New washboards

Champagne Murphy

Champagne Murphy

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The old ones are getting a bit thin. They were varnished when we bought the boat so whenever it gets a bit tired I sand it down and re-varnish but you don't have to do that very often for the wood to get skinny.
Any advice on the wood for starters? I'm not a massive fan of using teak, purely because of the implications for the environment, so what are the options?
 
Champagne Murphy said:
The old ones are getting a bit thin. They were varnished when we bought the boat so whenever it gets a bit tired I sand it down and re-varnish but you don't have to do that very often for the wood to get skinny.
Any advice on the wood for starters? I'm not a massive fan of using teak, purely because of the implications for the environment, so what are the options?
Click to expand...
depend how old the teak is dunnit.
my stock is all old real Burmese Teak
 
Don’t replace them and you will have a clear conscious environmentally speaking, however you could make from some translucent acrylic, they do come in some nice colours or WBP plywood you can sometimes get the odd broken or damaged piece reduced out of B&Q.
 
Plywood is generally superior to solid wood but usually needs hardwood edging. Finish in a porous woodstain such as international Woodskin and you won';t need all that regular sanding/varnishing lark. Alternatively acrylic or polycarbonate.
 
You don't have to use wood.
If you go to a sign maker, you'll be able to get off cuts of hard plastic stuff (don't know what the material is) which you can then cut to size and then forget about washboard maintenance in the future!
 
sailorman said:
Is clear acrylic more evo than teak
Click to expand...

Is you boat made of wood?

If not, then the amount of enviro damage done by using a bit of teak for a couple of washboards is insignificant compared with the enviro consequences of having a boat built of plastic. Or perhaps you're joking.

PS I have no figures to prove this. It's just obvious.

PPS I used iroko - much cheaper and just as strong
 
oldvarnish said:
Is you boat made of wood?

If not, then the amount of enviro damage done by using a bit of teak for a couple of washboards is insignificant compared with the enviro consequences of having a boat built of plastic. Or perhaps you're joking.

PS I have no figures to prove this. It's just obvious.

PPS I used iroko - much cheaper and just as strong
Click to expand...

Placky boat, 1982 vintage.
No, not in jest. I'm happy to use old plastic boats, it's not a crusade. I'm just not keen on the idea of a monkey's home being used to keep me dry if there's a reasonable alternative so re-using old teak is a fair choice IMHO
 
Have a poke around recycling yards,second hand shops,ebay etc. There is plenty of mahogany and teak furniture about. Nobody seems to want it nowadays. I just picked up a huge oak table top for nothing.
 
View attachment 47094

I used ply but , being an experienced fiberglasser, I think next time I would make a mould and lay-up a f/g washboard. The washboards would have to have some flutes and rolled edges to stiffen it up.
 
Champagne Murphy said:
The old ones are getting a bit thin. They were varnished when we bought the boat so whenever it gets a bit tired I sand it down and re-varnish but you don't have to do that very often for the wood to get skinny.
Any advice on the wood for starters? I'm not a massive fan of using teak, purely because of the implications for the environment, so what are the options?
Click to expand...

IMHO You can't beat a nice pair of Iroko washboards,



Its like having a nice front door to the house, its's all to do with making the right impression when entering? :D
 
coopec said:
View attachment 47094

I used ply but , being an experienced fiberglasser, I think next time I would make a mould and lay-up a f/g washboard. The washboards would have to have some flutes and rolled edges to stiffen it up.
Click to expand...
I'll do the same.My latest wasboards are already shedding their varnish and I can't be bothered to redo it all over again.The Algarve sun is a killer.
 
xeitosaphil said:
IMHO You can't beat a nice pair of Iroko washboards,



Its like having a nice front door to the house, its's all to do with making the right impression when entering? :D
Click to expand...

Agree 100 %. Here are mine, need re-varnish through

WEB0827_zps3b045d89.jpg
 
Champagne Murphy said:
The old ones are getting a bit thin. They were varnished when we bought the boat so whenever it gets a bit tired I sand it down and re-varnish but you don't have to do that very often for the wood to get skinny.
Any advice on the wood for starters? I'm not a massive fan of using teak, purely because of the implications for the environment, so what are the options?
Click to expand...

Most teak comes from plantations nowadays
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_Teak
 
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