New to restoring boats

I just recently acquired a 12' wooden skiff with a plywood hull from the 1930's. I can't find any plans or any pictures of it originally. It was painted before I got it and the previous owner sanded all the paint off the exterior so now it is down to the bare wood.

I am wanting to know recommendations for refinishing the exterior hull of the boat. I am on a limited budget so money is a concern. Right now I am leaning towards using a spar varnish on the sides and bottom. Do I need to seal the wood before I use the varnish? Is there a better way to do the finish than varnish on the sides (it would be nice to see the wood)?

Does anyone know who made kits in the 1930's for wooden boats.

 

First off Jessper welcome to the forum. This is the place to find practical advice for most - if not all - of your boating problems.

If, as you say a previous owner painted your skiff oils from that paint job have probably already 'sealed' the timber. Try a test area with your varnish and see how quickly and how deeply it settles. If it is absorbed as though on blotting paper then you'll need to seal/reseal. Check your local chandler/paint dealer for a suitable 'clear' sealant. If you get a clear 'lustre' from your test area - then go ahead and give her a good covering - probably two - three coats. But work in a dust free, humid free area to avoid pimples and bloom.
And I agree with you - the natural timber look needs no enhancement. Good luck, and again welcome. More replies are bound to follow.

 

A plywood skiff from the thirties would be rare indeed. How did you date this boat, (Jess?)?
Adding to the last post concerning varnish, normally most first coats on new wood or bare sanded wood are thinned with solvent such as mineral spirits. The ratio I use is usually 1:1 varnish to thinner, which displaces air deeper into the wood grain (you can see tiny bubbles floating out). This "hooks" the varnish deeper than full strength thicker varnish would.
As said, the grain may already be filled, and that test mentioned will help determine that.
Only you can know if varnish will add or detract from the boat aesthetically. Protection-wise, paint lasts longer without recoating and takes far less time to do. Varnish needs recoating each season while single-part paint will last three to five years on a dry-sailed (trailered every time) boat.
Varnish also costs more than the paint mentioned because more is used, even while both cost about $25 a quart.
Varnish (known as "spar varnish" in the trades) is one kind of finish, not to be confused with other clear finishes. Varnish requires (on a boat's exterior surfaces) at least 6 coats after the grain of the wood is levelled flat (so that in the right light, it can be seen that no varnish previously applied sits below the sanded surface).
This is necessary so that enough UV protection is applied that a quick sanding the next season followed by recoating will maintain the finish for as long as ten years.

Alan

 

There were no kit boats, that I'm aware of, available in the 1930's. Plywood also wasn't widely available as well, not to mention most folks had a very poor opinion of the material do to poor panel construction and manufacturing quality of the era. It wasn't until after WWII that plywood received the attention and uniform acceptance it has now, not to mention water proof glues.

It's very possible the original planking (quite likely in fact) has been replaced, possibly more then once on a skiff that has seen hard use.

Plywood doesn't have a particularly attractive grain pattern, most are rotary cut, which produces a wild grain. Some wood species can look pretty good cut this way, but most don't. The plywood surface veneer may be a sliced, but this is rare and unlikely.

Since it's sanded to bare wood, you should still seal the surface. The easiest way to do this is by using thinned paint or varnish (which are the same thing). a 1:1 ratio (one part paint/varnish to one part thinner) is fine to seal it. This will lock down what grain was opened up during the sanding to bare wood process.

The bubbles mentioned by Alan is called out gassing and occurs if the raw wood temperature is warming up when the coating is being put on. This applies to bare wood only. To prevent this from happening, place the boat in a warm place and let it sit for a few hours. After you've gotten the boat warm, move it to a place where it is noticeably cooler then begin painting. The warm wood will suck in the paint/varnish like a sponge as it cools. Out gassing occurs when the air and gasses in the cellular structure of the wood is expanding, which only happens when the wood is warming up. If the coating is applied when the wood is cooling down, the air and gases are contracting and it will draw in the coating material.

Bright finishes are only lovely on other peoples boats. Trust me on this, I love natural finishes, just like the next guy, but have had to take care of them too, which makes you realize how wonderful paint really is. Unless the plywood has an exceptional grain pattern, then you're better off with some nice trim pieces, like rub rails, cleats, thwarts, risers, etc., which can be varnished up to add some flash. These smaller pieces can be touched up much easier, so the maintenance is not so painful. Paint, especially good stuff, will far out last varnish and is much easier to tend when necessary.