Deck Covering & cabin sides

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malc

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The deck of my Seaking is covered with Trackmark and has been painted and is not in a good state. I would like to replace it....so team what should I use? Should I use: epoxy; cascover (if its still made) or would something like Colean be suitable?

I also have a number rather large shakes in the cabin sides and some of the splits go all the way through what would you suggest I fill them with? ...and would Colean be a good covering for these as well? If so where do I purchase if from?

Looking forward to your responses- thanks
 
I have had great success with painted canvas on White Heather. There is a wooden boat store somewhere on the broads that will supply it, very cheap, then use more or less any old paint on the wood first, then after the canvas is on, over top of the canvas. Its a very simple process, looks very neat when done and is easy to repair. I would recommend it.

As to shakes I would try - if its practical to spline them - rout out a channel in the cabin side (run a router along a straight plank pinned to the cabin side) and glue in a new piece of wood.. I guess filling them will not look all that good and will not form a long term fix either.

I will gladly go into more detail if you need it.

Regards

Mike C
 
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I will gladly go into more detail if you need it.


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I'd like to know more about it, please! Especially the fitting of splines into coachroof shakes. I have a few narrow ones on my boat but they are not straignt, they follow the grain of the mahogany. How would you deal with them and what sort of glue would you advise?

Also, I could do with some canvas to repair a winter cover; so the name/phone number of the cheap canvas supplier would be very welcome.

Thanks!
 
Re: Deck Covering & cabin sides

I splined TG's shakes which were pretty bad and had to be done and on the advice of the surveyor then glued a thick veneer over the cabin sides. It's worked well.
 
Re: Deck Covering & cabin sides

I removed Mariposa's canvas covered covering on the cabin top this summer. The T&G yellow pine underneath was saturated, and I mean squishy saturated through and through! No rot in the yellow pine, but the top inch or so of the mahogany sides, where the canvas was tacked down, was well rotted.

Instead of replacing the canvas I have painted the top, and deck, with Coelan. I got three coats on before the weather broke and, for probably the first time in her 55 years, the rain didn't get through. Two more coats, including anti-slip beads, and that'll do her for a while I hope.
 
The easy way is to make the infill piece wide enough to cover the curve in the grain. Obviously use a wood that is similar in grain to the existing. My method would be to make the repair piece first then lay it on the cabin side and draw round it, set up your router fence to line up with the first side and run a single pass, then move the fence and do the same for the other side. you can then be more casual on roughing out between these two trenches (it looks much better if you make the piece diamond shaped with pointed ends rather than squared). I would try to make the trench at least half the depth of the cabin side, possibly more. Leave some of the repair piece above the level of the cabin side to plane and sand off afterwards to a flush, flat finish.

As for glue I always use Belcotan and have had excellent results from it.

I have let in large and small repairs using this method over the past 15 or so years on White Heather and all are still there and most are pretty much invisible if you match the grain fairly well.

Deck canvas - I did a google search and didnt find it but there used to be a company advertising in the back of classic boat who stocked it - in Beckles perhaps - I will try to look out an old copy and find it for you.

The secret to canvasing is to get the wood well painted first with primer I guess, then put on a thick coat of old paint - as I said I used read lead on mine, put the canvas on the wet paint and squeegy it down so as to work the wet paint well into the canvas - I used strips of 1/8th ply and a staple gun to hold it in place. When thats dry you will have canvas with patches of paint showing right through in some places but a solid attachment to the timber beneath, no voids. As soon as you are confident that its all in the right place and down firmly you can paint the first surface coat on. Add as many more coats as you like, the idea again being that you have a thick body of paint bound together by the canvas.

Hope this helps - feel free to ask specific questions if you like and I will try to find a scource of the canvas.

Regards

Mike
 
With the canvas being nearly 3m wide I would try to manage without a seam if I were you, cut the coach house out of the centre of a panel for instance

Dont forget also to radius any sharp edges such as the deck edge etc and run down the sheer plank an inch and a half say, then cover the edge with your belting piece or beading well bedded on mastic.

Look - why not give me a ring sometime on 07624 450146, its easier than typing all this out on here.

Cheers

Mike
 
Manx Nobby

Many thanks for your helpful advice.

ps I also had a look at your website. Very interesting and entertaining. You certainly aren't afraid of hard work!
 
You're very welcome.

As to not being afraid of hard work - once you have seen her (wearing the rose tinted specs), and paid your cheque you are committed, its a choice between writing off thousands of pounds or getting your hands dirty for a few years. The truth is though that I enjoyed the work and I'm rather proud of where she is up to now.

Mike
 
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