Stripping 1964 OldTown Runabout

[LindaandJeff]

Hubby and I are working on our boat. The ribs in back have to be replaced. First question is, is there a difference/reason to replace with white oak or red oak or neither? Because these have to be replaced we are sanding out side so all screws and area can be removed and inspected for rot. We are on day 3 of sanding. I checked other posts to see what others have used. Like one person who said what the ?&@$ is this stuff? I used ZAR stripper before on other wood and finish bubbled up and scraped off easily. But this stuff … nooo. We tried different stripper and funny thing is the stuff in can that was 10 years old worked better than new. I looked to see what others used here, all different concoctions! Now we are sanding it. As I write this my husband just drove to marine store to see if they had any suggestions for removing this finish. Anyone have a newer product/ potion that works?

 

[Gil Cramer]

Air-dried straight grained white oak is best for the ribs, They were probably ash originally, and it is not as rot resistant as white oak. It is not surprising that the old stripper worked better because it likely had methylene chloride in it. It is no longer available for consumer use.

I have used Citristrip stripper when I have stripped something myself. It does not work as well as the old methylene chloride strippers.

 

[Todd F]

Looks like a nice boat. Look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Benson Gray]

The ribs in back have to be replaced. First question is, is there a difference/reason to replace with white oak or red oak or neither?

The serial number indicates that this boat is a Lapstrake 14 that shipped in 1964. The catalog page below from 1964 specifies ash or oak ribs as Gil mentioned. Good luck with the project,

Benson

 

[LindaandJeff]

Thanks I took pics of specs. Hubby was talking to a member of our boat club who built his own boat years ago. He said there was a difference between white oak and red with reacting to water.

 

[Dave Osborn]

There IS a difference. Red oak is more prone to rot and discoloration. White oak is best.

 

[Worth Gretter]

White oak also steam bends readily, as long as it has a nice straight grain. I would look carefully at the oak you buy to make sure the grain does not run out to the side. (Learned this lesson the hard way!)