MJWB
Active member
Please does anyone know what wood Westerly used for fitting out back in 1989?
Westerly wood
- Thread starter MJWB
- Start date
dankilb
Well-known member
Do you mean the veneered ply for cabinetry/joinery/bulkheads? If so, which boat?
In that era, some had quite a ‘striking’ lighter wood (ash?) - e.g. some Seahawks. Others had older-school teak or sapele (guessing here on species) darker wood veneer.
Someone will know for sure if you cite the model.
In that era, some had quite a ‘striking’ lighter wood (ash?) - e.g. some Seahawks. Others had older-school teak or sapele (guessing here on species) darker wood veneer.
Someone will know for sure if you cite the model.
MJWB
Active member
Griffon Club 1989. Need to remove a section which I assume covers a mast compression post. Suspect moisture coming down that presumably from ingress at mast step or thereabouts. Going to remove wood plugs over screws tomorrow but would like to replace with same.
Concerto
Well-known member
A photo would be very helpful to help identify what wood has been used in your boat. I would assume you are most likely to have a teak interior as sapele was phased out in about 1982/3.
From the Westerly Wiki.
"The Club reverted to the Griffon 1’s simpler joinery, a 10hp Bukh as standard, and a slightly smaller rig, all of which saved about £1,500 and allowed production to trickle on until the last Griffon was built in July 1989. The last boat was sail number 454, the 27th Club."
The Griffon and Fulmar - Westerly-Wiki
From the Westerly Wiki.
"The Club reverted to the Griffon 1’s simpler joinery, a 10hp Bukh as standard, and a slightly smaller rig, all of which saved about £1,500 and allowed production to trickle on until the last Griffon was built in July 1989. The last boat was sail number 454, the 27th Club."
The Griffon and Fulmar - Westerly-Wiki
DownWest
Well-known member
Ash has a reputation of rotting if it sniffs seawater..
MJWB
Active member
Didn't fancy taste test to be honest but boat is in the yard so probably fresh from above. Small amount of water under the cabin sole appears to have come out of the hole under the centre upright.
MJWB
Active member
Thanks. Interesting read for sure. This Club is 450 so near the finsh. Wood is fairly light colour. Can't get a pic to upload. Just need to find how the water got in to make the wood damp. Drill out the plugs tomorrow, remove the vertical panel and see what I find.
Concerto
Well-known member
If you need more information to assist you, just ask. I have a 1980 Fulmar that I have almost completed a full restoration. If you have not seen the PowerPoint presentation on the renovation, you will find it useful. In 2021, Concerto was the WOA boat at the Southampton Boat Show and there is a video I made of her there. If you go to my About Me page you will find plenty of other web links on Concerto.
https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/3/3f/Concerto.pdf Renovation of Concerto 2013-2020
MJWB
Active member
I noticed in the powerpoint that I looked at you mention filling screw holes before scraping. Was this just small screw holes from there having been items fitted to the bulk head?
The reason I ask is that I'm still mystified about the wood used in fitting out Ruby. I've bought some teak plugs but these are so much darker then the wood in situ. Would like to clearly understand just what the original wood is.
In your powerpoint you mention filling screw holes. I assume that's small holes not replacing plugs?
Still can't decide what wood I have. Purchased some teak plugs but look far too dark. Sapele doesn't seem right either.
Can't get a photo to upload. Is there a maximum size limit?
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
For filling holes there is a trick of using the sanding dust with a light coloured glue like Tightbond to form a stiff paste filler which is sanded back you can even use superglue but I have found that is darker than the original wood. It won't give you an invisible repair but it can be made very close. You won't have the dust from scraping the panels so you are going to have to find a piece of wood that's a good match and sand it to get the dust then experiment a bit.
Tranona
Well-known member
Teak varies enormously in colour and graining. The commercially available plugs are usually cut from dark hard heavily grained teak as this is less desirable for furniture work. I suspect your boat uses plantation grown teak which is lighter than old growth and softer more open grain. I have a good assortment of different bits of teak collected over the years. I usually cut my own plugs using the same wood as the main structure like the attached steps I made from an old mahogany window board. If you can upload your photos - you may need to resize them - I might be able to identify the wood and shade. If I have something that is a reasonable match I could cut you some plugs. Need to know the exact size.
Concerto
Well-known member
It is possible that your Griffin Club was finished with either an American Oak or Cherry, rather than teak. You could buy several fillers and see which is the best colour match. My Fulmar has a Sapele Mahogony finish and I used a mid mahogony filler and then used a darker mahogony stain to get an almost exact match.
To upload a photo make sure the maximum side is 1000 pixels, then the photo file will be small enough to load here.
MJWB
Active member
Many thanks I'll try resizing the photo
MJWB
Active member
Many thanks
MJWB
Active member
Interetingly the Griffon Club brochure on the Westerly wiki mentions some panels made of Ash. Clearly I'm going to have to experiment.
MJWB
Active member
Well everyday is a school day! Hoping these will now upload. Two pics of the wood, one of which shows a damp patch which is troubling me. Checked and the moisture meter readings are high at that point. Anyway no luck so far with finding a slight leak but any further thoughts on the timber much appreciated. The light doesn't help admittedly.
Concerto
Well-known member
That grain looks like teak to my eyes in the second photo. Definitely not ash, that would be whiter. Cherry would be redder and American Oak has a different grain pattern.
Motor_Sailor
Well-known member
Yes that's teak. You can buy the bungs from your chandlery.
Tranona
Well-known member
See posts#9 and 11.
Tranona
Well-known member
I would be reluctant to take that panel off as I suspect it is glued on in addition to the fastenings. If there is no sign of leaking nor visible water then the water damage may be old. It takes a long time to dry out and suggest you try running a dehumidifier and possibly a fan heater on a low setting for a few days and monitor the moisture readings. I repaired a leak in the wooden cabin top on my boat last September and the damp sound ply is still not fully dry.
The area to the left of the post maybe needs a bit more investigation. What is on the other side of the bulkhead at the point where the varnish is discoloured? Is that area also higher moisture content?
