Bleaching Boat Hulls

Century boats are known for their very lightly-built, beautifully-proportioned, and very fast hulls. Several Century models, including the Palomino we are working on here, share brilliantly blonde seemed, comprised of Avodire seamed deck panels.
Originally bleached, sun, water and just plain use conspire to darken the wood. And, as was the case with this 1956 Palomino, well-meaning, but poorly-informed "restorers" all too often sand, stain and varnish the decks to a near-uniform color.
After replacing many of the original fasteners with proper silicon bronze wood screws, and plugging the countersinks in the blonde panels using white ash bungs, we sanded this deck to 240 grit, and then applied Klean-Strip Wood Bleach (http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=72&prodid=151) as directed.
Here we mask off the planks we want to protect, wet the soon-to-be blonde panels with clear water and then apply the bleaching solution liberally. We applied two full coats all at once to ensure uniform bleaching.
The decks will dry for 24 - 48 hours, at which time we will apply a white vinegar and water neutralizing solution, and let it dry for several days.
Once the surface is sealed with Smith's Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, it will be ready for a light sanding and varnishing.