refinishing wood grabrails

[DCatSea]

Like DesertAlbin, I have also had handrail covers made, and went a step further by having the wheelhouse window covers extended to cover all the wood trim, also now have a weird looking bag to put over the stub mast (which is used to store canvas when off). I'm in the process of scraping, sanding, staining and spar-varnishing the exterior wood. I use "gunstock" stain from Minwax, which gives a lighter look to older teak, and to the newer white oak I have replaced some trim with. (Teak is not easy to work with and is a lot more expensive, and my carpentry skills are limited to HS ability.)
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[OldDemps]

Finished product. before and after OEM grab rails on A25. chemical stripped old varnish on handrails & (latex?) paint on mast. Light sanding then 3 times w straight Clorox bleach, then 4 coats of cetol natural teak. No stain needed as Cetol has honey color to it. Now just need to get them on the snow covered boat. Thx all for your replies and tips.

[DCatSea]

I am in the process of redoing the battered handrails om my 27. As DesertAlbin says, if you can get them off the whole refinishing thing becomes a whole lot easier: if not, some careful stripping and sanding is needed.

I did this 3 years ago, but the elements did their job, so this year I have a real plan, which I hope will mean I don't have to do it for a long while:

• 1) Strip to bare wood and sand smooth.
  2) Stain with "Gunstock" wood stain (leaving it to develop over a 30 minute span.
  3) Apply 3 - 4 coats spar varnish (sanding with 220 - 400 between coats)
  4) Most importantly IMHO - Put on the new canvas handrail covers when not in use. You can also use 1" pipe insulation foam tubes but they don't look as pretty.

Note: I'm also replacing wheelhouse exterior trim, using White Oak. This is MUCH cheaper than Teak, and easier to work. It is the "go to teak replacement" of choice. To match the existing handrails I'm using a "Gunstock" 4:1 "Red Oak" mix, followed by 3 - 4 coats of varnish. Color match is pretty fine. Canvas covers all when alongside.

I'll post pix once I get all done - in the shop and fitted.

[WillieC]

I think the real fix is clean 'em all up, stain however you want, then encapsulate in clear epoxy, then varnish over as epoxy is not uv stable.

THEN cover with cloth and NEVER touch them, after you donate boat to museum with endowment in perpetuity stipulating boat must remain indoors fully climate controlled.
NEVER GO IN WATER, EVER AGAIN. Especially salt water. And, NO SUNLIGHT.

Good to go.

The way it was 'splained to me is to think of wood as a bundle of straws all packed together. Unless fully sealed in epoxy or some such magic plastic, the wood straws will suck moisture, expand and contract with the weather and self-strip anything you put on it, eventually. I am leaning toward galvanized pipe rails, per George Buehler. Just not yet.

[DesertAlbin736]

"Note: I'm also replacing wheelhouse exterior trim, using White Oak."

I used white oak for the first iteration of name boards mounted on the sides of the wheelhouse. Yes oak is cheaper than exotic hardwoods, but in my experience they did not hold up well after one year's exposure to weather, even after being varnished, that is they warped, & so I replaced them ones made from mahogany. Just sayin', you may have better luck with white oak.

For the edge frames of my hardtop hatches I used Iroko, aka "African Teak" hardwood, although that's a slight misnomer in that Iroko is a different species unrelated to teak. More aptly described as a teak substitute. Those have held up well, although they are kept covered with Sunbrella covers.

"Since Iroko has good weathering properties, it's a decent substitute for teak and even shares a similar color range. Medium to coarse texture with an interlocking grain that often produces interesting patterns. Open pores requires filling for a smooth finish. Works pretty easily with both power and hand tools."

https://www.woodworkerssource.com/shop/ ... iroko.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroko


Before finishing:

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After finishing with varnish over epoxy:

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Hatches & handrails with canvas covers

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