The procedures for varnishing below are those that we, at The Wooden Boat Shop, follow and have been very successful with over the last forty years. Every professional restorer has his own procedures that they follow to attain the same end result. In no way am I saying that this is the one and only way to do a professional varnish job… only that it is the way we have done it to achieve a mirror finish.

Revarnishing:

This is something we must do from time to time to preserve the varnish and retain the original luster after a “Wood Down”. Note: a ‘Wood Down’ is when one would remove all of the varnish to the bare wood and start over. (We will cover this shortly).

Below I am going to list the procedures that will produce a mirror finish on previously varnished hullsides, decks, transoms and any other varnished items on your classic, antique, vintage or replica boat.

A. If you can, offload the boat from its trailer and set the boat in an area that will give you enough room to be able to work comfortably around the boat. Trailers tend to get in the way and makes the job much more difficult. Also, the trailer can be damaged by spits of varnish or other “oops” that can happen while you are working.

1A. If you decide to offload the boat from its trailer… use proper equipment such as chain falls, or come-alongs of proper weight rating and attach them to the lifting rings on the deck and lift the boat off the trailer. Carefully pull the trailer out by hand until clear of the boat. Using concrete blocks, stacked two wide and two high in opposite directions with a piece of 2” x 6” pine on the top of the blocks with a piece of carpet so not to damage the bottom. In some cases, only one level of blocks is necessary on the front at the keel. Now, position the blocks on each side of the stern at the transom.

In the front, position the blocks at a main bottom rib just under the dash board area. Lower the boat down onto the blocks slowly until the weight is taken up by the blocks. For safety reasons while working, run additional stacks on either side of the boat at the area of the front seat. Set the blocks at the side in the chine area and use shims of wood to put some tension on the blocks. Make sure your block stakes are set straight up and are not leaning. If you are doing work on a dirt floor, use a large piece of plywood under your block stacks.

B. Next we will remove all chrome hardware from the boat including the windshield.


1. After removing the chrome pieces, take a piece of masking tape and write the location of the part and tape the screws to that particular part. You may also want to polish each piece as you take them off. That way, when it comes time to reinstall it, the piece will already be clean and polished.

2. Put all of the pieces in a box and mark the box with a marker listing the items inside.

3. On pieces like the windshield and metal rub strakes, tape the screws to the parts.

4. On the long metal rub strakes, tape the screw and mark the location on the hull with an arrow pointing to the bow or stern for reference. This way you can remount them in their original location and all the screw holes will line up.


C. Next, some utilities and runabouts have upholstered crash rails. On these models you have to remove the Hydem from the top of the crash rail by removing the staples.

D. Wash down all areas to be varnished with tri-sodium phosphate, rinse with clear water and towel dry. The tri-sodium can be bought at any good hardware store or you can order it through us at The Wooden boat Shop. It comes in the form of a powder and you mix two heaping hand fulls in a two and a half-gallon bucket of warm water. When washing down the dech area, make sure the tri-sodium mix does not run down the sides of the boat as it may streak the varnish.

E. Now, sand all areas to be varnished with 280-grit silicone carbide sandpaper. Take an 8 ½” X 11” sheet and cut it in half long-ways. Tri-fold the sandpaper like you would fold a letter. But a sheet of 3M Scotch Bright pad and cut it to fit into the folded sandpaper. This will give you a better life to the sandpaper and give you a better job. Make sure you sand thoroughly and leave no bright marks.

F. Vacuum off all areas to be varnished using a shop-vac type vacuum cleaner with the round brush. When vacuuming, pay special attention to the screw holes and use a Q-tip if necessary. After vacuuming, take a good quality tack cloth and wipe the boat down.

G. Now open your can of spar varnish. I recommend the use of Interkux #96 Schooner Varnish or Z-Spar Captains Varnish. These two varnishes are excellent choices for non-professional varnishers. They are light-weight, flow out quite well and have excellent U.V. protection. Do not shake or stir the varnish. Pour what varnish you intend to use into another vessel and immediately seal the varnish can in order to prevent contamination. Also, never pour used varnish back into the can as it will cause a skin to form on the top of the varnish.

H. First apply the varnish to the decks. Find a good start and stop location that will not leave a lap. Usually, I will start at the stern of the deck covering board and work my way forward. Then, across the deck and back down the covering board and finally across the transom. On the hullsides, I start at the transom and I roll the varnish on with a very thin foam roller and brush the varnish out always going in the direction toward the transom. On the next section I start away from where I had been and roll and roll into where I had already brushed and then back to the starting point… and again brush back. That way, you even out the varnish and won’t get any sags or lap marks. Don’t mess around. Once you start, don’t stop until you get to the stem. Then go stem to stern and finally across the transom.

I. Usually, we put two coats on the boats, so now, resand the boat with 280-grit sandpaper. Take your time and sand in one direction with the grain and make sure you overlap each section so you don’t get any ‘misses’. I use a clean rag while I sand and clean off the dust as I varnish. You don’t want to see any bright spots at all. Now vacuum off the boat paying special attention to the screw holes and then tack rag it off. This time we will wipe the hull down with a damp cloth using Interlux 333 Brushing Liquid. Don’t use too much 333 and again hit the screw holes. Wipe the entire boat off with a soft cotton rag. Retack the boat off with a new tack cloth and begin the last coat of varnish.

J. On hulls with deck seams, you may want to repaint them. If that is the decision, use Interlux 301 White Boot Stripe paint. We use a professional pinstripe brush and do it free-hand but the amateur may want to use masking tape.

K. Then, look over your job. If you are satisfied with it, begin to put the hardware back on. If you are not satisfied, sand again and put on another coat. If you are unsure about any aspect of the job, give me a call and I will be happy to help you through it.

L. Reinstall the hardware and windshield. If you didn’t polish the chrome pieces at the time they were removed, now is the time. Go to the location of each piece and line up the screw holes up using an ice pick. Coat the threads of each screw with Interlux #214 Natural Bedding Compound before installing.

Stripping, Refinishing and Varnishing

A. Remove all chrome hardware and the windshield from the decks, hullsides and transom.

B. If the boat is equipped with a crash rail, remove all staples holding both the crash rail and the hydem. Also remove the half-round rubber.

C. Tape a clear plastic cover over the cockpit of the boat using duct tape. This is done to protect the upholstery from damage from the chemical varnish remover.

D. Using a quality marine varnish remover and a four-inch brush, brush on the stripper in one direction only. Start at the deck level and work in small sections by applying the stripper in three separate sections in the same area. We can call these areas strip, soak and apply. After doing all three sections, take a broad knife, round off the sharp corners and strip the varnish off that area. Re-wet that area and apply stripper to area four, then strip area two, re-wet two and strip one and wet down area five. It may take as many as four applications to each area until all of the varnish has been removed.

E. Once all of the varnish has been removed in an area and using a Scotch Bright Grill Scrubber , fill a shallow pail with denatured alcohol, immerse the scrubber in the alcohol and scrub the areas you just devoid of varnish. This process will both wash the filler/stain out of the bare wood and neutralize the chemical stripper.

F. After stripping all varnish off the hullsides, decks and transom, check the planks to make sure they are tight. Use your thumbs to press in at the plank side joint. If it moves in and out, you may want to consider refastening the boat. To do this you must remove every mahogany plug on the hullsides, deck and transom. This can be done by using a small 3/16” drill and drill out the center of the plug down to the screw. Then, using an ice pick, pick out the rest of the plug being very careful not to disturb the sides of the plug.

On Chris-Crafts, take a Reed & Prince screwdriver and tighten each screw. If it is a Century, use a regular flat-faced screwdriver. Next, buy a 3/8” plug cutter and some mahogany and start making plugs. I would suggest using a drill press so you can control the depth of the plug. Install the new plugs over the screws you have just tightened using Tightbond Waterproof glue. Dip the plug into the glue, set it in the hole, lining up the grain of the plank with the grain of the plug. Then, tap it in with a small hammer. After the glue has set, take a sharp chisel and shave the plug down without reaching the plank depth. Use a sanding block with 60-grit sandpaper wrapped around it to sand the plugs flat with the plank.

G. The next step is to fair out the hullsides. You can do this using a dual-action sander, better known as a DA. DA the hullsides, decks and transom in an up and down and a side to side pattern, first using 60-grit silicone carbide sandpaper. Then, repeat the step by using 80-grit and, finally 120-grit sandpaper. Following that process, hand-sand all areas to be varnished using a 3M rigid and flexible board with 80-grit followed by 120-grit. You may want to go over some areas with just a hand-sanding pad made by cutting a sheet of sandpaper and putting a Scotch Bright pad cut to fit inside.

H. Vacuum all areas to be varnished and tape off any area that is to be blonde in color like on some Chris-Crafts and Centurys. Then apply the filler/stain by first mixing it a coffee can or similar vessel. The stain is a paste so mix it with Interlux 333 Brushing Liquid until you get a heavy pea soup consistency. Starting on the deck using three people, have one person apply the stain generously and the next two wiping it off using cut-up bath towels by rubbing it off in a circular motion or across the grain of the wood. Once you start, you can’t stop, so do the decks first.

Find a starting place and begin applying the stain at a pace where the people helping you can keep up with you. The wipers should change rags often, passing the rags from the second wiper to the first and the second wiper should take a fresh set of rags. When finished with the decks… stop to take a break before starting on the hullsides. Do either hullside next making sure that you do not slop the filler/stain on the decks. Once the hullsides are done, proceed to the transom.

I. Let the filler/stain dry overnight then lightly tack off any dust with a tack rag. Then apply the first of two coats of Interlux #1026 Clear Sealer or Smith’s Clear Epoxy. Let dry and gently rub down the hull with a maroon Scotch Bright pad, vacuum, tack and apply the second coat and let dry overnight.

J. If you have blonde areas, remove the masking tape around those areas and mask the areas that have been stained and sealed. Then resand by hand using 120-grit. Using rubber gloves and safety goggles, apply a two-part wood bleach to the blonde areas. Once applied, watch the area closely. When it stops making tiny bubbles, it has completed its job. Wipe off the residue and repeat the process two more times.

After the last bleaching, bathe the area with white vinegar, wipe off the residue and let dry overnight. Using a particle mask, lightly sand the bleached area with 120-grit sandpaper, vacuum, tack and apply Interlux Natural filler/stain. Let dry overnight and apply a coat of clear sealer or epoxy. Then scuff with a Scotch Bright pad, vacuum, tack and apply the last coat of sealer.

K. After the sealer or epoxy has been applied, remove all of the masking tape and lightly hand-sand all areas to be varnished with 280-grit silicone carbide sandpaper. Then vacuum, tack and apply the first coat of varnish. We use a badger hair brush and brush the decks. Then we roll and brush the hullsides and transom. Follow these procedures through coat five. You can usually put on one coat a day.

L. At this time we will recaulk the deck seams using 3M 5200 sealant. Run a bead of sealant, strike it off flat with the deck and clean up the residue with Interlux 333 Brushing Liquid. Then use your index finger to radius the seam.

M. Re-sand the decks, hullsides and transom using the 280-grit sandpaper paying special attention to getting all of the residue off the decks where you caulked. After each coat of varnish, try to sand it flat so that there are no shiny marks. Once coats six through nine are done, the boat should have a mirror finish. If the finish doesn’t look like its getting there by coat seven, call me and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

N. Using a pin stripe brush, paint the deck seams with Interlux Boot Stripe White paint #301.

O. Mask off and paint the boot stripe and let dry. Mask off the lower line of the boot stripe and paint the bottom.

P. Install all the hardware and put Interlux #214 Bedding Compound on the screw threads.

Q. Re-staple the crash rail and hydem (if it applies), and you are ready for the water.