Wood recommendation

[C-run Cutt]

Hello C-Brats,

I'm fishing for a wood recommendation. I want to rebuild the aft wall and door on the cabin of my 22 angler (1982). I'd like a wood-grain finish (not glassed), and am open to the idea of solid woods or plywoods. Any advice for a structurally appropriate, handsome, and not too expensive solution?

Thanks,

C-run Cutt
Olympia, WA

[dogon dory]

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

[Adeline]

Take a look here http://www.olypanel.com/industrial/marine_decraguard.php I've heard that this is what originally equipped our older vessels, although I haven't confirmed it. If not, go to a flooring store and examine "NEVAMAR" ARP PLUS # WM-8-110T, Golden Ash Textured. If this ISN'T our original laminate it is an exact replica. I purchased some to glue onto marime-grade plywood for a shelving project (that I MIGHT finish before I die of old age).

[ffheap]

Owning an 1982 Angler, I painted the cockpit side of the back cabin wall Navy gray. It looks great. If I had to rebuild it I would use Teak Plywood, one reason is that Boulitare (sp) Plywood is located in Somerville MA, very near Hingham, my winter home. I have used their stock to build my Galley and shelves. They are one of the leading dealers for teak plywood.

Fred

[Sea Wolf]

You're right about the Decaguard. In my "87 Cruiser, the rear door and the entire cabinetry inside are 3/4" marine plywood Decaguard. After having it for the past 9 years, I have decided I like it better than the white fiberglass or Starboard. I also like the real teak handles on the roof and cabin, too. Joe.

[jflug]

I did this a few years ago on my 1981 Angler with the teak Decraguard material. I think I still have some pictures of the whole operation.

The other posts are correct that Decraguard is the original material; I got that reference straight from the C-Dory factory way back when. I think the Decraguard was around $150 a sheet, and I needed 2 sheets. It took awhile but I found a local source. It worked out pretty well, but if I did it again I would probably try to find a source for teak or mohagany veneered marine or cabinet plywood. The Decraguard looks good enough, but it has faded somewhat in the sun after a few years. You can oil it and improve the faded look somewhat, but you can't ever get it back to its original appearance because it's a laminate veneer. With a real wood veneer you can pretty easily sand it back to it's original appearance.

Don't think I would consider the Starboard either; it's very heavy and somewhat flimsy in larger sheets. I think it may also be subject to some deformation.

Jim

[C-run Cutt]

Thanks folks - very helpful as usual!

C-Run Cutt

[C-Otter]

I coated my Decraguard with SIKKENS Cetol 23 Plus 078 Natural, still looks like new. Same with the Teak handrail. C-Otter

[gljjr]

You could also check out Edensaw

I'm going to be in the same situation as I need to refinish the back of the 27'

[Jack in Alaska]

I painted the outside of the door and cabin partition with Pettit epoxy paint, white, and it still looks great after 10 years.
You can see the results in my photo album.

[drjohn71a]

Having had to help friends strip and sand to refinish rails, etc., on their trawlers, I hunted all over before selecting a finish for the ceiling car siding on the porch of one of my old houses. Sikkens Cetol had the unique characteristic of being permeable to moisture and air... i.e., any moisture that happened to get into the wood could escape without blistering the finish. Also, the worst that happens is that the finish dulls over time, so you simply recoat it without the need for sanding if that happens. 1984 was the year of the first and only coating on that porch wood and it is still intact without having needed recoating in 22 years! Granted, not much direct sunlight hits it and I seem to remember some note in the instructions that heavy direct sunlight would shorten the life of each coating. However, the incredible breathing ability of this coating and the lack of any needed sanding or stripping for recoating, has sold me on this treatement. John

[Sea Wolf]

I used a clear single part urethane paint on the exterior rear door and entire interior of the Decaguard and exposed plywood edges in my '87 Cruiser.

Made it look like new when 11 years old, 7 years ago.

The clear holds up fine both inside and out, but the sun continues to bleach out the Decaguard plastic surface underneath on the exterior door, albeit slowly.

I'm glad I used a urehtane (polymer plastic) paint, as when it becomes necessary to paint the door with a solid color in a few years, a top of the line two part urethane will adhere to the present surface with only light sanding for "tooth".

Applying some sort of oil-based finish might present adhesion problems later when wanting to switch over to a urethane or epoxy paint. The same may be true of silicone compounds and waxes.

Joe.

[MikeMac]

Great Topic! I had Cetol on my 1984 Decraguard, which was applied by the previous owner, and it looked good for about 15 years. Then it took a quick turn for the worse and looked awful. The surface laminate on Decraguard is a "high-density polyester" not unlike gelcoat and I suspect you could remove any old finish with "gelcoat-safe" stripper. I removed my old cracked Cetol with a sharp flat scraper (Oh boy was that fun) and then polished the original laminate with 3M fiberglass boat polish. It looks pretty good, although I must say the original graining is pretty much washed out. I'd post a before and after image but I'm a computer moron.

Working on boats is just about as much fun as using them!

Mike

[Norm S]

My 84 Decaguard was pretty much shot when I bought the boat last yr. We did put Cetol on it to liven it up a bit. It helped but most of the fake grain was gone by then. I considered it a temp fix till I can get around to rebuilding the bulkhead and dash out of teak faced marine ply this winter. It will be a bit more maintenance in the long run but the teak look bulkhead, dash and teak rails was one of the important things to the boss. In the end as we all know if she isn't happy I'm gonna be miserable. So a little extra teak maintenance is well worth it to me.
Norm

[drjohn71a]

Mike, I guess that rapid deterioration of the Sikkens Cetol might have been why there was a heavy sun exposure warning on the label! Fortunately, I no longer own the house with the Cetol coated porch! It still looks OK driving by, though. JOhn