[Rhodes22-list], R22 and Brightwork, was Varnishing Virgin, etc.

[Jay Friedland]

Bill,
Thanks for the kudos, but much of this comes from years of Rhodes  
ownership (18) and K.I.S.S. principles, minimizing time to launch. My  
personal feeling is Phillip Rhodes' enduring design lends itself  
perfectly to the wood trim accents, but for me, some of it was also  
functional. Owning an '86 recycled R22 prior to "Wanderlust", new in  
'97, we used to raise the mast by brute force. Once looking up during  
the ceremony, a wrong step to the rail landed me on the pavement  
below. I felt the toerail needed both a visual difference (v. the  
current white on white), and a little added height. The teak toerail  
cap happens to really set off the wide deck and traditional lines of  
the boat. I may get to post photos when "Wanderlust" is out of  
hibernation next month, with canvas removed.

Originally on some consultation with The Wooden Boat Shop in Maine,  
they recommended steambending (chambered steam pressure forming) the  
teak trim to match the curve of the rail in a successive series of  
forms; ok for building a hull, but way overkill here. Luckily, I  
connected with a couple in New Zealand on the 'net that convinced me  
for the size rail I was using (1/2" high x 1" wide), teak has enough  
natural resiliency over its length to manually bend it. I started a  
small section at the bow just aft of line chocks, drilled, tapped and  
bolted it down on 10" centers with Life Caulk sealer between  
surfaces, which is fairly straight, then perfectly following the  
curve around to just before the upper shroud chainplates on the rail.  
I applied pressure at the very aft end of the trim to get a fuller  
curve. (NOTE: Always slightly countersink gelcoat prior to any use of  
screws to prevent spider cracks.) I then countersunk and plugged the  
screwholes with matching grain, and it's been trouble-free since  
installation in '98. I believe I could have just drilled and screwed  
them down and spaced the bolts on 12" centers, in retrospect. Aft of  
the chainplate, I have an adjustable mid-ship cleat on a 24" section  
of 1" track and finished the rails off in a teak section to the  
drainage break at the aft end of the cabin, Island Packet-style. A  
long half a day for installation, plus normal 1-1/2 hr/day over 3  
days refinishing.

The other pieces were made to match the original ABS parts- pop-top  
slider, ladder steps, etc. in addition to the then factory-supplied  
teak companionway trim, kickplate, hatchcover, and cockpit seat trim.  
Maybe this was one of the last times Stan ever used wood, or his  
reason for going to all ABS. I love wood and this was where I would  
spend enough time to really appreciate it.

50° is the minimum air and wood temperature to begin finishing and  
prep is the longest lead time- first, teak cleaning, if any darkened  
areas are present, then masking with 3M Scotch #2090 Blue Masking  
Tape, and acetone cleaning and drying. All teak was finished with  
semi-gloss Cetol originally, and then with Armada which had a more  
natural brown, less orange tint. As stated Honey Teak <http:// 
www.signaturefinish.com/> is the new, clear, more varnish-like, long  
term finish I've seen used here successfully with only annual touch- 
up and topcoat needed. Sailing time still trumps time for stripping  
and refinishing with the new product.

My new tiller, mahogany and ash standard, was ordered unfinished as I  
wanted clean wood with open grain. As my original tiller began  
splitting and subsequently delaminated starting at the connecting  
through bolt to the rudder head, I felt I had to significantly  
reinforce this. I drilled the hole for the bolt 1/8" over-sized,  
filled it with epoxy and redrilled  it to size. For good measure to  
permanently isolate the stress point,  I drilled two vertical 3/8"  
holes from the bottom up into the beginning only of the top mahogany  
layer-not through. I epoxied two 1/4" dowels (standard oak) for  
reinforcement about 3/4" in on either side of the bolt hole. None of  
this was very critical or time-consuming.

After full cleaning with acetone and drying, I used Gougeon Bros.'  
West System 2-part clear epoxy (#105 resin and #206 slow-hardener)  
for two thin base coats, sanded (always 220 grit) and added the next  
7-8 coats with Captain's Varnish full strength and two maintenance  
topcoats per year. Although Badger brushes are traditionally  
recommended, I took the 'shortcut' of using a new 3" foam brush for  
each streak-free coat. Light pressure and good coverage is needed and  
watch to not be over-zealous and create bubbles. I used a free  
standing sealed garment bag as a drying chamber, hanging the tiller  
hand-hold side up from the crosspiece. As dust is the real killer on  
a good varnish job, both airborne and carried back into the varnish  
can, I minimized this with these steps. Good cross-lighting is also  
the best aid to check coverage (and airborne dust), with minimum back  
stroking, all standard varnishing techniques (see "Brightwork: The  
Art of Finishing Wood" by Rebecca J. Wittman) all aimed towards a  
good topcoat finish. Varnish is brittle and typically not recommended  
where there is much flexing. The epoxy base serves as both a sealer  
and more able to hold the varnish in extreme use, minimizing  
separation and chipping.

It has the integrity of a single carved piece, still in new condition  
(uncovered for 10 months), and should last as long as the boat this  
way. Having a good handgrip on a durable, smooth surface, and a solid  
feel steering mechanism is what tiller steering is all about. Pride  
in its good looks are a natural extension of simple maintenance, akin  
to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Hope this is helpful.
Jay

On Jan 20, 2006, at 10:14 AM, Bill Effros wrote:

> Jay,
>
> Please provide more details.  Your knowledge of wood working is  
> disappearing from the general population.  Anything you write down  
> will be used by someone in the future.
>
> I always admire the wood on your boat, every time I see it, even if  
> I never believe my skills will progress beyond one tiller, once a  
> year.
>
> Bill Effros
>
> JAY FRIEDLAND wrote:
>
>> Folks, I'll throw in my 2 cents to affirm what's been
>> said, plus a few extras. I have more than even the
>> standard older boats, adding teak toerails, ladder
>> steps, pop-top slider rails, etc. I've used Armada for
>> 4 years, after Cetol for 3 years. If I had to start
>> now Honey Teak is the current rage here for long term
>> holding power on teak. In all cases here, early season
>> work is light sanding and 3 days of an hour and a half
>> per day application. I lose NO sailing time.
>>
>> On the tiller mine is 10 years old, replacing my
>> original factory issue that split along the laminates
>> at the rudder head. Based on my situation, the new one
>> was reinforced with oak dowels  set in epoxy throught
>> the layers from the bottom just shy of the top layer
>> so it never shows. The tiller was covered with 2 thin
>> coats of West System epoxy to permanently seal it, and
>> then 10 coats of an old standard, Z-Spar's Captain's
>> Varnish, cheaper, easier, and more effective than
>> most. Compared to most northern boats, my boat has an
>> extended season, typically 10 months and hot, baking
>> shore sun. All the wood looks new and is most often
>> the main highlight of an otherwise classic sailboat.
>>
>> I'd be happy to supply more details if needed, but the
>> aversion most people have to wood on boats and
>> maintenance is purely unfounded. In fact, many people
>> find working with wood therapeutic, so as Bill says,
>> enjoy it.
>> Jay
>>
>> --- Mary Lou Troy <mltroy at verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Mark,
>>> Bill's advice on varnishing is excellent but if you
>>> don't want to do it every year the tiller cover recommended by  
>>> others
>>> really does work well. It even protects the varnish from the line  
>>> or bungee
>>> cord if you lash your tiller when you leave the boat. We use a  
>>> bungee to
>>> lash ours to the traveller. We have a bit more wood on the boat than
>>> some people - trim on the edges of the cockpit seats, the  
>>> companionway
>>> slides for the hatch board and a piece of mahogany that serves as  
>>> the kickplate
>>> holding the line for the centerboard pennant. We use the West Marine
>>> version of Cetol/Armada on the trim but use varnish on the tiller  
>>> and the
>>> mahogany.
>>>
>>> Mary Lou
>>> 1991 R22 Fretless
>>> Ft. Washington, PA / Swan Creek, MD
>>>
>>>
>>> At 05:49 PM 1/19/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>>>
>>>> Mark,
>>>>
>>>> I've posted this so often I'm bored with it.  If
>>>>
>>> you look, the dates go
>>>> back a few years.  But, of course, it keeps coming
>>>>
>>> up.  I still hold these
>>>> views, enjoy the varnishing, look forward to doing
>>>>
>>> it each year, find it
>>>> protects the tiller very well in my climate, and
>>>>
>>> remain proud of my
>>>> ability to produce this product.  I don't stain,
>>>>
>>> and I don't use "Cetol"
>>>> or like products that have superior UV protection
>>>>
>>> but impart a yellow cast.
>>>
>>>> All varnish seems to work.  More expensive varnish
>>>>
>>> is easier to apply.
>>>
>>>> Lots of very thin coats seems to work best.  A can
>>>>
>>> of varnish could last
>>>> me a lifetime.
>>>>
>>>> Bill Effros
>>>>
>>>> Old post follows -- Subject changed to original
>>>>
>>> subject line.
>>>
>>>> This topic seems to always come up at this time of
>>>>
>>> year for understandable
>>>
>>>> reasons.
>>>>
>>>> Never having varnished anything in my life, I filed
>>>>
>>> everything in "Does Not
>>>
>>>> Apply To Me" (read "Delete") the first year I was
>>>>
>>> on the list.
>>>
>>>> Last year Rummy brought it up again, and after a
>>>>
>>> dozen replies went to West
>>>
>>>> Marine and bought whatever the pretty sales girl
>>>>
>>> told him to buy.  I thought
>>>
>>>> it was just another example of that song "When The
>>>>
>>> Little Head Does The
>>>
>>>> Thinking", but Rummy reported he was very happy
>>>>
>>> with the outcome.
>>>
>>>> The only exterior wooden brightwork on my boat is
>>>>
>>> the tiller which, by that
>>>
>>>> time, was so ratty-looking I had ordered another
>>>>
>>> from Stan.  Figuring I had
>>>
>>>> nothing to lose, I decided to follow the advice on
>>>>
>>> the list, and attempt to
>>>
>>>> strip down and varnish my tiller.  I was astonished
>>>>
>>> at the results.
>>>
>>>> If Raz's work rates a 10, and Rummy's is a 9, then
>>>>
>>> mine would be a 7.  When
>>>
>>>> the tiller arrived from General Boats its varnish
>>>>
>>> rated a 2.
>>>
>>>> I loved my tiller every time I looked at it or
>>>>
>>> touched it.  It was simply
>>>
>>>> magnificent in my humble opinion.  The project was
>>>>
>>> perhaps the most
>>>
>>>> satisfying thing I did all year.  It still looks
>>>>
>>> and feels great.  I can't
>>>
>>>> wait to put on a fresh coat of varnish as soon as
>>>>
>>> it gets a little warmer.
>>>
>>>> I'm looking for other things to varnish around my
>>>>
>>> house.
>>>
>>>> The single most useful posting came from Raz.  I
>>>>
>>> followed his directions,
>>>
>>>> and wound up feeling enormously relaxed. Following
>>>>
>>> is his post from last
>>>
>>>> year:
>>>>
>>>> "I highly recommend thinning oil based varnish with
>>>>
>>> marine Penetrol, which
>>>
>>>> is
>>>> a polymerized boiled linseed oil. The mix that
>>>>
>>> works well for me is about a
>>>
>>>> tablespoon of Penetrol to 1/4 cup of varnish.
>>>>
>>> That's about the right amount
>>>
>>>> to do a real good coat on a tiller and it brushes
>>>>
>>> out like a dream. Unlike
>>>
>>>> solvent thinners this will not degrade the varnish
>>>>
>>> coat. Pettit recommends
>>>
>>>> thinning their varnishes no more than 10% with
>>>>
>>> solvent and that only for the
>>>
>>>> first bonding coat on bare wood. I use straight
>>>>
>>> Penetrol for the first coat.
>>>
>>>> The instructions on the Penetrol can outline the
>>>>
>>> whole process. I have never
>>>
>>>> had a varnish finish lift from moisture penetration
>>>>
>>> using their process. The
>>>
>>>> trick to a good varnish coat is to use a premium
>>>>
>>> chinese boar bristle brush
>>>
>>>> well loaded with varnish and thoroughly brush out
>>>>
>>> each coat. Any slight
>>>
>>>> brush marks will level out and disappear as the
>>>>
>>> varnish cures. It takes at
>>>
>>>> least 3 coats of undiluted varnish to build a thick
>>>>
>>> enough finish to last
>>>
>>>> through a couple of years of marine exposure.   If
>>> I am starting with bare
>>>
>>>> wood I do at least 6 coats, allowing each coat to
>>>>
>>> completely dry for at
>>>
>>>> least  24 hours, sometimes several days if the air
>>>>
>>> is humid.The penetrol
>>>
>>>> does lengthen the drying time between coats. I
>>>>
>>> lightly wet sand with 220
>>>
>>>> grit wet or dry paper between coats using water
>>>>
>>> with a few drops of dish
>>>
>>>> washing detergent or Murphy's oil soap added. Wet
>>>>
>>> sanding is faster and
>>>
>>>> keeps the varnish from getting soft from over
>>>>
>>> heating due to the sanding
>>>
>>>> friction. The object is to just remove the gloss
>>>>
>>> without taking off any more
>>>
>>>> varnish than you absolutely have to to get rid of
>>>>
>>> rough spots and
>>>
>>>> imperfections.  A few minutes before you are ready
>>>>
>>> to recoat, wipe the wood
>>>
>>>> down with a rag wet with thinner and allow that to
>>>>
>>> completely dry off.
>>>
>>>> Before the very last coat, I wet sand with 400
>>>>
>>> grit. It took 3 weeks last
>>>
>>>> year to do 6 coats on my Compac tiller, but its
>>>>
>>> only a couple of leisurely
>>>
>>>> hours per coat including the sanding and cleanup.
>>>>
>>> The end results were
>>>
>>>> spectacular. I'll have to start over this year with
>>>>
>>> a new tiller for the
>>>
>>>> Gloucester, sigh. Actually I really enjoy this
>>>>
>>> process, its sort of like Zen
>>>
>>>> meditation to me."
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, Raz. I'll follow the maintenance
>>>>
>>> instructions to the letter.  I
>>>
>>>> really did enjoy the process as much as the
>>>>
>>> outcome, and it was a lot like
>>>
>>>> Zen meditation.  I've been looking forward to the
>>>>
>>> maintenance all year.
>>>
>>>> Bill Effros
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "David Rasberry" <cinetics at acsinc.net>
>>>> To: <rhodes-list at sailnet.net>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 11:31 PM
>>>> Subject: RE: [rhodes-list] Exterior Wooden
>>>>
>>> Brightwork
>>>
>>>> Personally, I find the aesthetic appeal of wood to
>>>>
>>> be worth the upkeep. All
>>>
>>>> it takes to maintain a good premium varnish job is
>>>>
>>> lightly wet sand with 400
>>>
>>>> grit sand paper and put on a single fresh coat once
>>>>
>>> a year. To my mind it is
>>>
>>>> a less onerous task than buffing out and waxing
>>>>
>>> dull fiberglass.
>>>
>>>> Razz
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Alex Bell [mailto:alexbell at coastalnet.com]
>>>> Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 10:08 PM
>>>> To: rhodes-list at sailnet.net
>>>> Subject: Re: [rhodes-list] Exterior Wooden
>>>>
>>> Brightwork
>>>
>>>> Roger,
>>>>
>>>> Boat improvement labor and time is not the same as
>>>>
>>> work,
>> === message truncated ===
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>>
>>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list