Washboards (again)

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Hi all,

I have a pretty shoddy-looking set of wooden washboards, which I've been intending to sand/varnish/oil/whatever, but haven't got around to yet. In the meantime I've had a (lazy) thought - how about something like vinyl wrap? I haven't heard of it being done so I'm wondering whether it's viable, or is there some reason why it's a terrible idea?
 
Why not go for acrylic, other plastics are available. They don't rot, don't need painting with stuff and let the light in.
 
True, had also considered that. I imagined (maybe wrongly) that wrapping the existing boards would be a lot cheaper than having new acrylic ones made?
 
10mm tinted acrylic is staggeringly expensive but looks a bit more ‘pro’ than clear IMO. I bought cheaper 6mm tinted acrylic and doubled up the bits in the companionway slots. Cost under £50.
 
fredrussell said:
10mm tinted acrylic is staggeringly expensive but looks a bit more ‘pro’ than clear IMO. I bought cheaper 6mm tinted acrylic and doubled up the bits in the companionway slots. Cost under £50.
Click to expand...

Or you can buy the clear stuff and some window tint film...
 
Hmmm.... good point about the moisture. I had thought of leaving the inside surface unwrapped, which may help, but that might just lead to the film peeling off at the edges. And I'd imagined a bit of sturdy tape or similar along the edges to deal with abrasion.

Maybe plastic is the way to go. Any other recommendations on acrylic v. HDPE? Is the tint film on clear acrylic durable enough?

Nothing's simple!
 
I use a washboard made of 9mm tinted acrylic when cruising as it lets light in and I can see out. I didn't find it expensive. I found it in a skip.

I would not use it when I leave the boat in a marina or on a mooring. I don't want nasty people looking in to see what they can steal.
 
Heard that wrapping tends to ruck up. A bloke I used to sail with put some alternate thin strips of holly/teak veneer on the outside of his washboards - looked great and was two or three years old when I stopped sailing with him (too narky). Think that he thicknessed the ply before attaching them, although never done this so don't know how well this will work out with ply..
 
Ok, you've convinced me. I've tracked down some tinted Perspex that should do the trick.

One final thought: I see that on lots of factory-fitted acrylic washboards there are ventilation holes drilled upwards at a 45 degree angle or so. Does anyone know how these work out in practice - does any rain (or spray) find its way in if its windy enough, or does everything stay dry?

They look quite neat, so I might be tempted to add some if they're a good job (and if the fabricator can do it...)
 
Never seen that myself but guess there might be situations when the wind blows water in. A 45 degree downward cut is required though if you are making your washboards in two parts. When I did mine I also put a teak strip on the upper panel to cover the jin.
 
For the Impala, we made a spare washboard for the winter, with lots of vent louvres.
This enabled us to take the nice varnsihed one home for the winter.
 
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