Dinghy restoration

I have just aquired a Heron sailing dinghy, it has had a new deck but it was never painted or vanished. It has been stored out side for a couple years.
The ply deck has gone a very light brown, would a coat of gloss vanish restore it to deep drown like u see on old wooden yachts.

 

Arrgh... a Heron dinghy ......Happy days!

First you need to check that the plywood is still sound. Make sure none of the surface layers have started to come apart.

If it is all sound and secure, give it a gentle sand (along the direction of the grain) using 180 grit sand paper. Brush all the dust off.

Now take a cloth damp with turps substitute and wipe off all the remaining dust. As the wood gets slightly damp it will give you an idea of the colour you will get using traditional varnishes. Polyurethanes tend to be lighter and clearer.

If you like the colour you see when it's slightly damp, go ahead and get some traditional yacht varnish and prime the plywood with the varnish thinned with about 10 percent turps substitute. (If you want a darker colour, get a compatible wood stain - but avoid mahogany as they come out red. Then start the varnish regime)

Next day give it an unthinned coat of varnish. And the day after a third.

Now get a flat cork block and 240 grit paper and give it a real good sand. The surface should now be smooth, with no sign of the wood grain.

Give it another four coats rubbing down in between with your cork block and wet and dry paper and water first using 320 grit but getting finer with each coat.

When you have done all this you will know both whether you have achieved your desired look and more importantly, whether you are cut out to be a varnisher!

Varnishing has as many experts as their are pots of varnish sold. So remember there is more than one way to skin a cat, but if truth be known, those that disagree with me are wrong.

The greatest varnisher I saw was the paid mechanic on one of the RNLI's boats. He put his top coat on really thickly, and then went off for a pint or two. He then returned and threw a huge bucket of cold fresh water over it which he claimed shrunk the surface skin so it went tight and smooth. It certainly worked for him with everyone admiring both his own boat and the 'Ernest Tom Nethercoat'.

I've had no luck with his method, but he said it was because I hurried my beer.

Good luck and enjoy your boat.

 

Many thank for that advise, the ply seems to be in one piece there are a couple of water marks but im guessing the sanding will remove them provided its dryed out properly..
I need to repaint the hull, the orignal paint is flacking of in places, would it be best to remove the hole lot or just where is flacking off ?

 

Water stains are difficult as they often penetrate deeper than it is safe to sand down to.

It all depends on how much of a jewel box finish you want. If you think the water stains add character, then leave them. If you want them gone, remember varnish will only make them more pronounced, along with any other blemishes. The solution is to try a wood cleaner / brightner like Net-Trol. This should return it all to an even tone. Then varnish.

If the flaky paint is symtomatic that the whole coating has broken down, it will have to come off, but if it's only wear patches, then no, it doesn't. The test is whether you can sand the paint around the flaky bit till you get a really smooth 'feather edge'. It's not a good sign if the paint keeps retreating, or leaves a distinct edge. If you are going to patch, keep using plenty of coats of a good primer on the bare patches, with gentle sanding between coats until you have built up a comparable thickness to the surrounding area. If you under do the primer, you will always be able to see the patches.