Refinishing a 1940s Nordborg 15 mahogany sailboat

Howdy all.

I'm planning to buy this 80 year old sailboat. Appears to be made out of mahogany, and although it's in great shape, the finish is peeling away on the deck and the exterior of the hull. Looking for advice on refinishing it properly.

I'm guessing that there's a lot of sanding in my future, but I'm not sure how far to take it down, or what to put back on it. It's bright everywhere but below the waterline, which is painted. How should I proceed, once I get her home?

 

That is a classy looking boat Arawak. If it has little or no rot, it can be restored to its original elegance.

Anticipate perhaps a year of work if you are to do it part time. The cost of the materials for the restoration could be a bit much. Good quality sandpaper itself could rune into a considerable expense. Your aim is to get the whole thing down to the wood without damaging the wood. "Wooding down" is an expression that implies the need for lots of love.

Do use a scraper for much of the work. A scraper is faster and better than sandpaper for many applications. Do not even allow a scraper of the sort that is sold in paint or hardware stores like the Red Devil brand. It has teeth. That would be the last thing you want to use on that lovely boat. A luthiers scraper is what I am suggesting. It is a thin sheet of metal that can be flexed into appropriate shapes and can then rebound to the original shape which is usually a simple flat piece of hardened sheet metal. Scrapers of that sort are available from several sources of fine tooling. You might even look at the Grizzly Tool catalogue to see what I am suggesting. Look through You Tube to find instructions on how to use such a tool. The use of such a tool needs some practice on scrap wood bits. If you are already familiar with the scraper tool then you are well on your way to doing a collossal amount of work for that beautiful restoration project.

Get back in touch with us when you are ready to apply varnish. More You Tube information is out there that describes the "roll and tip" method of application.

Go for it. It is a noble project. If you happen to be married, do consider the cost of divorce proceedings unless you have a wife who has great forbearance.

 

Join a wooden boat forum.

 

I can see in the first photo that the bow stem is delaminating and there is a lot of putty to fix leaks. The seams also exhibit cracks which means the glue has failed. Are the strips mechanically fastened too, or is it only glued?

 

Thanks all.

Looks like there are some decent cabinet scrapers available on Amazon, so I'll get a couple of those in different sizes. Browsing Youtube found me some videos of heatgun plus scraper, so I think I get the gist. It's a hobby/project and the boat itself is cheap so I'm not super worried about the expense. Wifey is used to my various long term projects, including two previous boat projects

@gonzo I did not notice the bow stem crack, or the putty when i went to see her. Looks like some repairs might be in order. There are no ribs; it looks like it was strip planked over a mould. I couldn't say for sure, but i'd imagine it was both glued and edge nailed. This might change my plans a bit depending on what I find. Possibly I'll need to epoxy and maybe even glass it.

 

If you find a paint scraper is damaging the wood in the larger areas try it in the corners were the sand paper is hard to reach, it is a real time saver. Use a magnifying glass to check out test areas and do the complete process on an area that would not be to noticeable.
Card scrapers are less aggressive option than paint scraper and will conform to the hull shape. They can be a little hard to get the hook on them at first but worth the effort and are great at removing imperfections in the finish coats as well.
Heat gun may Shou Sugi Ban the wood, do a small area and check for darker color in the wood grain.

 

I think this is the same as the luthier's scraper mentioned earlier? I found a few on Amazon sold as "cabinet scrapers" and ordered. They have some that are curved, but i don't currently anticipate having to the do interior (unless I end up having to epoxy) so I'll hold off.

Had to Google that term.. never heard of it until now Thanks for the advice!

 

A couple tips on scraping.

6mm okume plywood is my favorite scraper .. I can sharpen it repeatedly with a 3” belt sander and make it long enough so heat transfer in the wood is minimal. Iron should never be used.. I cut the okume to 2” wide typically unless needed otherwise. It is approximate the same size as the heat output or smaller so the scraper is passing through heated paint.

It is a toxic environment and you need to wear an organic respirator, not a dist mask. Lead paint exposure can result in cognitive impairment. Take it seriously. Do the work in a well ventilated space.

Howland has a good tip about wood darkening. It has happened for me a bit. But the great enemy is scorch. As a rule, keep the heat gun moving and avoid dwell. A burn mark is a bear to sand.

 

According to this website the boat is a Nordborg 15.

There a fellow on Youtube who has the same boat. He's got a video that shows it in better details. Video link

Looks like his is in better exterior condition but worse interior condition.