[Public-list] Re: Public-list Digest, Vol 484, Issue 2

JohnI a30blueteal at gmail.com
Tue Sep 20 11:07:07 PDT 2005


I'm not sure what kind of varnish system the PO used to finish the boat.
What I can say is it looked nice when I bought it last Fall. After 4 months
on the water it looks pretty ratty. By contrast, the fiberglass deck next to
it has had nothing done to it in 40 years and it looks almost perfect.
 I should add the wood on my boat wasn't all varnished when I bought it. The
PO had previously painted the lids of the cockpit lockers. This Spring while
replacing the hinges, I sanded the lids down and put another coat of paint
on them. I admit to not shedding the slightest tear when putting paint on
that wood, and the paint has held up perfectly. Now, to me that is beautiful
- a sort of beauty in function so to speak.
 When making my original post about this, I anticipated the response about
covering up the beauty of the wood, etc. and one side of me completely
agrees with that point. The *real* dilemma was revealed by Stephen and
another who highlighted the classic beauty of the wood and hinted at our
responsibility as temporary custodians of these classic boats to stay true
to the design and the classic beauty inherent in it. As much as I'd like to
just paint the toerails in favor of something more functional, I share this
sense of responsibility, and hence my post to explore the possibilities. But
this responsibility doesn't stop at the toerails and I frequently wonder
where it does end. For example, what about ripping out the beautiful, but
useless, icebox that Whitby put in the boat, or adding an access hatch in
the cockpit that is actually usable, or bolting ugly pieces of aluminum on
the beam under the mast step, changing the winches, adding a spray dodger,
bimini, lifesling, radar, propane bottle, outboard motor, etc. - the list
goes on. Trying to decide what between what's right and what's not when
modifying or "improving" the A30 turns out to be a very difficult and
subjective thing.
 At this point, I'm going to consider Gordon and Rachel's idea of
revarnishing everything and perhaps painting over the varnish. That would
protect and preserve the teak for a future A30 owner who might prefer
varnish, and in the meantime provide me with a robust finish that's up to
the cruising program I have planned for the boat.
 Thanks everyone for weighing in on this. If anyone has information about
the success or otherwise of painting over varnish, I'd appreciate hearing
about it. I have a few old pieces of teak that I'll experiment with in the
meantime.
 John
#284
 On 9/20/05, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:
>
> A friend of mine who is a professional boat builder sold a varnished boat
> a
> few years ago to a client who wanted a painted hull...so Ken worked up a
> varnished hull and finished it with paint. That way, he told me, once he
> was able to bring them to reason he could easily 'repair' the damage. He
>
> Gord #426 Surprise
>
>
>
>
> > JohnL,
> > I too have thought about painting the toe rail and coamings after using
> > 3 to 4 coats of Certol (the marine vesion). But first I thought I would
> try
> > and use teak oil on the grab rails and companion way drop board guides.
> They
> > both came out really looking good. I'm not sure what your weather is
> like but
> > in Texas the teak oil last about 2 weeks then you must reply. It takes
> about
> > 10 minutes start to finish. Has anyone used Schooner varnish with
> suscess on
> > the toe rails or coamings?
> > Allen
> > A 520
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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