Small Wood sailboat

[zinahewitt]

Hi All,

I have a small wood sailboat 12' feet.
Clinker built.
I trailer it and it sits in my carport.
I was going to restore it.

I started with the oars to get the groove.
The paint can be stripped with a heat gun , scraper, sand paper, elbow grease.

I was thinking I can either varnish the whole thing {boat + Oars}
or paint it with something like Interlux Pre-kote, then BrightSide Polyurethane.


Anybody have any advice on either tack?
As you can see from the oars, the wood is not new
but I am not looking for showpiece quality.
I also don't mind re-varnishing every so often like I do on my bigger boat.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[dLj]

If you are "restoring" it, paint it. If you are "fixing up" to your liking - your choice.

Nice looking boat by the way....

dj

 

[shemandr]

Oars seem like a good project to get going. What about the mast & boom?
No, I wouldn't strip the entire hull and finish it bright. I built a stitch and glue pram and finished it bright. Year by year there was more paint and less varnish on it.
I like the blue paint. I'd just sand, fill, resend, prime, paint and then sail it.

 

[william24424]

Restoring boat with the top rail varnish & the hull blue will look very sharp. Also removing metal and polishing the brass? Would be very shipshape & Bristol fashion. Post photos.

 

[jssailem]

Refinishing a boat comes down to the look you enjoy and the way you plan to use it. Driving on a trailer to distant waters will take a toll on the boats appearance. Varnish while beautiful will show the road damage, docking mishaps and rock chips. Paint will be more forgiving.

I’d be inclined to paint the hull. Use the savings to get new sail canvas.

 

[LloydB]

Revarnish the varnished parts and paint below. It looked like the former owner found that the varnish didn't hold up as well as paint and wanted a small sailboat rather than a showpiece. As for me, my favorite color is blue but I think forest green looks good on a painted wooden boat when the white oars have been shipped on it.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Paint is more traditional than full varnished hull. All that wood looks good, but unless the boat was built before paint was invented, that much varnish is just affectation. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not restoration faithful.

Modern paints probably are much better, but I remember the blue paint on my father's red white and blue head boats as always being chalky (oxidized).

-Will

 

[thinwater]

I wouldn't aim for perfection, just stabilized an nice. Keep with the original look. It's nice.

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know “why” I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved.
Will Rogers

 

[PaulK]

The oars, (maybe ash?) are never going to look as good as the varnished rail - the wood doesn't have as pretty a grain. They will probably be best painted, along with nice leathers set off with turks' heads. Perhaps the same blue as the hull, with white stars on the blades, or chevrons? Don't paint or varnish the handles though. You want the wood grain there open so your hands don't get blistered from sliding around too much as you row.

 

[SFS]

... Don't paint or varnish the handles though. You want the wood grain there open so your hands don't get blistered from sliding around too much as you row.

^This. This man speaks the truth.

 

[twodzusfittings]

Wow, what a great project. That's the sort of thing that makes my creative mind going. Endless possibilities. You are so fortunate to have possession of it. As others have mentioned, please post lots of photos from tear down to restoration on which ever level you have decided on. Have fun.