Companionway stairs

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

Here is a little project to spiff up the boat. The companionway stairs on Panacea were in bad shape. After sanding and oiling with WATCO Danish Oil, I applied 3 coats of Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss Varnish and then two coats of Epifanes Wood Finish Matte Varnish. Then I covered the treads with a 3M reflective stair tread from Home Depot.

Down2TheC · **Posted:** 16 May 2007 12:51

Foolish sailor! Now it's making the sole look bad!
Our companionway acts as a "sacrificial ugly anode" which makes the sole look beautiful in comparison.
Cool

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

Down2TtheC,

I have the "Ultimate Sole" cleaner, sealer and gloss finish just waiting to take care of this... as soon as I get a spell of good weather Very Happy

This is a new product for me, so I will take before and after pictures. It is reported to work as promissed. We'll see.

Mark

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

The cabin sole is finished!

First I used 5F5 paint remover and scraped as much of the old finish as possible with a new carbide blade in my hand scraper. The rest came of with another light scraping and hand sanding with 220 grit wet dry sand paper. I?m not sure what the old finish was ? not varnish, but some kind of sealer.

I used the Ultimate Sole High Gloss Finish ?system? (cleaner, sealer and gloss finish) available from:
http://www.ultimatesole.com/Scripts/pro ... Product=25 It took 5 coats of sealer and 3 coats of gloss finish, but I am happy with the result. Time will tell if it holds up and provides the sure footing as described in the product description.

Mark

Down2TheC · **Posted:** 27 Jun 2007 11:16

Looks great.

So I imagine it gets a little slippery when wet?

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

Not according to the manufacturer...

Ultimate Sole High Gloss Finish is a proprietary formulation. It is V.O.C. Compliant and safe to apply following simple and clear directions. This oil-modified urethane is specially designed and formulated for astounding slip resistance, superior gloss, ease of application and will give years of satisfying service.

Key Benefits

Superior Gloss
Astounding Footing (unequaled, greater than .5 coefficient of friction)
Ease of application (use JEN polyfoam brushes)
Excellent Clarity (will not darken with age)
Lighter in color than varnishes or urethanes (less than No. 4 on the Gardner Scale)
Enhances your wood soles natural beauty
Top Notch Durability (will last for years of use)
Excellent Leveling Characteristics
Dries faster than conventional marine varnish
One US Quart covers approximately 120 Sq. Ft. (About 3 coats on a 35' traditional sailboat sole)

We'll see... Snicker

Tartan37403 · **Joined:** 24 Oct 2006 12:51 **Posts:** 48

Panacea,

This looks great! Is the cabin sole original? Our T37 is #403-she has teak and holly veneer plywood for a sole. It has been sanded through in some spots and looks nowhere as good as the rest of the interior. Yours looks like it might be solid teak planks???

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

Hi Tartan37403,

Yes, the sole is original. On some of the earlier boats, Tartan used teak plywood for the sole instead of teak and holy plywood. It might also depend on where the boat was made as well. Panacea (1979, hull #251) came to me almost as it originally came from the factory in Hamlet, North Carolina. (No home handy man improvements). I think the finish I removed was original, so no one else had put a scraper or sand paper to the sole.

If any one decides to take the sole to bare wood DO NOT use a power sander! The veneer on the plywood is paper thin and it is very easy to cut right through the veneer. Use a chemical remover or heat gun and a sharp hand scraper and gently hand sand.

Mark

Tartan37.com

Companionway stairs

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