Floor Finishing

[victorhoisington]

Ok, I need some help. My 1989 Hunter 28 has a cockpit floor panel behind the binnacle which was originally made of fiberglass and cored with plywood. This panel has failed and I am replacing it with a new solid wood panel made of teak and birch. I have completed building the new panel and it is ready for finishing.

I've seen products like Smith's CPES and SYSTEMThree Clear Penetrating Epoxy which all look to be good options for sealing the panel before the final varnish coats. The panel will be under our Bimini and can be removed for the winter and stored inside but, it will be exposed to sunlight and of course take some moderate foot traffic (I don't live aboard but try to be on the boat most weekends)

Does anybody have any experience with the above sealers or any other products. Is one really any better than the other or could I just use regular West System epoxy as the seal coat (which I have on hand).? Should I plan to put a clear coat varnish over the epoxy? or just more coats of epoxy?

Any and all comments are welcome,

Thanks,

Victor

 

[FastOlson]

Getting to the 'soul' of the matter

Don't know about your plan to put down wood. I would re-core it (balsa or foam core) and lay glass on top. There are good choices for new non-skid surface, and after that it would be easy to care for.

One detail you should correct/address,tho, is nomenclature.
Not so much to please the 'purists' in the crowd as to make searching easier for everyone.
The part of the cockpit you stand on is the sole.
'Floors' are structural parts of the boat beneath the sole inside of the cabin. When describing parts of a boat, it's really helpful for everyone to 'be on the same page' regarding just what is being considered.

And, getting further into the heart and soul (sole?) of the matter, on any boat of that age you are likely to find that the lack of rebedding of hardware by all the prior owners will potentially cause deck and cockpit core saturation and rot problems.

Rebedding all of the hardware bits that are screwed or bolted to the decks is something you really need to get done. If this project has already started you on that larger project, good for you!


Good luck, and if you have pictures of this project, do post them up. This will help others help you.

Regards,
Loren

 

[woodster]

Ok, I need some help. My 1989 Hunter 28 has a cockpit floor panel behind the binnacle which was originally made of fiberglass and cored with plywood. This panel has failed and I am replacing it with a new solid wood panel made of teak and birch. I have completed building the new panel and it is ready for finishing.

I've seen products like Smith's CPES and SYSTEMThree Clear Penetrating Epoxy which all look to be good options for sealing the panel before the final varnish coats. The panel will be under our Bimini and can be removed for the winter and stored inside but, it will be exposed to sunlight and of course take some moderate foot traffic (I don't live aboard but try to be on the boat most weekends)

Does anybody have any experience with the above sealers or any other products. Is one really any better than the other or could I just use regular West System epoxy as the seal coat (which I have on hand).? Should I plan to put a clear coat varnish over the epoxy? or just more coats of epoxy?

Any and all comments are welcome,

Thanks,

Victor

that's a good looking panel Victor.... you can use either penetrating epoxy for a sealer but you need to let it dry for about 36 hours or more depending on how heavy you put it on ......i would do 2 coats before putting on any finishing coats....and i would use a scotch bright burgundy pad on a block of wood to scuff it up between coats ...then use your west epoxy with the hardener designed for finishing... 207.... i think it is.... make sure you resin is clear ...you can also go to west systems sight and read about the procedure and that will help you a lot ...good luck...

regards

woody

 

[victorhoisington]

Re: Getting to the 'soul' of the matter

Loren,

Yes you are correct it a the sole not the floor. I just did wood floors in the house over the winter so sometimes get my vocabulary mixed up ( try telling the home depot sales guy you are replacing the sole of a bedroom, he gets very confused very fast )

As to the wood vs. re fiberglass, as you can see from the pictures, I've already decided on the wood approach. Actually most of the boat is very sound. This is the only place we have found any real deterioration. Not sure why this part failed when everything else remained solid. There are 6 screw holes which will be drilled out and filled before replacing the sole but ,otherwise nothing (for this project) needs repair. Of course there is a long list of other projects but those will come at other times.

This part covers the steering gear and rudder post and so I also have to add a stainless access port for the emergency tiller. That part is on order and fitting it will be fun.

What I'm looking for now is help with deciding on how to properly seal the new sole and if there is really much difference in any of the Clear Epoxy Sealers that are on the market. The literature I have found is pretty much a claim that I'm the best and everybody else is full of it, so buy mine. I'd love some real world reviews or feedback from anyone who has done similar work.

Thoughts?

 

[Bill Roosa]

I would recommend a "UV proof" coating over the epoxy as it does not really like UV. Gelcoat works for fiberglass. Clearly that is not an option here. I don't know of a "UV proof" coating though. Varnish or polyurethane are ok but they would introduce a maintenance issue as UV does do a number on them over time.

 

[mitiempo]

I agree. Epoxy will turn yellow in a season of sun and then crack and peel. It needs to be protected from UV. A good varnish or paint is the solution.

 

[Les]

There are gym varnishes that are tougher then...and they are none skid. I use it on an earlier boat that I had and it worked out well. I don't know how it lasts in the sun.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

If It Were Mine ...................

............. and having put that much work into the joinery, I'd want a finish that would last the life of the boat. In my opinion, the best coating you could use would be fine glass cloth with System Three Silver Tip epoxy resin.

The advantage here is that glass cloth in Silver Tip epoxy is as clear as water with no colour. The glass becomes invisible.

I did our companionway stairs with this method several years ago and they still look like new ................. and that's with hundreds of grimy little sandy feet up and down every summer.

Two things are which are vital when using clear epoxy

1) the woodwork must be hermetically sealed front and back with epoxy. Any water which does get in has no way of getting out and will generate pressure when it gets hot in the sun.

2) the epoxy must be sealed with three or more coats of varnish to protect the epoxy from UV.

The surface can be made slip resistant by uising fine silica sprinkled on the final coat of varnish.

 

[Brian S]

You can varnish over epoxy with a good marine varnish with UV inhibitors. Pettit, Epifanes, Interlux are all good choices. I like 8 coats minimum, and 1-2 coats at the beginning of each season to keep it up as long as possible. Varnish is like an onion with very thin layers, and the layers wear over time.

To get a non-skid finish, sprinkle granular sugar on your final coat of varnish. When the varnish dries, wash the sugar off with water, leaving little craters to provide grip.

 

[jimmcgee]

The advantage of Smith's CPES over West System for a project like this is that the CPES (warm formula) will brush out like varnish and give you a smooth finish with very little sanding. The West will need a lot more sanding.

Ralph is right about the need to coat all surfaces so the wood is well sealed, but I think a layer of glass is probably overkill.

Follow the directions with the CPES, and go over it with 6-8 coats of a good quality marine varnish.

I like Brian's tip with the sugar, I have to give that a try. It sounds like it would be kinder to bare feet than silica power in the final coat of varnish

BTW, really nice woodworking job.