New Interior Wood Panels - Stain Options

npaulay

npaulay

.
Apr 14, 2020
20
Windstar 27 Seattle
Hello, I am in the process of refinishing the interior of my 1970's 27' sailboat and I'm having a hard time deciding on the stain or oil to use for the wood work. The boat has about 8 wood panels of various sizes for the forward head walls and they were originally made from veneer sheets. They have since been removed since they had completely de-laminated. Based on my budget, replacing the veneer sheets would cost too much for me. My low cost solution is to use 2.7mm utility board from home depot(below). Checked it out in store and it has a nice finished look with some decent looking grain. Does anyone have a good idea on what varnish, oil or stain would be good to use on these? I would prefer a faster drying, low fume type that could give a classic marine interior appearance.

Thank you!
Sheet.jpg
 
ggrizzard

ggrizzard

.
May 27, 2004
2,041
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
When I faced the same dilemma I did the same thing you propose.
On the same plywood. I used Minwax stain, then I put on 3 coats of varnish.
But, the process for matching the existing teak was a bit tricky.
First, on my boat, the veneer panels are not the same shade as the solid teak trim.
Second, the teak trim pieces, when cleaned and oiled, didn't all match each other.
That is a reality of a boat that was built to a price. You just have to get used to that and make improvements when possible.
Now as to the stain...
Home Despot stopped selling Minwax a couple of years ago and Minwax stopped selling the color that matched my eye straight out of the can.
You will need to bite the bullet and pick two or three colors that are close from whatever source. Take a spoonful of each and mix them. Apply the mix to a cut off scrap piece that's big enough to do several tests with different ratios of each color.
LABEL Each Test Area With the Ratio AS You Put Them On.
Wait til they dry, put varnish on any that look close and pick the one you like the best.
You will be amazed how good the panels will look at the end of the process.
Good Luck!
 
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dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,703
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
npaulay said:
Hello, I am in the process of refinishing the interior of my 1970's 27' sailboat and I'm having a hard time deciding on the stain or oil to use for the wood work. The boat has about 8 wood panels of various sizes for the forward head walls and they were originally made from veneer sheets. They have since been removed since they had completely de-laminated. Based on my budget, replacing the veneer sheets would cost too much for me. My low cost solution is to use 2.7mm utility board from home depot(below). Checked it out in store and it has a nice finished look with some decent looking grain. Does anyone have a good idea on what varnish, oil or stain would be good to use on these? I would prefer a faster drying, low fume type that could give a classic marine interior appearance.

Thank you!
View attachment 180689
Click to expand
Which panels are you replacing? The interior structure of a boat is often structural. Replacing them with inexpensive plywood will not provide the same strength as the original bulkheads. You may be spending money now to only spend more later.

The important part of marine plywood is not the outer skin, it is the number of plays in the wood and the lack of voids. The more plies in the panel the more stable and strong the plywood will be. Marine ply is expensive, a suitable alternative is cabinet grade plywood. This plywood has 5 or more plies, is dimensionally stable and free of exterior and interior voids. The cost is about half that of marine grade plywood. The veneer is often birch which is a very neutral colored wood and takes stain well, so it will be easier to match the color.

As @ggrizzard said, find a few small cans of color you might like and stain small samples of wood. Pick the one that you like the best. Save the other samples for future use.
 
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TomY

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,768
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Structural issues aside (that will be your first priority), cheap Luan plywood is similar to more expensive tropical hardwoods and hardwood veneers. But you'll see the difference if side by side.

Here's a comparison I photographed of a project of mixed materials. On the boat, I use an Interlux filler stain. This is Chris Craft Red (or similar) applied to 1/4" Luan plywood I used for the side of a cabinet.

The stained Luan along reclaimed 1960's African Mahogany and new growth Sipo lumber - the two later are not stained - after all 3 had several coats of plain Spar varnish. I got a pretty close match.

Sipo, luan, mahogany CCRed stain.jpg
 
npaulay

npaulay

.
Apr 14, 2020
20
Windstar 27 Seattle
Thanks for the ideas! These are not the structural pieces of the walls, just the trim. Behind the original thin veneer sheets is 3/4" plywood for the structure that was surprisingly in great condition for its age. My first thought was to wipe it with teak oil since I'm not needing a glossy look, just something simple that looks decent but after reading up on it, it sounds like teak oil might not be best for this application. I'll probably try some samples of different oils and see what looks best. Thanks!
 

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dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,703
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Attached is annotated copy of your interior photo. I'm not clear if you intend to remove the bulkheads or simply apply a new surface/veneer. You have what is commonly called a stick built boat, meaning the interior is built into the boat and most if not all of the wood is structural. This is different from boats built with fiberglass pans that provide the interior and structural support.

The bulkheads are structural. They keep the deck from collapsing and keep the sides of the boat from pulling inward. The chain plates will want to pull the mast down through the deck and the sides of the boat into the middle.

The compression post keeps the mast from coming through the deck.

The Settee fronts provide longitudinal stiffness and keep the hull from flexing.

I neglected to label the floor timbers, sometimes referred to as stringers. These support the cabin sole, however, more importantly they strengthen the hull and maintain the hull shape. The keel will want to pull the sides of the boat together, the floor timbers prevent that.

It is a little hard to tell from the photo, however, the starboard bulkhead looks to have some rot. If so, it should be cut out and replaced.

Generally on a stick built boat, any piece of wood that is attached to the boat with tabbing, i.e., fiberglass tape is structural, even the shelving. When it is replaced, it needs to be tabbed back into the hull with several layers of epoxy.

Two good YouTube channels for dealing with this kind of repair are Boatworks Today and Sail Life. You'll need to search the channels to find the specific information. Both are well done with good information.

Bulkhead.png
 
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npaulay

npaulay

.
Apr 14, 2020
20
Windstar 27 Seattle
I've gone thru the bulkheads with a pin hammer, looking for soft spots and barely anything felt soft. Most of the darker spots on the bulkhead in the photo are a mix of resin from the original fiberglass work over the wood, adhesive from the original veneer and areas that I had sprayed down with vinegar due to the presence of mildew under the veneer. My plan is to install the thin plywood I described above on top of these bulkheads. Currently working on repainting interior white and then will install thin plywood.
 
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