[Public-list] Re: Painting the Toerail

[JohnI]

Gord, No problem. I saw you at the Portland show a year or so ago and
thought your stuff was great. Traditional is good.
 After pondering this discussion a bit more, it dawned on me that there are
some very beautiful classic wooden boats here in Maine that have paint
covering some very beautiful wood. Herreshoff even painted beautiful wood
white on the interiors of his boats. So, to somebody's eye, the idea of
using paint on wood was ok. In many cases the paint was put on by a
traditional woodern boatbuilder who more than most would be concerned about
maintaining "traditional good looks" on a boat. So, that's the question I'm
grappling with now. Why would it be aesthetically "acceptable" to paint the
topsides, bulwarks, decks, masts, interior, etc. of a beautifully crafted
wooden boat, but not the toe rail of an Alberg 30?
  On 9/20/05, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:
>
> Hi again -
>
> I use Epiphanes too - it is nice to use and seems to last. John, I'm sorry
> I was so outspoken about the painting thing. I guess if I was totally
> logical about this stuff I wouldn't be in the traditional end of this
> business.
>
> Stephen - you saw me at the Newport Show and will know what I mean...
>
> Gord
>
>
>
>
> > John,
> >
> > We use Epiphanes Gloss on our Alberg and have had excellent results,
> usually
> > 10-12 coats provides a nice finish. Also we never sand which removes the
> > teak leading to replacement. We use a heat gun and a light sanding,
> between
> > coats Scotch Brite does a nice job removing the shine for the next coat.
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> > Stephen
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: public-list-bounces at alberg30.org
> > [mailto:public-list-bounces at alberg30.org] On Behalf Of JohnI
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 2:07 PM
> > To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
> > Subject: Re: [Public-list] Re: Public-list Digest, Vol 484, Issue 2
> >
> > 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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