Cockpit Coaming Boards

For the weekend of October 25th and 26th, I returned to working on the brightwork - the cockpit coaming boards.  The condition of the brightwork on this Sea Sprite is pretty much what you would expect of a boat's brightwork that had been neglected for quite awhile.  The boards were very dirty, and held that all too common silvery-grey appearance.  Though teak's natural oils help protect it from the damaging effects of sun and water, even teak has its threshold of pain.  The removal of the boards did not go without my own pain tolerance pushed to the limit.  The coaming boards were held in place by bronze screws, and secured on the inside by bronze bolts.  So after years of securing the boards, these bronze fittings were basically frozen, and removal required quite a bit of encouragement.  I now walk around with what feels like a broken rib from the extreme bodily contortions required to remove the bronze fittings.  For the work on the coaming boards, I began with a mild cleaning with TSP, positioned to dry for 24 hours, and began sanding.

I began the sanding process with 80 grit disks and my VS random orbital sander.  I encountered tough resistance on the back side with having to remove the old varnish.  I noticed that as the sander generated enough heat to the varnish, I could then simply peel it off by hand. Graduating from the 80 grit disks, I applied 220 grit to the boards and then finished with 320. Between the application of the different disks, I used sheets of the same grit paper to get at the tough curves by hand.  I finished the sanding and prep work vacuuming the boards with a soft brush attachment, and by wiping down the boards with mineral spirits - removing any lagging dust from the sanding.

Finally, I applied a generous application of teak oil on all surfaces of the boards - I could practically hear the wood expressing a satisfying"gulp" as I rubbed the needed oil in.  In reading my posts on the work performed to the companion way hatch boards, you will note that I explain that I am not too excited about the varnished look.  However, after a good amount of time 'chewing' on the eventual finished appearance of the brightwork, I am leaning toward application of varnish.  I think the varnish will really give the wood a much needed lift.  Hey, she deserves the attention!  So, this is the end result of teak oil applied to the brightwork...next will be the start of never-ending varnish coats.