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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Care for interior wood

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drakej
Deckhand

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USA
11 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/24/2017 : 22:47:00

The interior wood on my 250 (hull 654) is looking in need of some care. Looking for some advice on what to do and use to bring the wood surfaces back to their original luster.

Drake Johnson
Andiamo
'02 Catalina 250WB #654
Folsom Lake, CA

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 07/25/2017 : 04:59:39

Coincidentally, there is a similar posting in the General Sailing Forum. As of right now, the last date posted was 7/21. A number of responders, including myself indicated using Howards Products. Howards Restore-A-Finish is very easy to use - wipe on, wipe off. Then to maintain the finish, they have another product - Howards Feed-N-Wax which is also easy to apply.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

dmarion
1st Mate

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Canada
67 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2017 : 06:22:52

Larry, Do you use the Restore-A-Finish Neutral or another colour? Thanks.

Daniel Marion
Zendo
Cat 250 WB 2001 Hull #592
Valleyfield, QC,
Canada

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2017 : 18:34:37

I use the Golden Oak finish but the neutral would probably work fine as well.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2269 Posts

Response Posted - 08/05/2017 : 19:50:22

FWIW, I've never liked tinted varnishes. They can have an uneven look if film thickness is not perfectly even.

I also don't like curing oils. They eventually get UV damage, giving them a gray gummy appearance.

What I did on TakeFive was to do a few rounds of orange stripper to get the stale oil off. A lot of brown/gray color came out, leaving the wood with a nice rich color. In my case I determined that no oiling was necessary, so I just did a couple coats of clear on top.

After reviewing Practical Sailor I chose ordinary Minwax Helmsman Spar Polyurethane. It was not the top rated choice, but it was rated acceptable, good value, and easy to apply and clean up. Plus it was readily available locally.

Rick S., Swarthmore, PA
PO of Take Five, 1998 Catalina 250WK #348 (relocated to Baltimore's Inner Harbor)
New owner of 2001 Catalina 34MkII #1535 Breakin' Away (at Rock Hall Landing Marina)

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2017 : 03:51:42

Rick - You talking about exterior or interior finish ? I do not see how the interior finish is affected by UV. At least my interior wood is not affected by it. Maybe the Howards product is a curing oil...I guess I never paid much attention. All I know is that it is a simple wipe on, wipe off. Same goes for the Their Feed and Wax product. The directions are to wipe on and wipe off. After that, it really needs know attention for ..years. I never felt any gummy substance from it. After wiping it down, there is a smell that lingers for some time but that is about it and no residue or anything else - At least that has been my experience. It always seemed like a fairly benign treatment for interior wood and then no maintenance for years.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2269 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2017 : 10:11:36

C250 has no exterior wood. The only significant wood surface is the head enclosure, which includes bulkhead adjacent to companionway, which gets full sun when sailing and partial exposure at other times through the smoked acrylic hatch above. This is the area that had areas that turned gummy and gray from UV, heat, and humidity.

We all have our preferred methods, but for me a satin finish UV-protected PU, applied in two very thin coats (so as not to fill in the grain too much), gave a beautiful natural aesthetic that needed zero maintenance and held up well for the six years that I owned the boat.

Rick S., Swarthmore, PA
PO of Take Five, 1998 Catalina 250WK #348 (relocated to Baltimore's Inner Harbor)
New owner of 2001 Catalina 34MkII #1535 Breakin' Away (at Rock Hall Landing Marina)

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2017 : 03:36:13

Rick - Thanks for the details !

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

WK 727
1st Mate

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USA
72 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2017 : 19:24:31

I purchase my boat this winter and it was water saturated on the inside with mold everywhere. We used clorox wipes on everything, emptied out the boat completely, dried everything, sponged out all the water and after two weeks the mold was gone. Then we applied the Starbrite Premium Gold Oil and it looks great. Every couple of months we douse a little on a rag and wipe every piece down. Extremely simple and we like the results.

If you look closely at the photos, you will see that the doors were so warped from the water that the door wouldn't shut. After drying out, it works perfectly!

Sorry about the image size...haven't figured that one out yet.

Before with mold

After with Starbrite Teak Oil

Regards, John
Westlawn Institute graduate
Yacht Design and Naval Architecture
04 Catalina 250 WK
Standard rig w/wheel steering
Yanmar 9hp diesel

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.