Typhoon Daysailer Seat Question

[Dan & Chris]

I'm getting our '82 Daysailer cleaned up and ready for sailing, and have a question on the seats. In the past we've never used any treatment on them, but they're looking a little peaked and I'd like to fix them up a bit.

Does anyone have any recommendations on products to use? The seats are normally covered at the mooring (boom tent), so they don't get too much exposure.

Dan

[Jim Buck]

Not sure if your seats are the same as the ones on my '76 daysailer, but I removed them and sanded them, then applied three coats of cetol natural. I used a random orbital sander with 100 grit. They look like new now. Hope this helps.

[Steve Laume]

If the seats are covered most of the time, with a boom tent, they are crying for varnish. Preparation is most of the work no matter what finish you chose to use. Once everything is cleaned and sanded a few more coats of varnish vs Cetol would be worth the effort. As long as they are covered most of the time, the varnish will hold up very well.

I do Raven's hatch boards and cockpit table with varnish and there is really no comparison with Cetol. The fact that they are easy to take home and protected from the sun makes it pretty easy to deal with them.

One of the great benefits of having a hard finish on your seats is that they will dry very quickly. the other is that they will look quite stunning, Steve.

[Dan & Chris]

If the seats are covered most of the time, with a boom tent, they are crying for varnish.

Steve,

That's one of those "slippery slope" things. You paint the kitchen, now the dining room looks bad in comparison so you have to paint that, then the hallway, then the bedroom, etc. If I start varnishing my seats, how long will it be before I'm varnishing everything, shining the brass, replacing the sails, etc. Peanut is not that kind of girl; she gets by on her beautiful figure, not paint and polish!

Dan

[Joe Montana]

I let the seats on my Ty daysailer weather. I like the way the unfinished seats contrast with the other teak on the boat, which is finished with cetol. I think the seats should provide better traction this way. I rarely use the full-length cushions.

The photo also shows the vertical teak boards I use to cover the keel-stepped mast. They are secured with three large hose clamps. I never liked looking at the aluminum mast, and this arrangement also gives me a handy place to store lines and mount a compass, bell and hand-held gps when necessary.

The mast is stepped inside a brown milk carton, where I store my anchor (it's secured vertically behind the mast). The rode is flaked in the box, which also holds a small bucket with misc stuff like binoculars, sun screen, etc. The teak board with the inclinometer is just there to "camouflage" the milk carton.

This arrangement has worked well for me for years. I can still open the door to the enclosed storage up forward.

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