Refinishing sole

[RDW]

If all floor boards are removable, is it easier to refinish in place or remove and work in shop.
rdw

[SV Siren]

If you have a shop, I find it easier to do it at my shop. No travel time, I can walk out to work on my projects, and not waste 1 1/2 hours driving out and back.

[Sailmonkey]

Everything is easier at the shop


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Everything is easier at the shop


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Except "shopping".... That point when you realize the one item required consisting of 3% of the total job.... Is at the STORE holding up the other 97% of the job at the SHOP

[a64pilot]

I'm sitting her thinking how much easier and a better job I could do with something sitting on a table at waist height, as opposed to being on my hands and knees working on it.
Was this a serious question?

[rwidman]

It really depends on how easy it is to remove and reinstall the boards. Your choice.

[John_Trusty]

Refinishing experience from house floors -- Anyone can sand and apply product in the middle of a floor. The real art comes in the edges, and the dreaded corners! A boat multiplies this by 10 (smaller empty floor space and more corners). Do yourself a favor and pull the sole, if possible. The result will be better and you will have more of your knuckle skin left.

[zeehag]

hahaha remove and work in cockpit...

[Sandero]

Most of my floor boards are removable. Some are not. They are in fact structural tying the joinery to the hull structure.

So to refinish I DO have to work some areas on my knees. YUCK... but most can be moved to a shop space... sanded and refinished.

I have some decent dents and scratches... from 30" years of use. Not many good options for repair. All the floor boards are 3/4" teak and holly ply cut from single large sheet and installed so grain is continuous from one panel to the next. I'll probably just fill the dings and scratches with varnish... vestiges of the age of the boat. They add "character"... I suppose.

The question is... when will I have the time to get to this.. because the boat is unusable without the boards... inless I insert unfinished plywood while the panels are being refinished. And a good time to paint the bilge!

[a64pilot]

I believe you may be able to steam some of the dents out.

[Tayana42]

I've got more than a few dents and gouges too. Why shouldn't my sole have some. I'm hoping it shows character in both of us.


S/V B'Shert

[CHM]

Remove and do it outside the boat if possible. Sanding dust is a mess and why confine yourself with the dust and fumes?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Sandero

All the floor boards are 3/4" teak and holly ply cut from single large sheet and installed so grain is continuous from one panel to the next.

Be very careful sanding teak veneer plywood. The teak is thin; maybe 1/32" or 0.8mm. Leave the belt sander off the boat. This ain't 3/4" oak home flooring. The previous owner of my boat sanded through the veneer in places exposing the luan base plywood. I spent hours with artists brush hand painting faux teak and holly back. Think hard about using either a heat gun and scraper or chemical paint removers instead if sanding if you really need to remove the all old varnish.

[RDW]

Just a follow up on this thread. Thank everyone for the good advice. I brought all the boards home. I set up everything in a tobacco stripping room, put some plastic around to cover dirt and dust and have one more coat to go. It was great to leave everything set up for each coat. I used a hvlp spray gun. Not a great learning curve but I erred on light coats with more than one pass with the gun.
rdw