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Author Topic:   Restoring Wood on 15 Super Sport

Peter posted 04-26-2003 10:15 PM ET (US)
I just added an unmodified, good condition 1987 15' Super Sport to my fleet. Unfortunately, the mahogany (lots of it) needs to be refinished because the prior and quite recent refinishing attempt was of poor quality and has begun to peel. The wood was stained very dark (probably to hide the water stains) and it appears that only one coat of varnish was applied.
It has been more than 20 years since I last undertook a Whaler wood refinishing project such as this and I would appreciate receiving tips from the "experts" here.
I plan to pull all of the wood out of the boat and strip it using a paint/varnish remover. I expect to follow that with a light sanding using an orbital sander.
Assuming that sanding doesn't lighten the wood much due to the use of a dark stain, I am looking for expert tips that would help lighten the dark color, perhaps back to the natural color of the mahogany.
Finally, I would like to know the experts' preferences for quality varnish brands and application techniques.

minimontauk posted 04-27-2003 09:05 PM ET (US)
I got a good tip on this forum, which I put to use in my own mahogany refinish on my 15' Sport CC. I took all the wood off and ran it through my Delta 12-1/2" thickness planer. I did the edges with my jointer. I probably reduced the overall thickness of each board by a heavy 1/16". This beats scraping, stripping and sanding any day. It also removes any oxidized wood, small dings, etc. You end up with what looks like new planks. If you still have any dark stains after that, try some oxcalic acid to bleach them out. I sanded everything down to 320 and I will cover with 8 coats of Epiphane varnish. Good luck.
Mike Brantley posted 04-27-2003 10:53 PM ET (US)
Just to echo what Mini said... I read the same tip on here and ran my 15 Sport boards through my thickness planer. That saved me a lot of work, but do go easy with it and don't make your seats too thin.

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Author	Topic: Restoring Wood on 15 Super Sport
Peter	posted 04-26-2003 10:15 PM ET (US) I just added an unmodified, good condition 1987 15' Super Sport to my fleet. Unfortunately, the mahogany (lots of it) needs to be refinished because the prior and quite recent refinishing attempt was of poor quality and has begun to peel. The wood was stained very dark (probably to hide the water stains) and it appears that only one coat of varnish was applied. It has been more than 20 years since I last undertook a Whaler wood refinishing project such as this and I would appreciate receiving tips from the "experts" here. I plan to pull all of the wood out of the boat and strip it using a paint/varnish remover. I expect to follow that with a light sanding using an orbital sander. Assuming that sanding doesn't lighten the wood much due to the use of a dark stain, I am looking for expert tips that would help lighten the dark color, perhaps back to the natural color of the mahogany. Finally, I would like to know the experts' preferences for quality varnish brands and application techniques.
minimontauk	posted 04-27-2003 09:05 PM ET (US) I got a good tip on this forum, which I put to use in my own mahogany refinish on my 15' Sport CC. I took all the wood off and ran it through my Delta 12-1/2" thickness planer. I did the edges with my jointer. I probably reduced the overall thickness of each board by a heavy 1/16". This beats scraping, stripping and sanding any day. It also removes any oxidized wood, small dings, etc. You end up with what looks like new planks. If you still have any dark stains after that, try some oxcalic acid to bleach them out. I sanded everything down to 320 and I will cover with 8 coats of Epiphane varnish. Good luck.
Mike Brantley	posted 04-27-2003 10:53 PM ET (US) Just to echo what Mini said... I read the same tip on here and ran my 15 Sport boards through my thickness planer. That saved me a lot of work, but do go easy with it and don't make your seats too thin.