is that the epoxy must seal absolutely everything (even all the screw holes). That last bit can be tricky, and my own refinish project is halted before even reaching the PU stage, because I've put together the boards, but now would need to take them all apart to seal the screw holes. I happily sail without. (Other wooden parts with fewer screws worked well with the epoxy+PU method).

PU on bare wood tends to crack with swelling from moisture and that's tricky to deal with as PU is hard an not easy to sand. More standard varnish will also crack over time and need regular maintenance. If you use an "oil" type product, you may have the shortest life-time, but hey, how hard is wiping on some more oil?

So, you have choices, and you'll find many opinions and suggestions on this site (check out the older posts, there's more than one lazy evening of reading here) or look for varnishing discussion for boats on the web. Good luck.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Deck Boards

Postby Lubrdink » Tue Mar 29, 2022 6:58 pm

Thanks G
Appreciate your insight.
Cheers.
Captain Rocky
S/V Per Aspera
1970 DS 1 #4143
Topeka, KS
Lubrdink
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2022 11:25 pm
Location: Topeka, KS

Re: Deck Boards

Postby tomodda » Wed Mar 30, 2022 9:20 am

Answering one of your questions, the original floorboards are Mahogany, not Teak. Assuming you are trailer-sailing, your floorboards are mostly going to live in your garage (as in, take them out after every sail). Therefore, you don't have to be quite as fanatical about sealing them, at least in my not-humble opinion. And I'm lazy, but that's just me. The big problem with these OG floorboards are the feet, don't let them stand in water for days, get them out and dry. Anyway, this just to say that I'm a big fan of PenoFin Oil - works well and you only have to re-apply about once a season, so two total, Spring and Mid-Summer. Gives you something to do on those windless Sundays...
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Re: Deck Boards

Postby GreenLake » Wed Mar 30, 2022 1:15 pm

Standing water isn't good. The thing about epoxy sealing is that if it's successful, it will prevent the moisture cycling that cracks varnish or PU. That moisture cycling creates swelling and it doesn't depend on standing water. Humidity changes are enough. Epoxy has enough of a vapor barrier effect to allow coating with a harder finish that would otherwise crack too easily.

The downside is that you can't allow any places for water to get in, because w/ a vapor barrier, the wood would never dry. Regular varnish isn't as critical in that regard nor is oil.

Oil is of course not scratch resistant (contrary to a PU coating over epoxy), but scratches are easily touched up. That's why oil is also a good choice for gunwales. Their edges are really exposed. The oil isn't strong enough to mechanically protect the wood, or to resist being rubbed off, but it's easy to wipe on a couple times a season to maintain protection against water and elements.

I only stored mine in the garage outside the sailing season. During the season, with a tarp cover, there was little risk of standing water. That may be different depending on local climate.
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