Another small project on Trident

Trayder · #1 02-10-2006, 11:08 AM

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.

Ed · #2 02-10-2006, 01:42 PM

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

Trayder · #3 02-10-2006, 01:52 PM

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

Ed · #4 02-10-2006, 01:57 PM

My mistake...

Bryan A. · #5 02-10-2006, 04:04 PM

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.

Ed · #6 02-10-2006, 04:45 PM

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-

SEAFARI · #7 02-10-2006, 09:04 PM

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]

joey · #8 02-10-2006, 10:05 PM

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.