Materials, Sources and Finishing Sequence for Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Preservation

Materials and Sources

Here are links to Snake Mountain Boatworks’ favorite materials & resources for vintage wooden boat preservation:

• Degreaser – Roll-Off
• Stripper – TotalBoat TotalStrip Paint Remover
• Round Hardwood Toothpicks
• Wood bleach – Daly’s A&B Bleach
• Sealing bare wood – Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer – CPES
• Filling-fairing countersinks and surface dents and dings – color-matching capable – Smith’s Fill-It Epoxy Filler 
• Adhesive-sealant
  • Bottoms & structural joining — 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive Sealant
  • Repairing split boards, joints in wood – Gorilla Wood Glue – Ultimate
• Filling seams less than 3/16” between bottom planks – filleting lapstrake seams – TotalBoat Thixo Flex Flexible Epoxy Adhesive
• Filleting – TotalBoat Thixo Wood 2:1 Epoxy System
• Wood stain – pre-mixed Jel’d wood stain in period-correct colors available from Mike Mayer, Lake Oswego Boat Co.
• Bilge paint – SANPACO Bilge Paint
• Filling, painting, and varnishing deck seams
  • Fill seams using Sikaflex-291 LOT Marine Adhesive & Sealant – Mahogany
  • Mask seams using 3M Scotch 218 Fine Line Premium Masking Tape 1/4 & 1/2 inch. Be sure to remove the tape immediately after filling or painting seams.
  • Paint the deck seams as last step following applying the final coat of high gloss varnish – Pettit EZPoxy Modern Polyurethane Topside Paint 3175 White
• Varnish
  • Build coats — Pettit Z Spar Flagship High Build Varnish 2015
  • Pettit 1015 Captain’s Varnish — traditional amber color
    Note – Pettit discontinued Captain’s Ultra Clear Varnish 2067
  • For highest gloss final coats – Epifanes High-Gloss Clear Varnish
    Epifanes can be applied over build coats of Pettit Flagship Varnish
• Primer – boot stripe and bottom –
  • Carvel planked hulls – Interlux Interprotect 2000E Two-Part Barrier Coat Primer
  • Lapstrake and Striptite-style hulls – Pettit Tie Coat Primer 6627
  • When Interlux Toplac Plus is applied on topsides — Interlux Pre-Kote Plus
• Topside paint
  • Lyman, Chris-Craft w white hulls: Interlux Premium Yacht Enamel 202 Semi-Gloss White
  • Other painted topsides: Interlux Toplac Plus Topside Paint
    Toplac Plus is the long-awaited return of Interlux’s classic Toplac topside finish, with an all-new formula designed to let you achieve a professional-looking finish using just a roller. Skip the tipping part of topside painting, and get a smooth, hard high gloss finish you will be proud of. Toplac Plus features excellent flow and leveling characteristics, especially when applied over recommended Interlux Pre-Kote Plus primer.
• Topside paint
  • If boat will be dry sailed – Pettit Old Salem Copper Bronze Hard Racing Bottom Paint
  • If boat will “live” in the water during the season –absolutely not recommended! – Pettit 1933 Copper Bronze Antifouling Paint
• Fasteners of every sort – Silicon bronze wood screws, Frearson and slot, carriage bolts, washers – NO STAINLESS – TOPFAST
• Wooden Boat Countersink Bungs
  • Deck plank countersinks – 3/8” Philippine mahogany
    Better: cut your own from the waste material left over from cutting planks for the best possible match.
  • Blonde king plank countersinks – 3/8” South American mahogany – wood tends to be lighter
• Vintage cloth-covered primary marine AWG Wire – PRISM Supply CO
• Wax – Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Wax

Hull Preservation Materials and Finishing Sequence

Following is the general sequence employed when preserving antique and classic wooden boats at Snake Mountain Boatworks.

Hull exterior above boot stripe – hullsides, transom, decks and covering boards

1. Strip all surfaces to bare wood
2. Execute repairs as needed
3. Sand fair to 80 grit
4. Bleach – keep wet for 12 hours using Daly’s A & B Bleach  — three parts B to one part A
5. Stain using J’eld stain from Lake Oswego Boat Co. 
6. Seal with three to four full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES)
7. Scuff sand using medium Scotch Brite pads
8. Clean surface with Acetone
9. Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Flagship Varnish
10. Build to 20 coats sanding at appropriate intervals with ever-finer grits
11. Pay seams with mahogany Sikaflex 291 LOT
12. Apply 5 additional coats of Pettit 1015 Captain’s Varnish
    or Epifanes High-Gloss Clear Varnish
13. Paint the deck seams as last step following applying the final coat of high gloss varnish – Pettit EZPoxy Modern Polyurethane Topside Paint 3175 White
    

Hull exterior below the boot stripe and the boot stripe

1. Strip all surfaces to bare wood
2. Execute repairs as needed
3. Sand fair to 80 grit
4. Seal with four full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer
5. Caulk plank seams with TotalBoat Thixo Flex Epoxy Adhesive
6. Sand fair to 80 grit
7. Apply 2 additional coats of (CPES)
8. Prime using
   • Lapstrake and Striptite hulls: Pettit Tie Coat Primer 6627 – 3 coats
   • Carvel planked hulls: Interlux InterProtect 2000E Barrier Coat Epoxy Primer – 5 coats
9. Boot stripe – White Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Topside Paint

Hull Interior 

1. Ceilings
   • Strip all surfaces to bare wood w/o destroying evidence of age and use
   • Sand fair to 80 grit
   • Stain using Lake Oswego Boat Co. J’eld stain
   • Seal with three full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES)
   • Scuff sand using medium Scotch Brite pads
   • Clean surface with Acetone
   • Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Flagship Varnish – High Build, scuff sanding between coats with 320 grit or medium Scotch Brite pads and cleaning with Acetone prior to applying the following coat of varnish
2. Bilge-painted components
   • Strip to bare wood and seal with 4 coats of CPES
   • Apply 4 coats SANPACO bilge paint