Trojan Boat Forum

my 1976 F-28 is loaded with wood in the cabin. Is this teak??? Or Mahogany??
I have some pieces that Im gonna sand and refinish over the winter and wanna make sure what Im working with.

The interior of my 1972 F30 is all Mahogany.......all the teak is outside, toe rail, hand rail, rear deck and swim platform............

The flat panel in the boat are not solid wood. It is a veneer plywood. Be very careful when sanding these surfaces, the veneer is thin and you can sand through it. (Between 1/32 & 1/16) NEVER USE STEEL WOOL ON A BOAT, INSIDE OR OUT. THE WOOL BREAKS OFF AND RUSTS. THE PIECES ARE SO SMALL YOU WON'T SEE THEM UNTIL THEY RUST.

Our 73 F36 is mahogany inside, teak deck, toe rail, and swim platform outside as well.

gjrylands wrote:The flat panel in the boat are not solid wood. It is a veneer plywood. Be very careful when sanding these surfaces, the veneer is thin and you can sand through it. (Between 1/32 & 1/16) NEVER USE STEEL WOOL ON A BOAT, INSIDE OR OUT. THE WOOL BREAKS OFF AND RUSTS. THE PIECES ARE SO SMALL YOU WON'T SEE THEM UNTIL THEY RUST.

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Yeah...NOW ya' tell me! I rubbed my grab rail with bronze wool and it looked like new. That sure had me feeling like a smarty until those 10 million little rust spots showed-up all over the place from the wool. The only good news is that it only took a YEAR for the little spots to completely rust away.

TC

thanks for the heads up on using steel wool!!! That was my next step on the panels!!! Whew!!! dodged another bullet.
So sounds like some lite sandpaper will do.

Instead of using steel wool you can use synthetic scuff pads. They work well if you are stripping varnish with varnish remover. Remove the first few coats of stripper with a puddy knife. Don't gouge the wood with the puddy knife. Let the stripper do the work. The pads work great for getting into tight spots and giving the entire surface a final cleaning. Be sure to wear rubber gloves, the stripped will eat up your hands. Once stripped a light sanding with 220 paper should be all the sanding required. Coarser paper will leave scraches that will show up when the stain or varnish is applied.

Depending on the condition of the wood, you may have to bleech it. Staining the wood before varnishing is highly recomended. Staining gives the wood a more consistant look and also brings out the grain.

Varnishing is the fun part, the prep is the work.

I have the original owners Manual for my Trojan. The interior wood in my F-31 73 Trojan was finished with Watco Teak Oil, available from Home Depot, at least that's where I found it. Watco was what was originally used. I refinished all the interior wood a few years ago. I removed it, took it home and redid it. I used West Marine Teak Cleaner first, let it dry in my garage for about a week, and then used the Watco Teak Oil Finish. Watco is real easy to work with and produces a really nice flat finish. Looked like a million when it was done.

John

John ...do you happen to have any pictures of the finished product? Thanks

Juice, Are you sure you where using "bronze" wool and not "steel" wool? Bronze wood is the best choice for boats as it doesn't rust. I have used it for years. You can tell the differance by the price alone.

Also, before undertaking a refinishing job decide if you can refinish without stripping down to bare wood. If you have a tired looking finish without any flaking or peeling consider a topcoat of two. When you strip the surface you are into other issues.(resealing,filling, staining, accidental gouging, etc) A good varnish job gets better with additional coats. If you go this route step one is removing any contaminants like wax, dirt, grease,etc. I use acetone. otherwise your recoat job will peel. Good luck.

Will,

My boat is over in Galloway Creek marina. If you like, you can see it for youself. E mail me at mtwolf@695online.com. Make sure you put a title with something using Trojan Boat or I am liable to delete the e mail by accident. Just let me know when you would like to see it.

ready strip works wonders too....... i only wish the previous owners of my f-32 left well enought alone. in the salon, they covered the wood over the windows with fabric and had foam padding put under it to give it a ''tufted'' look.... when i removed the fabric, some of the foam left a nasty sticky residue on the wood...CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY COVER WOOD LIKE THIS? anyway, i used tea tree oil on a cotton ball to remove the gum which worked great...... my winter project is to finish these solid wood panels. now, onto the wood that is above the dinette.... they did the same thing there but the wood is veneer and very thin. when the previous owner went on their ''tufted look'' rampage with this piece, the staples went through the wood and since there are thousands of them, i have to leave the fabric on the panels. of course, i can use what i have as a template and make new ones, but i have to pick my battles right now..... new seacocks in the spring, rudder stuffing box repack, bottom paint, etc.......
i just wish that owners would leave the wood interior alone......

John ... maybe I can catch up with you one weekend while you're at the marina. Do you also live in the area?

When the interior wood is covered with vinyl, fabric, or carpeting, it is because they are trying to hide something. Almost always it makes things worse.

Will,

I live in Harford County but recently retired. I can get together with you, at any time you like, to see the boat. Let me know when.