Another small project on Trident
 

After looking at the fugly rocket launcher on the back of my leaning post for the last 4 years, I decided to upgrade it to a yacht quality standards.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ketcloseup.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...tlauncher2.jpg




I thought about replacing the faux marble-ish composite with teak or even granite....but i wanted something unique. I decided to go with a piece of curly maple after seeing some of it on the wall in the York Harbor Inn pub. After a few weeks of searching, I was able to find a suitable pieces that had "full curl" and was defect free. If you look closely at the wood, the curls resemble the waves left in the sand by wave action.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...rlycloseup.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...tlauncher3.jpg

Once the (4) new pompanette stainless steel rod holders arrive (can you say SCHWEEET??), I will cut out them out with a hole saw and will router all edges with a 1/4 inch roundover bit. It has been a long time since I used a router, so I will be practicing on some scrap first...



Once it is complete and sanded, I plan on coating with System Three's "MIRROR COAT" epoxy. I though about using that Epiphanes Varnish, but I really dont want to have on going maintenance. Of course, I am open to any suggestions from those more experienced in these matters.

More pictures to follow as the project progresses.

Oh yeah, thanks to my friends Nick and Jodi for allowing me to borrow tools and heated shop space!

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Good looking piece. Don't mean to be negative, but maple is not considered a "good" outdoor wood and it moves (shrinks/swells) a lot. Whatever finish you use should be flexible and durable and easy to spot patch and maintain.

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Ed-

Its nice that you are still posting

I agree with Dan. Having used maple through out my home I know what happens to it outside, treated or not, it turns black in no time and in general it gets all messed up. All you need is a minor fracture of your finish and its done. Nevermind what the sun does to it.


I could be wrong, but I know of no boatbuilder new or old that has used maple outside.

I have a section of teak that I was going to use for the excact same thing you are planning from my old contender but I sold the boat before the project was even started. If you are interested in the teak PM me your measurements and I will tell you my section is big enough.

If not the maple will look good I I hope you can preserve thouroughly enough to last.

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

I guess you can't keep a boat geek away for too long...

Dan and Jason- thank you for the heads up on maple's swelling characteristics. Did not know about that.

Jason- also thank you very much for the teak offer but I am going to go ahead and use the maple and see what happens. I really like the look of it and will give it my best shot.....plus it did not cost a ton of money. Anything will look better than what was on there!

One last question....doesn't Sunseeker use bird's eye maple in their boat interiors???? I could have sworn there is one here at the Marina that has bird's eye maple but it could be mistaken. Perhaps it is a faux finish??

Ed

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

It is probably a veneer,for weight and cost, but even if it solid maple they use it on their interiors which are climate controlled and not exposed to the elements.

I said, I do not know of any yachts that use maple outside

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

My mistake...:)

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

I used maple to inlay this bass on my cabin door along with various hardwoods we had in the shop. I coated the entire door (3 pieces) with a spar varnish. It is about 4 years old now and is showing a little discoloration around the edges. Its due for a sand and recoat. I think the epoxy would be great as long as the entire piece was coated. My door lives under a bimini top during the season and I store it inside for the winter. In this photo the bottom section is left out for ventilation.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84...r/bassdoor.jpg

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Hi Bryan-

That's a pretty cool door. I like the inlay too.

Thanks for your feedback. Like I said, I am probably just going to give it a whirl. If the sun beats the daylights out of it, I will try some other wood. However, I am hoping that it works becuase I really like this piece of curly maple.....

-Ed-

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Ed, as a wood finisher by trade, I agree with Jayson. However if you're going to use the maple be sure to make all cut outs prior to finishing. Also consider pre-drilling the screw holes and using machine thread screws with washers and nuts so as not to rupture the finish. Be sure to finish all sides and areas equally. Whatever you do to one side, do to the other. This will help prevent warping.
PF

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Hey ED
How bout some 5/4 Ipe with Capt Chucks
Signature Finish!! Would look real Gucci
on the Mako!

Wheres that old dog hiding [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Ed I think you will end up with a nice peice.I really love wood on a boat.You may want to try several coats of clear AwlGrip after the west system.It lays very even and builds up nicely.My skiff stays out directly in the sun,so I end up having to hit the wood work yearly,but it's just a quick pass with 600 paper and another coat or two of the clear AwlGrip.

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

I agree !!!!

I also think you need some UV protection, Awlspar/Awlbright? like Joey said or a good varnish…I’m not sure that the mirror finish has that??.
Me personally … I would add some color (stain) to the wood to bring out that grain. Don’t need to go super dark just something to give it some "pop".
I’m just not a big fan of “blonde” wood on a boat….but that just me

Watch the gimbals when the rods go into the holders …. They will leave a mark !!! and then more work over the winter. I treally sucks to spend all that time finishing something and have someone drive and a butt into and gouge it !!! It happened to me on the big boat...twice [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Thanks for all the feedback.

Actually, the product I want to use is System 3's...clear coat, not the mirror coat I had previously mentioned. The clear coat does need to be followed up with their UV protected spar varnish which is epoxy compatible.

I have a call into the System 3 rep to find out if there is any compatibility problems with staining the wood before hand.

Ed

Re: Another small project on Trident
 

Hi,
I'm pretty new to the board. I was just looking around and found this thread. Last year I built a small plywood boat and coated it with epoxy and then spar varnish. I've also done a lot of research on the web about epoxy and boat building lately. I've learned a lot, mostly stuff not to repeat. Based on my limited experience, I can offer some observations and suggestions. Some of these have already been touched on in previous posts.

1) Epoxy resin is excellent for stabilizing wood that will be exposed to water, both because of its superior bond to the wood and the fact that unlike polyester resin it's impervious to water.

2) But it hates light. It will turn dark and weaken over time if it's not protected with paint or a clear coat with UV inhibitors.

3) It doesn't have much surface tension when in liquid form, so it's difficult to achieve a smooth finish on an application thick enough to protect the wood.

4) It's a bitch to sand. Hard as a rock. Substantially harder than polyester resin.

5) Its much stronger in compression than in tension. In other words, it doesn't hold up to bending loads unless it's reinforced with glass cloth.

Based on all that, I would use the finest glass cloth I could find, 3/4oz to 1.5 oz, on the wood when you coat it with resin. The cloth will ensure a uniform thickness of resin, it will wet out clear, and it will strengthen the epoxy. It will also be fairly easy to sand to a smooth finish. Then I would coat it with a clear two-part polyurethane like Interthane Plus or spar varnish. The varnish will scratch easier and need more maintenance. Here are some links you might find informative:

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Epoxresl.htm

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Wshophtm/Shop28.htm

This guy did an exposure test on several brands of epoxy resin and the results may help you to decide on who's epoxy you want to use. I think Raka performed best overall.

Good luck with the project.

Dave