Cabin veneer?

[Steve_M]

I've been busily updating/restoring/fixing up Wolf's cabin, painting the tired fiberglass with urethane, cleaning, buffing, etc. The interior spaces are starting to look good and she's starting to feel like my boat.

I am completely stymied by the veneer; is there something I can do to make it brighter/shinier *without* slathering on a coat of clear gloss?

[Duncan]

...I am completely stymied by the veneer; is there something I can do to make it brighter/shinier *without* slathering on a coat of clear gloss?

That depends on whether you have an earlier model or a later one. I believe that the earlier model 28's had artificial "woodgrain" laminate surfaces, while the later ones have teak.

In the first case, I think that white semigloss paint can be an improvement. You can always call it a "classic Hereshoff finish" (which it is), and it will make things look quite nice.

If you have teak surfaces, you have a range of options, ranging from a quick coat of tung oil, to varnish, to a proper "hand-rubbed oil finish" (which is beautiful, but laborious).

I'd recommend cleaning the teak with a rag soaked in mineral spirits, then rubbing on a very light coat of tung oil. After that, you can decide if you'd like to varnish or not. If you decide to varnish, then I've heard that two coats of bright varnish with a coat of matte or semi-gloss on top produces a nice finish without being too shiny.

[Steve Laume]

I did lemon oil for a few years but the wood still had the appearance and feel of dry chapped hands.

My solution was to sand every thing down with 220 paper and a scotch bright pad. This took the roughness away and brightened things up a bit. For a finish, I used Minwax, rubbing polyurethane. It comes in gloss and semi gloss. Once you have lightly sanded, vacuum and tack. I masked off some areas and then applied the finish with a small ball of rag like you would use for French polish. Once dry you can go over it with a SB pad again and repeat as often as suits you. The difference between this finish and oil is that it is basically a very thin poly. It leaves a hard, sealed finish so the grain will not rise again. It is infinitely easier to apply than regular poly. If you ever do decide to go for a full varnish job, you already have a sealed base coat.

Mine has been done for a few years now and still looks very good, Steve.

[Steve_M]

Thanks for the quick responses!

Yes, I have the laminate and not the actual teak (Wolf is a 1978 CD 28). The idea of the white paint sounds good in principle, so what I'm doing is Photoshopping a few pictures and seeing how it would look before I actually do it. It certainly brightens up the cabin.