MATERIALS, SOURCES AND FINISHING SEQUENCE FOR ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PRESERVATION

Materials and Sources

Here are links to some of our favorite materials & resources for vintage wooden boat preservation: stripper, wood bleach, countersink bungs, bilge & bottom paint, primer, seam filler & varnish. As well as the Mariners Museum for Chris Craft documentation and the Yandt Blog for the rebuilding process.

Degreaser – Roll-Off
Stripper – TotalBoat TotalStrip Paint Remover
Round Hardwood Toothpicks
Wood bleach – Daly’s A&B Bleach
Sealing bare wood – CPES
Adhesive-sealant – 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive Sealant
Filling seams less than 3/16” between bottom planks – filleting lapstrake seams – TotalBoat Thixo Flex Flexible Epoxy Adhesive
Filleting, filling gouges & dents – TotalBoat Thixo Wood 2:1 Epoxy System
Wood stain – pre-mixed Jel’d wood stain available from Mike Mayer, Lake Oswego Boat Co.
Bilge paint – SANPACO Bilge Paint
Filling, painting and varnishing deck seams
- Fill seams using TotalBoat Seal Elastomeric Marine Sealant
- Mask with PRO Tapes Premium Automotive FINE LINE Masking Tape
- If you wish to paint the seams, use high gloss Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Topside Paint
- Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Captain’s Ultra Clear 2067
Varnish
- Pettit Z Spar Flagship High Build Varnish 2015
- Pettit Z Spar Captain’s Varnish Ultra Clear 2067
Primer – boot stripe and bottom –
- Carvel planked hulls – Interlux Interprotect 2000E Two-Part Barrier Coat Primer
- Lapstrake and Striptite-style hulls – Pettit Tie Coat Primer 6627
Topside paint
- Lyman, Chris-Craft w white hulls: Interlux Premium Yacht Enamel 202 Semi-Gloss White
- Other painted topsides: Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Topside PaintBottom Paint
- If boat will be dry sailed – Pettit Old Salem Copper Bronze Hard Racing Bottom Paint
- If boat will “live” in the water during the season – which is absolutely not recommended! – Pettit 1933 Copper Bronze Antifouling Paint
Fasteners – Silicon bronze wood screws – NO STAINLESS – flat head Frearson
Wooden Boat Countersink Bungs
- Deck plank countersinks – 3/8” Philippine mahogany
  Better: cut your own from the waste material left over from cutting planks for the best possible match.
- Blonde king plank countersinks – 3/8” South American mahogany – wood tends to be lighter
Cloth-covered Primary Marine AWG Wire – Tom’s Engine Barn

Hull Preservation Materials and Finishing Sequence

Following is the general sequence employed when preserving antique and classic wooden boats.

Hull exterior above boot stripe – hullsides, transom, decks and covering boards

Strip all surfaces to bare wood
Execute repairs as needed
Sand fair to 80 grit
Bleach – soak for 12 hours using Daly’s A & B Bleach for 12 hours
Stain using J’eld stain from
- Lake Oswego Boat Co.
Seal with three to four full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES)
Scuff sand using medium Scotch Brite pads
Clean surface with Acetone
Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Flagship Varnish
Build to 20 coats sanding at appropriate intervals with ever-finer grits
Pay seams with mahogany Sikaflex 291 LOT
Apply 5 additional coats of Pettit Z Spar Captain’s Varnish Ultra Clear 2067

Hull exterior below the boot stripe and the boot stripe

Strip all surfaces to bare wood
Execute repairs as needed
Sand fair to 80 grit
Seal with three full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer
Caulk plank seams with TotalBoat Thixo Flex Epoxy Adhesive
Sand fair to 80 grit
Apply 2 additional coats of (CPES)
Prime using
- Lapstrake and Striptite hulls: Pettit Tie Coat Primer 6627 – 3 coats
- Carvel planked hulls: Interlux InterProtect 2000E Barrier Coat Epoxy Primer – 5 coats
Boot stripe – White Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Topside Paint

Hull Interior

Ceilings
- Strip all surfaces to bare wood w/o destroying evidence of age and use
- Sand fair to 80 grit
- Stain using J’eld stain from Lake Oswego Boat Co.
- Seal with three full coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES)
- Scuff sand using medium Scotch Brite pads
- Clean surface with Acetone
- Varnish with Pettit Z Spar Flagship Varnish – High Build
Bilge-painted components
- Strip to bare wood and seal with 4 coats of CPES
- Apply 4 coats SANPACO bilge paint

Inland Empire Antique & Classic Boat Society