refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

[sidv13]

the wood trim pieces on my thundercraft need to be refinished and I was wondering if I should use just regular polyurathane or do I need to get marine grade poly for it. are there any pro's or con's to using one or the other. any advice would be appreciated. I am referring to the ladder platform, railings and step pads, etc.

 

[BWT]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

Hi and welcome to iBoats!

You'll need to use a finish that is meant for exterior use. If it does not specifically say this, it will not have the UV blockers/inhibitors that will keep the finish from failing prematurely. There are lots of options, really just depends on the appearance you're going for as well as the kind of maintenance you want to put into it each spring.. For the areas you mentioned, personally I would go with some type of oil rather than a hard finish. A hard finish will be very slippery when wet (ladder platform and step pads specifically). Oil does not behave like this, but it does require touching up every month or so depending on the amount of exposure it gets... That being said, touching up entails putting some oil on a rag and wiping over the wood; quick and simple.. Don't know if this helps much, but it's a start

~BWT

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

The wood looks like and usually is Teak, Pressure wash it well, let dry and use several coats of teak oil.

 

[zopperman]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

Cool boat. There are a lot of great articles about restoring teak out there. a VERY LIGHT sanding can help prior to oil application. I wouldn't put poly on it.

 

[BWT]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

Strictly looking at the oil option, the way I would prep the teak would be to either sand it with 80 grit until down to fresh wood, or something that I've come across lately is to wet the wood with water and scrape the surface (if you have a wood scraper). This gets it to 90% fresh wood very easily then finish off with a light sanding. Next step would be to go over and clean the teak with a teak cleaner (there are commercially avail ones out there, my fav is made by teak decking systems), otherwise use a bleach mixture to kill all the mold that's in the grains of the wood. One common issue with oiling teak is that is develops black streaks / blotches. Typically this is caused by the remnants of mold spores in the wood grains. By going over with a cleaner it greatly reduces (sometimes eliminates) this problem. After the wood dries go over with a few thin coats of teak oil. When it stops absorbing into the wood, wipe excess off with a clean rag and go skiing!! (or boating; however you enjoy your boat

Hope this helps!

~BWT

 

[sidv13]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

thank you all for the all great advice, this is my first boat and fortunately it does not need any major work just a little TLC.

 

[Nigel Croker]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

thank you all for the all great advice, this is my first boat and fortunately it does not need any major work just a little TLC.

You have the same boat as me. Here are some pictures of the wood I redid. I simply pressure washed it let it dry adn brushed on 3 coats of teak oil, followed by a wipe with a rag. Only downside is you have to redo it every couple months during the season, but looks nice.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

The wood looks like and usually is Teak, Pressure wash it well, let dry and use several coats of teak oil.

I agree. Good old Teak oil should work wonders, and you can get it at the big box stores for pretty cheap.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

This is kind of an old post to be responding to, but i will anyhow . I did this with Starbrights 3 step program . Cleaner . brightner, then teak oil.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

Look through my reburb thread. I stopped using teak oil after years of doing it. I have redone all my teak on the boat with Rustoleum exterior spar varnish. Looks like glass and will be far less maintenance. has to be done properly and it takes time to do, but worth it imo.

If you go the teak oil route, just sand it down with 150 grit. Do not power wash it! It is a soft wood and power washing it can raise the grains and you will then have to sand it down anyway. A light sanding until you see the wood look new again, then apply teak brightener and then teak oil. When applying the teak oil, all coats should be left to soak for 24 hours before applying next coat etc. This allows the teak oil to really penetrate the wood and doesn't build up and yellow the surface as bad. Contrary to popular belief, teak oil is slick when wet, just like spar varnish.

Spar varnished

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: refinishing wood trip on thundercraft boat.

Look through my reburb thread. I stopped using teak oil after years of doing it. I have redone all my teak on the boat with Rustoleum exterior spar varnish. Looks like glass and will be far less maintenance. has to be done properly and it takes time to do, but worth it imo.

If you go the teak oil route, just sand it down with 150 grit. Do not power wash it! It is a soft wood and power washing it can raise the grains and you will then have to sand it down anyway. A light sanding until you see the wood look new again, then apply teak brightener and then teak oil. When applying the teak oil, all coats should be left to soak for 24 hours before applying next coat etc. This allows the teak oil to really penetrate the wood and doesn't build up and yellow the surface as bad. Contrary to popular belief, teak oil is slick when wet, just like spar varnish.

Spar varnished

Hey CC254 Sure looks pretty, has it been in the water yet? I am curious as to how long it would stay so pretty after water, foot traffic and sand enter the picture ? Also. is it slippery when wet ? Damn, sure looks nice tho !