MDO plywood paint removal

degerb · Post by **degerb** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:25 pm

I have a 1967 20" Offshore camper that I am in the process of restoring. I have the boat turned over in prep to removing and recaulking the keel, and I noticed the paint on the boat is in really very poor condition. It appears to have been repainted at some point without proper prep before painting. The paint is peeling in many areas making a good paint job very difficult. The wood used in the planking appears to be 3/8" MDO plywood. As a last resort, has anybody one tried removing paint from MDO? What is the best way to accomplish this?

a j r · Post by **a j r** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:02 am

Try NOT to sand or strip off the paper facing. You will have to be very careful when sanding, using chemical strippers, or a heat gun and scraper so that you do not damage the paper face on the plywood. I do not know of any easy means to acomplish this other than hard labor.

Andreas

degerb · Post by **degerb** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:34 am

Thank you for the reply Andreas.. I was afraid that might be the verdict. It looks like my restore will take a mite longer than expected. I do have another question if you don't mind. On the port side, 2nd plank above the spray rail and between the 2nd and 3rd rib from the transom. There has been I suspect, dock rash, a severe blow that has fractured the plank in an area about 3" or so in diameter centered between the two ribs and plank laps. The plank laps have not been damaged nor the ribs. What would be the best way to repair this. Since we are talking MDO, would a dutchman patch work here? Don Gerber

a j r · Post by **a j r** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:36 pm

Is the plank actually broken? If yes, I'd replace it.

If it's just a ding, a dutchman or filler putty will probably do it.

Andreas

David · Post by **David** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:44 pm

I have a 1967 Sea Coaster that I'm just starting to restore. It appears to have paper-covered plywood planking.

What exactly is MDO plywood, and why do I want to avoid breaking through the paper covering? Do I need to fill every patch where the paper has been breached?

David.

a j r · Post by **a j r** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:39 am

MDO is Medium Density Overlay. This is not exactly what boat builders were using in the 1960s, but it is similar.

The paper face gives a very smooth surface for the paint. It was an innovation in the wooden boat industry to make a better product.

You do not want to sand thru it because it will give you a poor final painted surface. If you sand thru it at certain spots, yes, you will need to fill those areas to get a fair surface. So the best bet is not to sand thru it.

I restored a 1965 Thompson Bros. Sea Lancer model 1800 two years ago. I received the boat in a state of partial dismantling. And the previous owner had used a belt sander to remove the hull paint. He sanded thru the paper some places but not at others. I had to spend day after day filling and sanding those areas to get everything smoothed out. It was a pain!

Andreas