I checked the archives and there seems to be a difference of opinion. I got some bleach stains on the sole when I was adding bleach to the ballast tank. One post said that the sole would crack if you tried to pry it up. Is that true? Is it possible to mask the fiberglass around it, sand it, and refinish it in place?
Cabin Sole Refinish
- Thread starter Dick1505
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New Sole
Be carefull about refinishing the floor ... it's very thin plywood laminate. I ended up removing my sole from my H-26 completely - and replaced it with a new one from Hunter. Before installation I put 3 coats of Sealer and 4 coats of finish on it. The company I purchased the sealer and finish was 'Ultimate Sole' - I got their name on this site. Their products are expensive - but boy do they look great. It's like a new boat. Tom Grass Grasshopper II H-26 #174
Be carefull about refinishing the floor ... it's very thin plywood laminate. I ended up removing my sole from my H-26 completely - and replaced it with a new one from Hunter. Before installation I put 3 coats of Sealer and 4 coats of finish on it. The company I purchased the sealer and finish was 'Ultimate Sole' - I got their name on this site. Their products are expensive - but boy do they look great. It's like a new boat. Tom Grass Grasshopper II H-26 #174
Sole Replacement
Tom, We are considering a sole replacement on our H26. Can you provide details on your sole replacement. I'm interested in the cost of the new sole and how you removed the old. Thanks.
Tom, We are considering a sole replacement on our H26. Can you provide details on your sole replacement. I'm interested in the cost of the new sole and how you removed the old. Thanks.
Teak bleach, light sand and refinish with ...
Daly's Profin. That's what we did with my dad's H26. Looks like new. BTW, dock neighbor actually uses clorox on his teak. Let's it sit for a while then rinses. He has ton's of it so there must be something to it. Using that strategy, you're already on the way...
Daly's Profin. That's what we did with my dad's H26. Looks like new. BTW, dock neighbor actually uses clorox on his teak. Let's it sit for a while then rinses. He has ton's of it so there must be something to it. Using that strategy, you're already on the way...
New Floor
Glenn, Grasshopper II was moored at West Access Marina this summer - dock White #13. We ordered the new sole from our Hunter dealer (St. Louis Sailing Center - the price was right around $400 as I remember. This included shipping. This was the reason we went to our dealer ... the purchase price was identical ordering from Hunter - but they would have charged us about $100 for shipping ... our dealer shipped the sole in the cabin of a new Hunter sailboat he was taking delivery on. He charged me 1/2 of the normal delivery charge). Anyway - I purchased sanding sealer and Sole Coating from Ultimate Marine Products: http://www.ultimatesole.com/ It's more expensive than CETOL - but (in theory) is made for Boat Flooring applications - so I willingly paid the difference. I pryed the old floor up - it was simply held in by caulking. I then scrapped the floor to get up the old caulk. At home in my garage I put on three coats of sealer and four coats of final finish - boy it sure looked good. (FOLLOW the directions carefully to get the best finish.) I then took the new sole to the boat - put some marine caulk down over the entire area and placed the floor (it was an EXACT fit!). My wife then caulked arond the edge. It makes the interior look like a new boat. One final item - reply #3 of this thread mentioned Daleys Profin - this is a teak oil that Hunter originally used to finish our original soles. I wanted something more durable than teak oil so I went with the Ultimate coating. Hope to see you next year - are you at West Access Marina? Tom Grass Grasshopper II H-26 #174
Glenn, Grasshopper II was moored at West Access Marina this summer - dock White #13. We ordered the new sole from our Hunter dealer (St. Louis Sailing Center - the price was right around $400 as I remember. This included shipping. This was the reason we went to our dealer ... the purchase price was identical ordering from Hunter - but they would have charged us about $100 for shipping ... our dealer shipped the sole in the cabin of a new Hunter sailboat he was taking delivery on. He charged me 1/2 of the normal delivery charge). Anyway - I purchased sanding sealer and Sole Coating from Ultimate Marine Products: http://www.ultimatesole.com/ It's more expensive than CETOL - but (in theory) is made for Boat Flooring applications - so I willingly paid the difference. I pryed the old floor up - it was simply held in by caulking. I then scrapped the floor to get up the old caulk. At home in my garage I put on three coats of sealer and four coats of final finish - boy it sure looked good. (FOLLOW the directions carefully to get the best finish.) I then took the new sole to the boat - put some marine caulk down over the entire area and placed the floor (it was an EXACT fit!). My wife then caulked arond the edge. It makes the interior look like a new boat. One final item - reply #3 of this thread mentioned Daleys Profin - this is a teak oil that Hunter originally used to finish our original soles. I wanted something more durable than teak oil so I went with the Ultimate coating. Hope to see you next year - are you at West Access Marina? Tom Grass Grasshopper II H-26 #174
New Floor
Tom, Thanks for the reply. I'll stop by next spring and take a look at your new floor. We are at West Access all the way at the end of D-dock, D-35. See you next spring.
Tom, Thanks for the reply. I'll stop by next spring and take a look at your new floor. We are at West Access all the way at the end of D-dock, D-35. See you next spring.
Some progress
I tried bleaching the rest of the floor last night, but that didn't work. I thought of masking the floor and sanding it in place, but masking around those tight corners didn't work so here is what I did. 1 I scored the dark brown caulking with a sharp knife. 2 In the widest part of the sole so that I didn't have a corner to break off, I slowly pried the edge of the floor up. 3 Next, I slowly slid a pry bar under the floor giving the caulk that had been used to stick it down time to release. I slid the pry toward the smaller corners and it came up easily. 4 A glass scraper took the caulk from the floor under the sole. A putty knife removed most of the dark brown caulk from the edge of the floor. A Brillow pad removed most of the remainder around the top of the cabin floor edge that might show when recaulked. 5 To clean up the edge of the sole, I found that, using a razor knife and drawing the ege of the blade backward along the edge of the sole, it removed the caulk easily. IMPORTANT! Hold the sole so that the finish side is away from your knife hand so that if it slip off it only scratches the back side of the sole.
I tried bleaching the rest of the floor last night, but that didn't work. I thought of masking the floor and sanding it in place, but masking around those tight corners didn't work so here is what I did. 1 I scored the dark brown caulking with a sharp knife. 2 In the widest part of the sole so that I didn't have a corner to break off, I slowly pried the edge of the floor up. 3 Next, I slowly slid a pry bar under the floor giving the caulk that had been used to stick it down time to release. I slid the pry toward the smaller corners and it came up easily. 4 A glass scraper took the caulk from the floor under the sole. A putty knife removed most of the dark brown caulk from the edge of the floor. A Brillow pad removed most of the remainder around the top of the cabin floor edge that might show when recaulked. 5 To clean up the edge of the sole, I found that, using a razor knife and drawing the ege of the blade backward along the edge of the sole, it removed the caulk easily. IMPORTANT! Hold the sole so that the finish side is away from your knife hand so that if it slip off it only scratches the back side of the sole.
Teak and Holly Vinyl I becoming very popular.
Several of my sailing buddies have replaced cabin soles with Teak and Holly Vinyl. You have to see it to believe it. You buy it in rolls. You put it down, cut with an exacto knife to fit. You glue it to the floor and you are done. To clean all they use is a little water and a mild detergent. You cannot tell that it is vinyl. One of them has two samll boys who are always trashing the floors and drawing with crayons etc. All they do is mop it up. Its amazing. I will be doing my cabin floors this spring after I recuperate from Hurricane Wilma. I had alot of damage on my hunter 25.5. I'm including serveral links regarding this vinyl. Good luck! Phil www.worldpanel.com www.plasteak.com This following site is good for wood repair. www.woodworkingforwaterctaft.com
Several of my sailing buddies have replaced cabin soles with Teak and Holly Vinyl. You have to see it to believe it. You buy it in rolls. You put it down, cut with an exacto knife to fit. You glue it to the floor and you are done. To clean all they use is a little water and a mild detergent. You cannot tell that it is vinyl. One of them has two samll boys who are always trashing the floors and drawing with crayons etc. All they do is mop it up. Its amazing. I will be doing my cabin floors this spring after I recuperate from Hurricane Wilma. I had alot of damage on my hunter 25.5. I'm including serveral links regarding this vinyl. Good luck! Phil www.worldpanel.com www.plasteak.com This following site is good for wood repair. www.woodworkingforwaterctaft.com
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