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txg · 06-09-2018, 10:59

Due to a leaking water tank some years ago parts of our floorboards (that are in good shape otherwise) got destroyed.

They are plywood with thin wood veneer (probably real wood as made in 1978) and i'm thinking about how to repair them with an acceptable outcome. My idea would be to rebuild the rotten corners with thickened epoxy and then sand and repaint the whole boards.

Do you think it is possible to sand the stains away to get a nice look again or is the veneer to thin for doing that? any other ideas without getting new floorboards which is not an option for us?

Matt Johnson · 06-09-2018, 11:13

Sanding and new varnish will not cover that stain.

One option is to find matching veneer and just cut out and redo the one heavily stained far strip of teak right at the line with the holly (a razor knife and a straight edge will cut perfectly through the veneer).... often, the builder will have used some extra teak and holly sole plywood for a shelf or something on the boat. Find that, and you'll have a perfect match.

Or, just cut the entire far edge off with a table saw at the holly strip and glue a solid piece of teak creating a new edge.

Matt

sailor_ed · 06-09-2018, 11:14

Removing the varnish in that area via sanding (150-220 grit) or careful scraping should not be hard IF the veneer is in good condition. If the veneer is darkened when exposed or if there is mildew lay paper towels soaked with an oxalic acid solution and let stand a few hours. Wash with water, dry, and lightly sand. Then sand and varnish entire panel. I would use epoxy and touch up paint to reclaim the corners.

You will never get this looking like new short of replacing it but you should be able to get it looking better

sailor_ed · 06-09-2018, 11:17

When done you could place some teak molding on the bottom of the vertical panel to cover some of the damage.

**Pete7** · 06-09-2018, 11:18

You can try a hot air gun and a scraper to remove the varnish and then bleach, but I think they are too far gone. Sanding will be fraught because the veneer is very thin.

I have seen one of our sister yachts which had a vinyl flooring laid instead of teak and holly. The sort of stuff you would use in a hospital, which I thought was sensible on a yacht which goes to sea and is used in wet weather.

Pete

Matt Johnson · 06-09-2018, 11:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailor_ed

When done you could place some teak molding on the bottom of the vertical panel to cover some of the damage.

I think mahogany matching the bulkhead would look a bit better than teak, but you're right, a bit of trim would cover the bulkhead damage.

Matt

sailor_ed · 06-09-2018, 11:28

I am going to guess that the varnish is a polyurethane floor varnish. I am not sure a heat gun will help much. The veneer will stand quite a bit of sanding if it has not started to delaminate. I have managed to reclaim similarly damaged cabin sole with care and patience.

Suijin · 06-09-2018, 12:33

You can buy teak and holly veneer on marine ply. If you only need a small piece call around to yards in your area and see what they have for scrap. Any of them with woodworking shops will have a ton of scrap lying around.

I would take a router and route a rabbit that takes out the bad wood, say 1/4” to 3/8” deep and as wide as necessary, then cut a replacement piece and epoxy in place. Done carefully the repair will be invisible except perhaps for the differing teak color if you can’t match it.

txg · 07-09-2018, 12:08

Thanks for your replies so far. Looks like the general consent is that it is highly unlikely to get this back to a good look with only sanding and painting. We're currently in Colombia and access to matching wood is probably not that easy here, but i'll keep a sharp lookout for it.

What i did as a temporary psychological fix was to visit the other Dufour 35 in the dock right next to us that is in much worse shape. That helped a lot for now

sailor_ed · 07-09-2018, 13:28

Don't give up so easily! Try sanding the area with a block of wood wrapped in 150 grit sandpaper. It already looks bad so it's only up from here[emoji5]. Finish with two or three coats of varnish, probably satin, and at least you will protect it from further damage!

Fair winds

txg · 14-09-2018, 10:06

What we did in the end was build new corners out of thickened epoxy and then we simply tried to paint over the stains with acrylic paint.

It for sure doesn't look like new now, but it is at least better than before without any cost.