开云体育

How do I go about redoing my rudder and daggerboard. It's 30 years
or older but in pretty good shape. I hope you don't need to know how
it was done before (varish, shellac, something else?) cause I don't
know how to tell. I guess the first step is sanding. Tell me what to
do after that.

Hi Mike,

Your boards are most likely finished with marine (spar) varnish. If the wood
is in good shape you should only need to sand and apply three or four new
coats.

Good varnishes can be obtained from any marine supplier. Marine varnish
comes in Alkylid (oil based), Polyurethane, and Epoxy varieties. Each has
its merits and difficulties. All work well when the surface is prepared
properly and the varnish is applied correctly. Personally, I like Pettit's
Z-Spar, an alkylid varnish. It has a little bit of a golden tone and makes
the Mahogany look rich and appear to have three dimensional depth.

Steer clear of home products normally found at the local hardware. Despite
their nautical references these products usually will not withstand
emersion. I found one popular brand's label to have so much "swash and
buckle" on it you'd think it came with a parrot and a chest of doubloons,
however, the fine print said "not for exterior use". Look for brands such
as: Interlux, Epifanes, Pettit, or West System to name a couple.

To decide which product to use I recommend you review the product guides and
"How To" sections at the various manufacturer sites.

Interlux:

Epifanes:

Pettit:

West System:


Rather than write an entire article on the in's and out's of varnish
application I will direct you to some people who have already written tomes
on the subject... search on "canoe" + "varnish". In the search results I
believe you will find all the step-by-step advice you could ever imagine.

One last comment - you'll need a warm (65+ degrees 24/7) place to work, note
the comments on thinning (sometimes contrary to the manufacturer's
instructions), and heed the advice on solvent washing and tack-cloth use.
You should end up with good results.... Take it from someone who has tried
when it was too cold, too dusty, and too thick.... and then scrubbed,
scraped, and sanded a lot of gooey gritty gunk off their boards just to try
it all over again.


Good Luck,

Wayne