need advise

[dave dekker]

I have a new to me OTCA "AA" 17 foot. The canvas, ribs and planks are in good shape. The decks, iner/outer
gunwales and thwarts need sanding and refinshed. I would like to know how the factory would have done this.
there is a mahogany varnish stain? on all of the above in poor condition. Under the varnish or what ever it is, is a light tan in color (I think filler) on the bare mahogany wood. the thwarts gunwales only have this on the visible part, with bare wood on the bottom. would this be the standard means of finshing by factory?
I would like to remove all of this to bare wood and put deks-olje one and two on them or go with varnish on all four sides? At this point I'm lost and need help!!
thanks dave

 

[ken.kelly]

varnish

Hi Dave,
Expect there are others that may have more experience, but I think you are right to take this down to wood and refinish with oil and or varnish. I've not found mahogany stain or filler stain used on any of the many Old Towns I've owned. I have seen it on some restored canoes and think it is not the accurate way to go if originality is part of the goal. Good luck with your restoration.

 

[Jan Bloom]

Fillers when done properly are always a shade darker than the wood being filled. This keeps the wood from having lighter colored speckles and looking lousy. To get a really smooth finsih on an open grained wood such as Mahogany with out using a filler requires more coats of finish than when using a filler. Beware of using the so called tongue oil finishes. These finishes generally have a very low percentage of solids and offer little protection from water and other elements. They are used by a number of makers of canoes made out of alternative (modern synthetic) materials because of ease of use and cheapness. Always use a good grade marine or spar varnish.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

These finishes generally have a very low percentage of solids and offer little protection from water and other elements. They are used by a number of makers of canoes made out of alternative (modern synthetic) materials because of ease of use and cheapness. Always use a good grade marine or spar varnish.

This would not apply to the combination of Deks#1 and Deks #2 (or even #1 alone for a matte, oiled finish as long as you maintain it properly). The Deks system has a pretty long history of success, and much of it on boats that see a lot more weather than canoes ever will. Solids content doesn't mean a lot when you start dealing with oiled finishes. What does mean a lot is proper maintenance and re-oiling before it really starts to look like it needs it if it's just typical matte oil (Deks #1, Watco, etc.) Failure to maintain it properly will cause it to fail. Luckily, the maintenance is both easy and quick to do (much less tedious than varnishing). Follow the directions when first applying it, re-oil regularly (especially when new) and you'll be fine. Let it go too long without maintenance and you will be asking for trouble.

In the case of a Deks#1 base with topcoats of Deks#2, the protection is as good as, or better than, most marine varnish. It also looks about the same and 99% of the population wouldn't know it's not traditional varnish unless you told them.

 

[Fitz]

Filler Stain

I suspect OT did use some filler stains/varnish on mahogany. Maybe even on a case by case basis. I did a 1914 AA OT in unrestored condition and the trim was very consistent in color across the whole boat, then I stripped it. The natural grain of the wood was extremely different between the two mahogany thwarts. OT must have used something to even out the appearance that came off with the varnish with the stripper. There is an old discussion of filler stains on the forum that you might find with the search function.

 

[dave dekker]

Thank you Ken, Jan, Todd and Fitz for all the good input. I'm going to use the Deks #1 & #2 and see how it turns out
Fitz I think this is a 1917 but will let other people that know more then I on that issue make the call.
I do know that it will make a great platform for fly fishing on the lakes.
thanks again
dave

 

[Jan Bloom]

I am inclined to agree with Fitz when it comes to OT and Mahogany. The mahogany used on my grandfather's AA HW has a much deeper surface color with what appears to be a dark filler in the grain. Most folks when using a filler do not color it or put it on correctly. Thus achieving a blotchy speckled surface that never looks good beneath the varnish. Good old fashioned burlap is the best for working with filler providing you can still find it. The new fangled stuff that they sell as burlap doesn't work as well.