Wood on deck – There is an unwritten rule among people that wooden parts must be visible on the deck of boats. The more visible the wood, the more views it draws. No wonder, beautiful women and beautiful boats always attract men’s eyes. Nevertheless, this time we will not tell you about women, but about maintenance of wood on deck.
Maintenance wood on deck
All this glitzy and shiny wood on deck, however, requires regular and careful maintenance. If you ignore it, it quickly turns into gray and seemingly ugly decaying wood.
The most sensitive are those parts that have retained the appearance of natural wood and are coated with clear varnishes. Despite the fact that transparent varnishes also offer protection against UV rays, such a coated surface is durable only for a short time compared to surfaces that are coated with two-component overlays.
On Ariki, everything outside is painted with white two-component paint. There are only those parts left in the natural wood that we have stored in the cabin and are outside only when we are on Ariki. These are rudders and wooden accessories. A total of 5 pieces. Not much to hear. And yet… everything needs to be inspected and sanded.
Although these pieces are stored in the cabin most of the time, they have accumulated damage. It’s been at least ten years since we last painted them. If this wood were exposed to the weather all the time, it would have to be serviced every year or even more often.
Procedure
There are quite a few different ways to keep wood shiny. At Ariki we use the following procedure.
The entire surface to be painted is first sanded. Where the surface is still intact, just sand lightly. Those parts where the wood is gray and damaged, however, need to be removed. Everything that is gray must go away.
Then apply the first layer of epoxy with a roller and brush. When it hardens, apply another layer. This is followed by two coats of one-component clear wood varnish.
Experts say the surface should be sanded before each coat. The truth is somewhat different. All of these paints and epoxies we use on boats do not dry out but harden due to a chemical reaction.
If the new layers are applied when the painted surface is already dry to the touch and the material has not yet hardened completely, sanding is not necessary, because the new layer of paint or epoxy adheres very well.
When sanding the surface painted with a two-component coating paint, sanding will not be so easy. This coating paint is very hard. Therefore, damage to such parts simply cannot be sanded with sandpaper and by hands. The right tool for this is a small angle grinder. It needs to be so light that you can hold it in one hand. With it, you can easily treat even hard surfaces and cracks in wood.
Overhaul of a Wooden Catamaran
A series of six articles & videos
Painting
We start painting the same way as transparent varnishes. First apply two coats of epoxy, then continue with a coat of primer and finish with two coats of two-component varnish.
If the temperature is more than 20 degrees Celsius, all layers can be applied in just two days. However, the additional 24 hours required for the varnishes to be finally cured must be taken into account. Only then is the painted surface suitable for use.
Working with an angle grinder is not demanding. However, you need to have a calm and very light hand to sharpen just the right material. Cracks that reach deeper into the wood can also be sanded with an angle grinder. For this, according to all the rules, you should use chisels. But… there is simply no time for that.
The town of Izola
The first day of the overhaul is over. It’s time for the crew to have some fun too. We go for a walk in the old town of Izola. It’s very close. Just a few minutes walk and you’re already there.
The fishing town of Izola was built on a small island, which has been inhabited since ancient times. Today it is a peninsula. On the plain between the island and the mainland, however, industry and modern suburbs developed.
The original inhabitants of Izola were farmers and fishermen. This changed only at the end of the 19th century. At that time, three fish canning factories were built. One of them, called Delamaris, still works today. We love their products very much, so we often turn to the factory shop, which is quite close to the shipyard.
When Ariki is on land, we don’t cook on it. We go to town for lunch and dinner. It’s more practical. Who, in addition to all the work, will also deal with cooking and washing dishes. This takes too much time in such situations.
Prices in the city are not high. Izola is not a notorious tourist center. It is a lively town full of inhabitants. Disabled and retired people predominate among the guests. The infrastructure and beaches are adapted to these groups. Yes, Izola has a special beach for the disabled and another special beach for dogs.
