Renewing finish on teak in cabin 1977 E27

[bhowell123]

I want/need to renew the finish on the teak below, which is actually in pretty good shape. Anyone know what the original finish was? Pretty sure it was/is not just teak oil, too early for polyurethane. I am guessing spar varnish. Has anyone taken this task on and have info and/or tips to share. I have zero interest in sanding everything down to bare wood. I think I should be able to lightly sand the surfaces, clean and reapply whatever is on it now (again, guessing spar varnish).


Thanks. Love this site and these forums.

Bryan Howell

 

[Christian Williams]

On the mid-80s boats, looks like satin varnish was the factory choice. At least on some models. So, a light sanding and a new coat or two brings it back. Satin varnish is very forgiving..

Personally, I use high gloss Interlux Schooner on anywhere hands touch, and around companionway and deck hatches where the trim gets UV when they're open.

If the wood is discolored or the varnish gone, a new coat of satin varnish won't hide anything. Stain may have to be applied locally first, an experimental process.

Satin varnish looks like rubbed oil, and it can be hard to tell which was used, 30 years later. But if the woodwork currently looks OK, satin is easy to try and doesn;t preclude other options subsequently.

Loren describes his interior finish and maintenance here:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?107-Another-Fall-Another-Bulkhead

 

[716Ericson27]

I'm currently refinishing a lot of interior and exterior wood on my 76 E27. I have also always assumed the wood was teak and that varnish had been used over the years to treat it. Most of my wood was in rough enough shape that I sanded everything down to bare wood using 60, 120, 150, and 220 grits. While I do enjoy working on my boat, I will say that the sanding down to bare wood and working up through the grits was a daunting task.....but the end results should be worth the effort. I ended up using a Pettit Flagship Varnish for all the exterior wood, and Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane for the interior wood. Attached are some photos of getting to where I am currently at. So far I have applied 2 coats of thinned out varnish 50/50 mix with paint thinner, and three coats un-thinned. I plan on applying another 3-4 un-thinned coats.

 

[Christian Williams]

That's going to be beautiful. And only the exterior pieces will need all those coats.

 

[716Ericson27]

That's going to be beautiful. And only the exterior pieces will need all those coats.

Thanks Christian. I cannot wait to install everything back on the boat and just stare and enjoy! I'll be sure to share pictures once everything is re-installed....Here is another question for everyone while we are on the topic of wood refinishing. The holes in my handrails for the mounting hardware have been drilled out several times over its lifespan. There are only a few holes that are truly round and square anymore. That being said I don't think traditional wood plugs will work to fill them all back in. Any ideas for a filler material that can be used to fill in the now odd shaped holes, but still match the color of the teak? Here is a typical picture of what I am working with

 

[Christian Williams]

Yes, that's one of the issues with plugs. They need good holes or new plugs aren't worth the effort.

The easiest solution is probably to plug the holes, then fill the gaps with something like Plastic Wood, or maybe a peanut-butter mixture of similar teak sawdust and epoxy. It won't look perfect.

What I would probably consider is wood-gluing sacrificial plugs into the holes, then using a forstner drill bit to redrill clean for a larger plug size.

This would mean first seeing if larger plugs are available, or if you can buy a plug-maker to make your own.

Depends on how many, how bad.

 

[Mark F]

Hi Bryan,

My E27 is a 76 model year, I think the last year year of mahogany interiors. During my recent remodel I lightly sanded some of the existing bulkheads and used a couple coats of satin urethane. The wood was quite faded and the light sanding didn't do anything for the color. After the second coat of urethane the grain did get a bit richer. I'm not sure how the teak will react.

 

[bhowell123]

I'm currently refinishing a lot of interior and exterior wood on my 76 E27. I have also always assumed the wood was teak and that varnish had been used over the years to treat it. Most of my wood was in rough enough shape that I sanded everything down to bare wood using 60, 120, 150, and 220 grits. While I do enjoy working on my boat, I will say that the sanding down to bare wood and working up through the grits was a daunting task.....but the end results should be worth the effort. I ended up using a Pettit Flagship Varnish for all the exterior wood, and Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane for the interior wood. Attached are some photos of getting to where I am currently at. So far I have applied 2 coats of thinned out varnish 50/50 mix with paint thinner, and three coats un-thinned. I plan on applying another 3-4 un-thinned coats.

That is very nice work, and wil look fantastic on the boat. I just can't bring myself to do all of that work after 7 months of slaving over all the exterior stuff that needed doing. Send some photos when you are done.

 

[bhowell123]

Hi Bryan,

My E27 is a 76 model year, I think the last year year of mahogany interiors. During my recent remodel I lightly sanded some of the existing bulkheads and used a couple coats of satin urethane. The wood was quite faded and the light sanding didn't do anything for the color. After the second coat of urethane the grain did get a bit richer. I'm not sure how the teak will react.

Thanks. I think I might experiment with something not too visible, maybe in the head somewhere, to see what differtn approaches end up looking like. All that teak is nice, I guess, but it sure is a lot of work.

 

[Mark F]

Hi Sailing 716,

Looking good. That's a big job. Are you sure the wood is teak? My 1976 E27 interior is mahogany. The exterior bright work is teak. Teak has a distinctive smell and feels almost oily. If you need to replace any of the interior wood smell some of the sanded exterior wood and compare that smell to the interior, it should be pretty obvious.

 

[716Ericson27]

Hi Sailing 716,

Looking good. That's a big job. Are you sure the wood is teak? My 1976 E27 interior is mahogany. The exterior bright work is teak. Teak has a distinctive smell and feels almost oily. If you need to replace any of the interior wood smell some of the sanded exterior wood and compare that smell to the interior, it should be pretty obvious.

I really am not 100% sure on the wood type. I had read about teak feeling oily but would not say that the wood was oily when sanding, but it definitely was not dry feeling, if that makes sense. Unfortunately there is no more bare wood to smell at this point in the project. I will say that as more of the varnish and urethane goes on, the interior and exterior woods are taking on different color tones. The exterior is becoming a darker brown. The interior has a more golden tone to it. This could be the varnish vs. urethane finish though. Either way I am pleased with how it is coming out, and pleased with the quality of these older woods in general. No knots, square, and dense.

 

[olsenjohn]

Looking great!

A great looking start on refinishing the woodwork, thank you for sharing. Be sure to post the final results so we can see the finished product.

 

[716Ericson27]

Woodwork Update

Thought I would share a quick update on the wood refinishing. Here is a shot of the exterior woodwork going back on. There is also new kiwigrip down over the bow non-skid and cabin top non skid. Still need to do the sides and cockpit. Shots of the interior woodwork to come.