Bathing Platform Varnishing

[Sulograss]

Hi Guys and girls

I have removed all the slats of wood from the bathing platform of my Farline Mirage to re-finish them over the winter period but I've not done this before. Any advice would be appreciated.

My assumption at the moment is that I will need to remove any flaky material and then sand them back but a) I'm not quite sure how far back?

Then I assume I will need to seal them with something? and finally finish with a few coats of varnish? Which is best I also do not know?

Hopeless really but one has to start somewhere

TIA

Sulo

 

[xtiffer]

Sand back with 80 grit until the dust is brown.
Clean with white spirit.
I would suggest that you then coat with a clear epoxy primer such as Sicomin Wood Impreg 120 ( 4 coats) and, for UV protection, 5 coats of good polyurethane varnish such as Seatop PU360UV. BTW sand between coats with 220 grit paper.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[Sulograss]

Thanks very much Chris

Sounds like hard work .... pheww

Cheers

 

[ccscott49]

Why would you want to varnish slats on a swimming platform, and make them slippy, especially when they will often be wet?

 

[xtiffer]

Why would you want to varnish slats on a swimming platform, and make them slippy, especially when they will often be wet?

Good point but easily solved by 3M clear non-skid tape.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[Sulograss]

Its really more for appearance than for actual swimming off. I didnt count on quite so much work though

 

[xtiffer]

Then do the sensible thing and just sand them back to bare teak.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Touching up varnish, even by rubbing down the flaky bits never looks anything but a botch job.

My suggestion is that you remove all the varnish, even with a light chemical stripper if neccessary. Get back to bare teak and then seal and treat with Teak Wonder.

 

[ccscott49]

Then do the sensible thing and just sand them back to bare teak.
Cheers,
Chris

Which was my point, thanks, glad somebody agrees with me.

 

[xtiffer]

Which was my point, thanks, glad somebody agrees with me.

Well, I am a professional varnisher so I must be crazy most of the time,
but I do have moments of sanity
Cheers,
Chris

 

[exfinnsailor]

Its a boat

What do you expect .. Its a boat .. She need looking after .. You cannot just take her out and do nothing in return .. Its a Winter Project .. Along with all the others that you have promised to do round the house while your not out on the water .. .. Enjoy the time sanding , varnishing , sanding , cursing , sanding varnishing etc .. You never know you may have it ready for spring / summer 2011

 

[coliholic]

Ah but you're all losing sight of the fact that Sulograss has a Fairline Mirage and the bathing platform is the only bit of wood on the outside of his boat so it's all the varnishing he can or needs to do. And you gotta do some varnishing on a boat otherwise you don't feel as if you're a proper boater.

I had the same boat seven or wight years back and took all the slats off the bathing platform and back in to the garage over the winter. Sanded right back to nice bright clean teak and gave each slat eight, yes count 'em, EIGHT coats of two pack polyurethane varnish, sanding down with 400 wet and dry between each coat then buffing the last coat with wire wool. And it looked superb. When I sold the boat 3 years later, it still looked as good as when I did it.

Slippery as an East End car dealer though. Absolutley useless as a bathing platform though, you daren't walk on it barefoot or when it was wet. But looked superb.