Refinishing companionway door?

[slfro85]

We bought a 1979 23’ sailboat this past weekend. It’s in pretty good shape overall for its age, but the wooden companionway door is pretty weathered. It’s not leaking, no holes or cracks, just really rough-looking on the side that faces the exterior. Boyfriend likes the weathered look but we also want to protect it from further damage. He wants vintage-style mermaids painted on it for decoration. (This will be my job, as the Artistic One in the family.)

I’m not sure what type of wood the door is. We intend to use this boat mostly on freshwater lakes, but sometimes also in the Gulf (we live in Florida). Is there a particular paint/sealer I should use to protect it from the elements without losing its shabby charm?

[Phantom Jim]

Any good spar varnish, available at any hardware store. Either strip or sand off the old finish and follow the instructions on the varnish label. Some prefer a matte finish, others glossy; your choices.

If the wood is not mahagony or teak, stain to the color you want.

[tkeithlu]

Agreeing with Jim. Choose a polyurethane varnish. There might actually be some spar varnish out there that is not polyurethane. If you sand too aggressively, you may remove the weathering, so go easy with that stuff if you want it to stay gray. I hope that you will post a picture of the mermaids. We have a forum member who is anamored of manatees; he needs to see what a real mermaid looks like.

[slfro85]

Here’s a better photo of what I’m working with. The only hole is the intentional one under the latch; I assume it’s for airflow and/or to act as a handle? I’m thinking of putting a bit of screen there to keep vermin from getting in; we intend to keep this on the trailer when we’re not on the water and the only place for it is under a tree. This afternoon when I went out there to clean up I got sass-mouthed by a territorial squirrel who had been sitting on the mast when I climbed the ladder. (The neighbor was in her yard with her dog and she had a good laugh when she heard me sass-mouth the squirrel right back.)

We want to keep as much of the grey as possible so I’ll try not to be too aggressive with stripping off the old varnish. The owner’s manual doesn’t say what kind of wood the door is, but it does mention teak seal, so perhaps teak?

[slfro85]

Oh, talking of decorating and cleaning up... the interior walls are terribly dirty. I went out there armed with a dustbuster and a bunch of magic erasers and scrubbed off a lot of dirt, but there’s a fair bit of staining. It doesn’t smell like mold or mildew inside so I think it’s just dirt (there were a ton of large, dead mud dauber nests too) Can I paint the inside of the cabin? If so, does regular interior house primer like Kilz and paint work or do I need something specific?

Yes, this IS my first boat, how did you guess?

[Phantom Jim]

Sometimes a 25/75 bleach mixture with a 3M scrubbie will get the fiberglass cabinsides bright and shiny. It is certainly cheap enough.

Interior latex will work with Kilz. I, personally, prefer one of the Total Boat paints from Jamestown Distributors that are glossy. Prep the surface as instructed on the paint can.

[slfro85]

Originally Posted by Phantom Jim

Sometimes a 25/75 bleach mixture with a 3M scrubbie will get the fiberglass cabinsides bright and shiny. It is certainly cheap enough.

Interior latex will work with Kilz. I, personally, prefer one of the Total Boat paints from Jamestown Distributors that are glossy. Prep the surface as instructed on the paint can.

Looking at the walls a bit better, this is more like a foam wall covering that was install over the fiberglass. It might or might not be paintable. It’s soft and torn in a few places; I might just remove it altogether and then clean and paint the fiberglass.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by slfro85

Looking at the walls a bit better, this is more like a foam wall covering that was install over the fiberglass. It might or might not be paintable. It’s soft and torn in a few places; I might just remove it altogether and then clean and paint the fiberglass.

Indeed! Go for it! You'll find the fiberglass is sort of lumpy. We used interior latex based paint, semi gloss, in our first "Insatiable". It held up quite well. I would avoid a gloss finish on the rough surface I think you're going to find.

If the timber surrounding your companionway "duckboard" and the duckboard itself are teak, they will look beautiful sanded and varnished. However, you could consider painting them a dove grey, a weathered teak color. It would then give you a background for your mermaids. The finger hole is a handle. Usually there are more holes if it is intended for ventilation.

Enjoy!

Ann

[slfro85]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Indeed! Go for it! You'll find the fiberglass is sort of lumpy. We used interior latex based paint, semi gloss, in our first "Insatiable". It held up quite well. I would avoid a gloss finish on the rough surface I think you're going to find.

If the timber surrounding your companionway "duckboard" and the duckboard itself are teak, they will look beautiful sanded and varnished. However, you could consider painting them a dove grey, a weathered teak color. It would then give you a background for your mermaids. The finger hole is a handle. Usually there are more holes if it is intended for ventilation.

Enjoy!

Ann

I’m thinking about that too, just sanding it smooth (so nobody picks up a splinter) and then dry-brushing some grey paint to “weather” it before adding the mermaids.