Treating kauri deck on yacht

[Aorewa 0]

Question.. I'm removing the varnish off my yacht deck. Yacht is 'Aorewa', a Catherine Anne design Wollocott launched about 1950. She has a modified hull (the builders son said his dad wanted a faster boat). Built in Devonport, all kauri, triple skin. Deck is in excellent condition & looks great varnished but it's very slippery.

I'm wondering if there is an oil I could use on the kauri deck so it still looks like a timber deck but is protected & not so slippery?

Otherwise I'll paint it with non skid deck paint. Would I seal it first with some sort of sealant? Maybe Everdure?. Looks like it had readlead underneath previous paint jobs.

I saw some clear non skid deck 'paint', has anyone used this product?

Thanks for any response.

[Guest 26]

1 hour ago, Aorewa said:

Question.. I'm removing the varnish off my yacht deck. Yacht is 'Aorewa', a Catherine Anne design Wollocott launched about 1950. She has a modified hull (the builders son said his dad wanted a faster boat). Built in Devonport, all kauri, triple skin. Deck is in excellent condition & looks great varnished but it's very slippery.

I'm wondering if there is an oil I could use on the kauri deck so it still looks like a timber deck but is protected & not so slippery?

Otherwise I'll paint it with non skid deck paint. Would I seal it first with some sort of sealant? Maybe Everdure?. Looks like it had readlead underneath previous paint jobs.

I saw some clear non skid deck 'paint', has anyone used this product?

Thanks for any response.

Can’t see oil being viable. To highlight lustre of Kauri grain would require depth and gloss of coating and an oil that sets up. Any satining  off or stipple will negate this. So can’t see clear non skid deck “paint” looking as good as varnish. Perhaps a penetrating oil and do frequent light coats, when it loses its even-ness. Try experimenting in an unobtrusive small test area. Raw wood to  ~100grit with the grain and penetrating oil might have desired effect.

I have successfully done hardwood bathrooms floors with west105 and 207 hardener, silane cloth and sugar crystals for anti skid. (In shower)Three coats to achieve. In various patterns with gloss between the anti skid. (Taped)

Sugar dissolves out to leave a rough surface which can be adjusted with crystal size and overcoat. UV is not harsh in this situation but boat bright work usually has 5 or six coats of UV inhibited varnish over thinned 105/207, for protection. Again needs a bit of experimentation. You could test on a small area after taking back to bare wood.

Clear high gloss topsides are a doddle compared to this!

Bare wood, thinned epoxy, and good quality opaque anti skid paint over is by far easiest option.

 

[Frank 77]

You would have to love almost constant  hard work to maintain a varnished deck in the NZ sun, just use a good paint system and some sort of non skid.If you want the joy of natural timber then varnished cabin sides are more manageable albeit still a fair bit of work, they  look great against the paint though. All of the woolacotts I sailed on were carvel built a three skin hull version  is unusual particularly for 1950.  You might be better to check the forums on Waitemata Woody's for intel on painting classic wooden boats. 

[Aorewa 0]

Thanks for the comments & advice, much appreciated.

Aorewa is definitely triple skinned. Built by the school woodwork teacher in Devonport, (not by the Woolocott family), who (according to his son who inherited her when he died), gave up smoking cigarettes to afford to buy a half pound of copper rivets once a week!

He built her well, her hull & decks etc are in excellent condition.

 

Cheers

[waikiore 300]

You are lucky to have a triple skin one , will require less maintenance than the carvel Woolacotts and probably have the designers hull shape more accurate .