After she's stripped down completely

by Craig
(Bemidji, Minnesota, USA)

I haven't removed all of the old paint yet, but I think I've figured out what to do.

I used a grinder on the flat surfaces, and will be following up with a sander to get things smoothed out.

On the inside with all the ribs, the chemical peeler didn't work very well, and the fumes just about did me in.

Sanding alone was way too time consuming, and using a torch sounded too scary.

So I'm using an electric heat gun at 1100 degrees F to make the paint bubble, and a scraper removes it while it's still warm.

A sander after that finishes it off.

I'm thinking ahead to the next phase and could use advice on a couple of things:

For the places with the dry rot, best thing is to remove the rotted part and use regular wood putty?

I may have to make a small piece here and there, but mainly the biggest rotten part is on the edge of the bow (in the picture).

The other question is putting a finish on it.

Can I leave the whole thing natural and finish it with tung oil?

I've never done anything like that.

But from what I've read, you just put a lot of coats on and let it set for awhile in between.

I'm wondering if I can do that for the entire boat.

Except on the bottom up to the waterline I'd put on a good bottom paint (that would stick on top of the tung oil - whatever that would be).

And on the covering of the bow, I understand there is a type of tung oil that would put a sheen on it.

Maybe some of that on the sides too?

This is awfully wordy, but I'm just thinking ahead to the next phase.

Thanks.

Comments for After she's stripped down completely

Click here to add your own comments

Finish Removal and wood repair
by: Tom - Minneapolis

My experience so far is the only good way to remove paint in a boat is sanding, all others either leave chemical in areas you cant see or still don't completely do the job.

Good old fashioned sanding, sucks yes, but it works.

I you have any rot, get some Totalboat epoxy, works wonders on the wood in a boat.

Don't use wood glue, epoxy is way better.

I am a landlocked Minnesotan restoring his first boat.
More on oil finish
by: Craig

I've had to cut a lot of grass on the lawn this spring which has tied up my weekends from working on the boat. But now that I picked up an old lawn tractor I should be good to go back to the boat project. An added plus is that the engine burns oil and smokes, which keeps the mosquitoes at bay.

I found a place online that sells pure tung oil, which is supposed to add a bit of yellow tint to the wood, but not darken it over time like linseed oil supposedly does.
I've also read that tung oil is tough to work with because it's so thick - viscous is the word?
So if necessary, will it be OK to thin it with mineral spirits?

I'm not done stripping all the paint off yet. Just thinking ahead.
Sometimes it seems like the planning part of the project is more fun than doing it.
But I'm sure it will even be more fun when it's done.
Maybe like hitting your head on the wall, and it feels so good when you stop.

Thanks for the tips!
Oil Finish
by: Mike

Sorry Craig but if there are traces of the old paint in the cracks and crevices then it will look better if it is repainted.

I suppose the paint will eventually peel off but sods law states that if you want it to, it won't.

I know it is a shame to cover that lovely wood.

On the areas where the wood is clean then an oil with built in UV filters or a top coat with them in will be fine.
clean enough
by: Craig

Part of why I was wondering about tung oil was for the inside where I'll never get all the old white paint out of the creases. Will the paint wear off over time maybe if I just oil it?

If the oil is going to turn the wood dark, should I just use varnish on top of the bow and the sides so the nice color remains?
Tung Oil
by: Mike

Sounds as though you have the right ideas about the rot, very small areas you could get a way with filler anything else glue in some new wood.

Don’t forget to treat the surrounding wood to kill off any spores.

Tung oil is great stuff for protecting and finishing wood, however pure Tung oil does go dull and darken with exposure to the elements.

But it is a lot easier to touch up and maintain than varnish.

You can give the oiled finish a top coat of marine oil based vanish, one with UV inhibitors but there are Tung products available with built in inhibitors etc.

Have a look at the Waterlox website, I haven’t used their products but they sound good on the site.

The other thing is are you going to be able to get the wood clean enough, free of paint traces in the crevices etc for it to look OK?

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Your Comments.

Want to add more photos?

Photo Uploader

If you are having problems uploading Photos or would like to add more click on this link for the Upload Form.

Show / Hide