Stripping the old varnish
We're still working on the very long and time-consuming job of taking out all the old screws from our 1954-designed Yachting Monthly Junior.
In the meantime, we're also getting on with removing the old varnish and strengthening the old plywood.
I don't like using chemical strippers, as they tend to remove the oils in the wood along with some of the older glues. So we're doing it with sandpaper and hard work instead.
Why less is more with old boats
One of the things about stripping back an old boat is that it's easy to get carried away — it costs nothing to rip things apart and remove old paint. But this can be the final nail in the coffin for many an old boat. If you strip away all the old paint and wood and don't immediately replace it, you're opening up the soul of the boat to the worst that nature can throw at it. So my rule is: only touch what you can afford to finish. Old grease and paint will still give some protection, so leave it be until you're ready — time-wise and money-wise — to see it through.
Rebuilding strength with epoxy
As we've stripped the old varnish, we've treated these areas with MAS Deep Penetrating Epoxy. This is an ultra-thin epoxy that soaks into the wood, replacing the oils and sap that have been washed and dried out of the timber over the years, leaving a good, strong base to continue the strength replacement. We follow this with MAS Low Vis resin and hardener — at this stage we're not so concerned about the finish, more about getting good penetration and coverage to keep the water out and restore strength to the timber.
Floorboards with penetrating treatment; side decks with one coat of Low Vis on top of the penetrating epoxy.
What's next
Our next area will be the transom, and of course we'll still keep removing the old screws.
Something for the future: the rig at the moment has seen better days. This boat is no round-the-marks flyer, so we're looking at making the rig suitable for a gentleman's afternoon sail, or a camping boat. I'll keep you updated.
