Ply & Canvas Deck Renovation

[Kristal]

I'm going to have to give my decks a couple of coats of paint before relaunching in 2007 - they need doing, and at least a couple of deck repairs are going to be necessary even if I decide not to remove her stanchions and guardrails, and the chances are I will. I'll need to make the repairs invisible after they're done.

I would imagine removing the canvas and checking the state of the ply beneath would probably be a good idea, but probably a nightmare of a job. The deck itself isn't too bad, but the paint has taken quite a hammering on the coachroof, with one small injury actually revealing what I assume to be the canvas beneath - an wide-woven material in a light and a dark shade of brown. Elsewhere there is quite a lot of paint flaking away.

Any suggestions for the best way to restore a smooth, sturdy and waterproof surface to both deck and coachroof?

/<

 

[keelbolts]

Fix what's wrong & put her back in the water. It doesn't take much to repair the deck and redo the glass patches without them being visible. In my experience, an old wooden boat will give you enough problems without hunting for them. I've seen too many boats come out for "a little work" only to die as a result of the owner's searching for trouble until he found it. One good friend pulled his Anker-Jensen sloop out for deck work and by the time she went back in the water, seven years later, she was never the same again. Once you start pulling things apart to see what condition they're in, were do you stop?

 

[Roach1948]

Do you have any deck leaks at the moment? If you don't I would agree with Keelbolts. If you do have leaks then I would certainly go in to "Investigate". You might catch something before deck beams/beam shelves start rotting

Although I don't have much experience of canvas covered decks, my tiny aft deck by the cockpit was canvass covered. It was quite easy to remove (Heat gun and sandvik) as over the years the paint went brittle and no longer stuck it down. Once removed, I needed to sand the deck down using a belt sander and then fair with West Microlight. I then sheathed in 2 layers of glass cloth and covered with International deck paint. This was a two weekend job on what is a tiny tiny area. Doing a complete deck will be major surgery and I would advise to make up a boat tent/cover (which I had) before doing investigating as you wont put it back together as quickly as you pulled it apart!