Refinishing top side of a 1959 Lyman 16 foot runabout

Hey everyone.

I am new here so a little bout myself first. The wife and I moved to Pensacola, Florida about 4 months ago. We own our own business, doing fairly well, but still a bit tight. Anyway, we got ourselves a 1959 Lyman 16ft Runabout with a 70 horse johnson on the back. The boat is in really good condition except for the top layer of veneer. Its seperating from the plywood. I removed a section of it to try my hand at re-doing it. As of right now I plan on just refinishing what is under that top layer. I know it might not look as nice, but I want to get it looking decent and protected so we can use the boat for this summer with plans of replacing the top layer in the fall. Everyone around here says I need to use epoxy resin and not poly resin which is fine with me if thats the way it needs to be done. My question is though, do I use some fibreglass cloth with that epoxy, or do I just put a coat of epoxy resin on, let it soak into the wood, then build it up with a couple of more layers? I know I need to finish up with a couple coats of varnish to make it really shine, but I am unsure about using the cloth or not....  Any help in this manner would be greatly appreciated!!  

Thanks in advance

Doug Middleton

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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 16, 2012 at 10:18pm

Hello Doug, While our site is called Wooden Boat People is is mainly about McKenzie style wooden drift boats. I spend lots of time on another site called WoodenBoat Forum, it's URL is www.woodenboatforum.com . I not only enjoy drift boats but also like the traditional, classic boats like your Lyman. The building/repair forum there has a number of folks that have dealt with Lyman's specifically and with repairs on similar classic boats. If we can't help you take a look over there and see what you can find. They also have a pretty extensive search function too. Good luck on your repairs.

Welcome aboard,

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by lhedrick on June 17, 2012 at 3:22pm

Tom Koroknay from Ohio is the lyman expert.  He salvaged some of the actual Lyman gigs which are used for making complex parts like the wood stem.  HIs web site is at the following URL:

http://www.lymanboat.com

There should be a contact point for Tom on the web site.

 

Permalink Reply by Doug Middleton on June 18, 2012 at 5:41am

Thanks for the information, but what I am asking is not a Lyman question. It is a basic wood boat refinishing question.  I will check out those sites you mentioned, but not really sure why it cant be answered here.

Thanks

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 18, 2012 at 8:40am

Doug, dealing with veneer and it's repair is very specific, something we don't do here. The wrong surface treatment could result in a huge job that could be avoided. We commonly finish our boats with epoxy and fiberglass to: 1. keep the underlying wood from checking from uneven aging, 2. to provide additional strength and abrasion resistance. Then either varnish or paint is applied over that. A good varnish job often consists of multiple coats of varnish, while paint may only be one or two coats. 

If you need raw wood to attach you veneer to you would be faced with a big job. So in my opinion your patient requires a specific treatment hence our suggestions to send you to the groups with the best knowledge of the subject. It isn't that we don't want to help, in my case I don't want to provide the wrong help.

Good luck with your repairs, I look forward to seeing how they come out.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by lhedrick on June 18, 2012 at 4:05pm

Well, you have a point.

If you have something which has delaminated you need to get glue under it.  Sometimes I am able to make a razor cut through the veneer and get epoxy or franklin tight bond III under it.   Here epoxy is better since we might be able to the clamp pressure needed for PVA glue.  Epoxy only needs contact pressure. Cover with a sheet of plastic and heavy weights to press it back down until the epoxy cures.  If the weight will not press it flat then we can drill small holes and use the smallest threaded bolts you can find with fender washer or plastic, like a credit card.  Use nuts or wing nuts to pull it together.  Just enough to get contact with the epoxy.  When cured remove the bolts and fill the holes.

You always have the option of removing the veneer and going to a hardwood dealer to get a replacement.  Mahogany veneer is abundant.  

To replace all the veneer on a curved deck you may need to rig up a vacuum bag or pressure bag setup.

As for Lyman hulls, don't ever fiberglass over the planks.  I know that's not an issue here but people have done it and ruined their classic boats.

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on June 18, 2012 at 9:51am

Doug,

What Rick has said is true about this website being slanted toward McKinzie River Drift Boats.  There's a large gap in the restoration of a Classc Runabout and that of a working boat.  Even though they both maybe made of wood. 

There's a gentleman named Don Dannenberg who is a noted boat restorer of classic boats and has written several books on the subject.  He also has a Forum where you may get a more specific answer to restore the Layman Runabout you have recently acquired.  i'd suggest you contact them, and when you do remember a picture is worth a 1000 words.  Post a picture or two and it will improve your responses ten fold.

http://eveforum.danenbergboatworks.com/eve

G'Luck.

phil w.

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