1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
jswatson0917
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1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jswatson0917 » Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:25 pm

I am refinishing the wood on a SPORT 13. I have sanded down the side rails and the seats. When I started to sand down the bow locker hatch cover, I noticed it was made of plywood with what looks like Mahogany veneer instead of solid Mahogany. Is this normal or did somebody try a quick fix?

If it is normal, how can I fix it?

Where could I find a piece of solid Mahogany to replace [the hatch made from plywood and veneer]?

OldKenT
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby OldKenT » Sat Jun 04, 2016 7:58 am

I think that is typical. My 1988 SUPER SPORT 13 has a plywood bow locker cover. That piece is quite wide so with solid wood you would probably have to glue up boards. If you are going to replace it, marine grade plywood might be your best bet. You can stain and varnish it. Be sure to varnish the edges thoroughly to resist water intrusion which will cause plywood to delaminate.
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Jefecinco
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby Jefecinco » Sat Jun 04, 2016 9:58 am

An alternative to leaving plywood edges exposed would be to use solid trim pieces around the perimeter. They should be glued and fastened. Small monel nails or stainless steel screws work well.

As with all your boat's bright work the finish will last infinitely longer if the boat is covered when not in use.
Butch

Binkster
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby Binkster » Sat Jun 04, 2016 10:07 pm

A piece of marine plywood won't do the job. You need a piece of 3/4" marine mahogany plywood and cut out a new hatch cover, (expensive), or flip the hatch cover over strip the paint off the bottom, with paint remover, not sandpaper, which will become the new top, it won't be easy to get the paint out of the pores of Phillipine mahogany. Then repaint the bottom and varnish the new top. I notice the seats are also painted, I would take them to a woodshop and have them run them through a planer to remove the paint. In the picture you are missing the starboard seat clamp. Bring the other one with you and have them make you a new one.

rich

jimh
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jimh » Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:21 am

The forward hatch cover on a c.1984 Boston Whaler 13-foot boat is often fabricated from plywood with only a veneer layer of mahogany wood. I don't believe you can repair the veneer layer if you have sanded through it. The simplest remedy is to obtain new marine plywood with a mahogany veneer finish. Cut a new hatch cover using the old one as a template.

You could also fabricate a new cover using several planks of actual mahogany wood. Lay out the planks in line with the keel, and fasten them with brass wood screws to two cross planks on the underside.

You are lucky to have the OEM hatch. Often they are lost by blowing out of the boat while it is being trailered on the highway.

I don't think you can find a single board piece of mahogany wood that was wide enough to use as a hatch cover. If you could, it would be very expensive.

Generally if you want to find mahogany boards in a thickness of 5/4-inch you will have to work with a lumber yard. Often you have to special order such wood or work with a boutique lumber yard. I don't think you can find it a Home Depot or other general construction material vendors.

Binkster
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby Binkster » Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:39 am

The only pieces of a 13 foot whaler's interior that was 5/4" thick was the seat thwarts. everything else was 3/4" thick.

rich

jswatson0917
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jswatson0917 » Sun Jun 05, 2016 12:09 pm

IMG_20160604_210212431.JPG
IMG_20160604_210212431.JPG (43.58 KiB) Viewed 7398 times
I have everything rough sanded. What can I do to get the wood color more even? Do I need to sand [vulgar language deleted] until the weathering marks go away?

Is there something I can put on [the wood] to get rid of the marks?

Or, do I just leave [the wood] as-is since it is now the characteristics of the wood?

Binkster
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby Binkster » Sun Jun 05, 2016 2:50 pm

Wood bleach available in the paint department of Home Depot will create a uniform look to all the wood. It may be lighter than you want it, and you might have to stain the wood. rich

jswatson0917
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jswatson0917 » Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:55 pm

Thanks for the replies. I have found a place that had replacement bow hatch covers made with solid mahogany. Now that the sanding is complete I assume the next step would be to apply a dozen or so coats of varnish, or should I apply a dozen coats of urethane?

jimh
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jimh » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:28 pm

I would not continued to the sand the original wood pieces just to remove a few deeper marks or darker areas. You'd end up sanding away a lot of the wood. A few variations in color will give the wood some character.

I would not use a bleach to change the wood color. Use a wood cleaner product.

If the boards are teak wood I would apply an oil to darken the finish before varnishing.

If those boards are mahogany I don't know if oil is a good choice.

Here is a view of a hatch cover. The progress of work is from left to right. The left plank is as-is before work began. The middle plank is after application of a teak cleaner to remove some mildew and discoloration. The right plank is after cleaner application and then sanding. The final step was to apply and rub in teak oil. Teak oil is periodically applied to keep up the finish.

Image

The end appearance is shown in the photo below:

Image

jswatson0917
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Re: 1984 13-footer Bow Locker Hatch

Postby jswatson0917 » Sun Jun 26, 2016 8:50 pm