Replacing wood on my 16'?

[Michaeldi23]

I am going to replace all the wood piece's on my com-pac 16'. First of all what is a good wood to use and second what should I treat it with to protect it. I am on a budget and am going to do all the woodworking myself. I would like to use a stain to bring out the grain in the wood, but also want to protect it. Thanks

[mgoller]

Teak is used because it is a tropical wood that doesn't dry out.  its surface will turn silver but it retains its shape and can be refinished.
There are a lot of suppliers of teak out there and you can order rough sizes to accomplish the work.
I have tried using Oak plywood hatch boards.  They look nice and can be finished to match, but they soon draw in moisture, pop the finish and start swelling.
For the money, you can make a new one every three years and start fresh.  Seal the edges with four coats of poly.
The next time I make one I am going to cut it with a bevel on a horizontal line and hinge it maybe.  Why?  I think it will store away better, make a nice cockpit table at the stern of the cockpit or maybe even make a companionway table folded down.
The bevel cut is so the water wont leak in.
We'll see.

[fafnir]

Michaeldi23,

What kind of shape is the wood that is on your com-pac?  If it is all there, meaning not missing parts due to breakage or rotting, it is probably worthwhile to refinish it.  If it is just grey then there are a variety of products that can be used to restore the nice honey color it once was.  I just re-did all of the teak on my boat,  you start with a teak cleaner that is applied to it when wet,  wait 5 minutes or so and then scrub with a brush rinse with water.  After that lightly sand, this gets rid of any ridges and smooths things out and let dry.  After it has dried, I like to sand it again with a higher grit paper and then wipe it off again with something like MEK. Then you can apply your spar varnish, Cetol or even a teak oil,  each finish has its pros and cons.  So what kind of shape is your teak in?

[Roger Schwake]

I agree if the wood on your boat can be refinished that is the way I'd go. The wood on your boat is teak and it will stand up to weather better than anything else. Menard's in my area has just started to sell teak deck boards. These deck boards are 5/4X6 and the shortest length they sell is 8 foot. The finished size is 1X5 1/2 inches and the peace I received looks real good and cost $22.48 plus tax. If you decide to replacethe teak take a look at the deck boards. As far as sealers I use cetal light and put on at least 4 coats the first time and 1 fresh coat every year after that.Good luck on your project.

[fafnir]

Hi Roger,

Any chance the deck boards you bought at Menards are Ipe?  They rebuilt the deck at work and I kept grabbing scrap pieces figuring I could use it for something.  It definetly is a very dense wood.  I have found it to be much heavier then teak. 

[Michaeldi23]

Thanks for the help. I need to replace all of the teak on my 16'. Most of it is rotten and what is left will need to be replaced soon. Is there another wood besides teak that if treated and sealed would do well. I plan on useing marine plywood for the hatch board, but am having a hard time finding teak in my area. Thanks

[fafnir]

Teak would be my first choice, Ipe would probably be my 2nd choice, they are making decks out of this now,  it is a very dense (it sinks) hardwood that is resistant to rot.  I made a set of spreaders for another boat I had out of oak because that is what I had a lot of in the shop that year,  they are holding up but it is already starting to deteriorate.  Ebay is a pretty good place to find small pieces of teak that could be re-made into the parts for this boat. 

[Roger Schwake]

The deck board I bought at Menard's is labeled Brazilian Teak. After looking up Ipe I'm not sure what I have. The stuff is real heavy but the grain is much finer than the rest of the teak on my boat. Planning on making wood rungs for my fold down stainless ladder some time this winter. The next time I visit Menard's maybe they can tell me what I have.

[fafnir]

Hi Roger,

Usually Teak comes from Indonisia or Myanmar,  knowing the answers I usually get when i ask questions at Menards I wouldn't expect too much.  I would just use it and treat it like teak.  I am hoping I can find the same stuff at menards when I stop by there this weekend as that sounds like the perfect material to do some trim on the little shelves I am adding to my boat. Given how hard the stuff is, I think it will make great steps for your ladder.

[mgoller]

Topic moved to ComPac 16 forum

[Mercrewser]

Hutchins has all the wood (teak) already cut to size.  I replace all of mine too.

[fafnir]

Good idea on just getting the wood parts from Hutchins. I have the price list from them for September 2006 but it does not have any of the wood items (other then the hatch cover) on it.  Fortunately the wood on my boat was able to be cleaned and refinished.  Teak lasts a long time.

[gmilburn]

I just bought replacement teak (I guess) wood for my cabin top slides.  They are on the parts list as IN00S0100 SLIDE HATCH3016 $12.83 EA (x 2)
and, for the drop board, IN00S0080 SLIDE DROPBOARD161923 $11.13 EA.  Cheap enough, if you don't have the wood and a shop at hand.