Boat Repair, Restoration, Building
After the new deck pieces were fabricated and trimmed to final size, it was time to focus on removing the old deck. It was a pretty lo-tech process actually. I used a router to turn the old deck into a lot of sawdust, removing the same thickness as I had fabricated the new pieces to. Continue reading “Finishing the Riva: Out With the Old, In With the New”
This week I had the opportunity to meet one of the more attractive boats in the Charleston area. “Stella” is a 2014 Chris Craft Launch 25, and she came in for some varnish on her brightwork. Here you can see a detail of the port toe rail after the first of two refresher coats. Continue reading “Varnishing Stella”
It’s not too early to start thinking about the finishing program for this boat. I know, it seems ridiculous to be thinking about this at such an early stage, but I want to test several different options for varnishes and urethane clear coats for durability. Considering the effort that goes into finishing, it’s worth gathering a little empirical data to help make the decision. Continue reading “Picking a Color for the Boat”
Staining is just preparation for varnishing. We talked about staining recently here. Now it’s time for a bit of strategizing. We’re anticipating about 6 coats of conventional varnish (Interlux Schooner 96) and then about 8-10 coats of AwlWood MA Gloss over that. When you’re talking about that many coats, spraying is the way to go. Continue reading “Varnishing the 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft Deluxe Runabout”