Materials and Sources
Here are links to some of Snake Mountain Boatworks’ favorite materials & resources for vintage wooden boat preservation: stripper, wood bleach, countersink bungs, bilge & bottom paint, primer, seam filler & varnish.
- Degreaser – Roll-Off
- Stripper – TotalBoat TotalStrip Paint Remover
- Round Hardwood Toothpicks
- Wood bleach – Daly’s A&B Bleach
- Sealing bare wood – CPES
- Adhesive-sealant – 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive Sealant
- Filling seams less than 3/16” between bottom planks – filleting lapstrake seams – TotalBoat Thixo Flex Flexible Epoxy Adhesive
- Filleting, filling gouges & dents – TotalBoat Thixo Wood 2:1 Epoxy System
- Wood stain – pre-mixed Jel’d wood stain available from Mike Mayer, Lake Oswego Boat Co.
- Bilge paint – SANPACO Bilge Paint
- Filling, painting and varnishing deck seams
- Fill seams using Mahogany Sikaflex Mahogany 291 LOT
- Mask with PRO Tapes Premium Automotive FINE LINE Masking Tape
- Paint lines with semi-gloss white Interlux Premium Yacht Enamel
- Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Captain’s Ultra Clear 2067
- 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
- Topside paint – Lyman and Sea Skiff
- Bottom 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 – which is absolutely not recommended! – Pettit 1933 Copper Bronze Antifouling Paint
- Fasteners – Silicon bronze wood screws – NO STAINLESS – flat head Frearson
- Wooden Boat Countersink Bungs
- Deck plank countersinks – 3/8” Philippine mahogany
- Blonde king plank countersinks – 3/8” South American mahogany – wood tends to be lighter
- Cloth-covered Primary Marine AWG Wire – Tom’s Engine Barn
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
- Strip all surfaces to bare wood
- Execute repairs as needed
- Sand fair to 80 grit
- Bleach – soak for 12 hours using Daly’s A & B Bleach for 12 hours
- Stain using J’eld stain from
- Seal with three to four 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
- Build to 20 coats sanding at appropriate intervals with ever-finer grits
- Pay seams with mahogany Sikaflex 291 LOT
- Apply 5 additional coats of Pettit Z Spar Captain’s Varnish Ultra Clear 2067
Hull exterior below the boot stripe and the boot stripe
- Strip all surfaces to bare wood
- Execute repairs as needed
- Sand fair to 80 grit
- Seal with three full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer
- Caulk plank seams with TotalBoat Thixo Flex Epoxy Adhesive
- Sand fair to 80 grit
- Apply 2 additional coats of (CPES)
- 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
- Boot stripe – Interlux Brightside Boottop and Striping Enamel
Hull Interior
- Ceilings
- Strip all surfaces to bare wood w/o destroying evidence of age and use
- Sand fair to 80 grit
- 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
- Bilge-painted components
- Strip to bare wood and seal with 4 coats of CPES
- Apply 4 coats SANPACO or other bilge paint