Fireball restoration??

[jungle_jim01]

Hi, i've recently bought a fireball which i'm getting ready for the summer season. It's GRP hull with a plywood deck. There's 3 questions i have but any advice/tips would be really appreciated.

1. Re-Varnish: I'm stripping the varnished deck back to the plywood. The wood feels in good condition but there are a few slightly darker (tired looking) areas. I'm wondering what the best thing to do is. I was thinking of just sanding really well and then varnishing but i read some information about using an epoxy coat or staining the wood. I'm after a really nice varnished wood finish.

2. Beneath the gunwhale the join between wooded deck and grp hull has been taped with fibreglass tape which is now de-laminating from the wood. I was thinking of removing then finding something neater to run along the joint but don't know what.

3. The gel coat on the transom has yellowy blemmishes in it. Any ideas on getting back to the original white?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[roger]

Hi Jim?

Welcome to the cvrda.

I can only offer some suggestions.

1. The darker patches may be lightened up a bit with Oxalic acid or a wood bleach of some sort. I am sure someone elsewill be along soon to advise.

As far as epoxy coating is concerned there are two schools of thought for an old boat and each one has its followers here. I personally dont have the facilities to get a good finish and also feel that unless the wood is totally dry you stand the risk of trapping water under the epoxy and this will gradually rot the wood. Also any damp that gets in from underneath.
The finish when done well looks very good but you do have to make sure you touch up any dings that may let water through.
Varnish on the whole is more porous and allows the wood to breath. Take a look at the varnishing guide. It is really very good with lots of tips.

2. Sounds like the tape really needs to come right off. Not sure how structural this is but it may be hiding a multitude of sins. It may be just a serious clean up and replace.

3. Sorry Im no good on gel coat so cant advise you but I am sure there will be lots of advice form others.

[JimC]

I was thinking of just sanding really well and then varnishing but i read some information about using an epoxy coat or staining the wood.

Personally I don't have any luck with staining in such circumstances, at my level of expertise its best just to sand back some and accept it. Beware of sanding the top veneer off which will look two dozen times worse. If you're aiming for a really grand prix job then new decks and gunwhales isn't as much work as you might expect and looks great with all that new wood.

2. Beneath the gunwhale the join between wooded deck and grp hull has been taped with fibreglass tape which is now de-laminating from the wood.

Maybe an epoxy fillet made with loads of microfibres so its really strong, but you might be better off just with new glass put on really carefully and then disguised with lightweight filler.

3. The gel coat on the transom has yellowy blemmishes in it. Any ideas on getting back to the original white?

Try T-cut!

[Roger Holman]

Hello Jim.

Refurbishment of a plywood deck requires a good deal of care if the existing varnish is to be removed. The possible dangers are that you will sand through the veneer on the top of the plywood and be left with a lighter coloured wood underneath with the grain going in the opposite direction to the veneer. Not only does it look horrible, the inner leaves of plywood are normally lighter (weight) and have a more open grain which will permit the ingress of water. Darker patches? difficult without seeing them; I would be reluctant to use bleach as you might end up with lighter patches! The only thing I would be prepared to try would be a wood cleaning product which contains Oxalic Acid, most do. Alternatively you can buy Oxalic Acid crystals from your local pharmacy and make your own mix, probably with washing up liquid. Personnaly I would probably leave well alone, apart from careful varnishing, your boat has a history, some small imperfections are all part of the history.

Polyester resin does not stick well to wood without particular preparation, the tape repair is probably a 'bodge'. remove it, see what is underneath, and then seek further advice.

Stains on white GRP can be lots of things, but again, Oxalic Acid is very useful. Suggest a saturated solution of Oxalic Acid in Fairy Liquid, wet the area to be treated, spread on the solution with a sponge and agitate gently with something like a kitchen scouring pad. Leave for a few minutes and then wash off with plenty of fresh water. If that dores not work, you will either have to resort to sanding it out, or live with it.

Hope this helps.

Roger Holman
Mystery J247

[jungle_jim01]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Really useful. I've spent all day carefully stripping the varnish and sanding the deck...without removing the vaneer I've pulled off the tape and i can't see anything obvious...looks like a botched belt and braces measure to me. Will probably just run a small fillet of epoxy resin to fill and gaps in the seal. On closer inspection the yellowing on the back looks almost like resin has been painted on and discoloured but not sure. A light sand on a test spot didn't change anything so i'm a bit stumped by that.
My next problem is removing the woodwork around the centreboard box. The mainsheet track is fixed across it and the bolts have oxidised to the fitting. I've managed to remove the nut but despite hammering the bolt there's no moving it. Looks like i'll have to varnish insitu, which isn't ideal.

Thanks again for the advice so far...any further tips welcome.

[jpa_wfsc]

filled epoxy resin advised ... coloidal filler.

Stitch and glue boats like the Mirror, the instructions said to paint resin on the wood, then glue fibreglass tape on top of that. If the Fireball previous owner has repaired the gunwhale in this way that might account for the yellow colour. Sadly the discolouration means its probably had water underneath it so wont be stuck to the wood. So sand it all off before filleting, I'd suggest.

Also - of course the repair work means that something was going on there - it would be good to find out what is leaking or moving or even rotting before you try to fix it.

Best wishes;

j./

[jpa_wfsc]

the bolts have oxidised to the fitting. I've managed to remove the nut but despite hammering the bolt there's no moving it. .

Soak it in coke-a-cola. Great for separating oxidised aluminium / steel joints. The aluminium oxidation makes the metal grow, the coke dissolves the oxide.

And to think we drink this stuff!!

[jungle_jim01]

i've been reading up on stitch and glue...seems like it may be an option to tape the seam, but presumably to make a neat job i'd need to take the gel back and gell ontop of the tape. Does anyone know how these fireballs were built originally? taped or not? I don't want to create unnecessary work but need to ensure a good seal. thanks.