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I have read of several ways to refinish the old varnish...
Heat stripping, chemical, sanding, etc.

Anyone found a good way of doing this? Or techniques to share?

My planned steps thus far look like this:

1. Heavy scrub brush and Murphy's soap to clean the inside.

2. Attempt a small section of a heat gun and see how that goes, along with using a detailed sander to get around the ribs and structures.

3. I assume, sand, sand, sand till it all looks happy. i.e. bare wood

4. Wood bleach mixture of needed to take out dark areas.

5. Sand.

6. CPES application till a sheen appears, then sand. Coat with CPES and 12 hours later hit with my first coat of varnish.

7. Sand lightly and re-varnish. Repeat this 8 - 10 times till everything shines.

Anyone have any recommendation to improve the above?

Varnish Brands and quantities? (This is for a 15' Sea Coaster)

Estimates time before I get to the CPES part?? I have 2 - 3 buddies who are willing to lend a hand.

Weathers nice. Time to get rolling!

Thanks,
Jamie

I see no reason to sand the CPES. Just apply it until it soaks in.

Make absolutely certain that you wear a resipirator when working with CPES along with rubber gloves and long sleave shirt and long pants. Do it outside if you can. If you cannot be outside, open doors and windows and get some fans blowing air thru the space.

Chemical strippers are a good way to remove old finishes.

Andreas

Thanks Andreas.
I plan on doing all the work in my driveway, so ventilation shouldn't be too big of a concern.

Any personal preference on chemical strippers?

I used Citristrip from Home Depot to strip the paint, copper antifouling paint, and varnish from the outside of my boat. It worked well and is one of the "safe" strippers.

I'm going to use it to strip the varnish off the inside parts of the boat (ribs, lapstrakes, seats, etc).

It cost about $20 for a half gallon. It took a gallon to strip the entire outside of the boat (16').

Steve

I agree don't breath that stuff in. I was "drunk" enough from that stuff I went to the Dr. after a couple of days of lightheadedness.
As for finishing I would recomend "Brightwork the art of finishing wood" by Wittman. You can find it on e-bay. It will tell you all the plus and minuses of all methods. I read it twice before I even started.
One warning I didn't see from anyone else is be careful with the sanding on your deck!! Especially with power sanders. Its only plywood with a veneer and you'll blow through it before you can say "I didn't mean to". Also watch how hot it is when you start to varnish. Read the label of your brand of varnish. It could start setting up on you and won't lay out nicely. You'll have to cut it with a brushing liquid. I use Interlux 333. Your first coat should be thinned out pretty good so it adheres and then thin out next two layers but not as much. I use Interlux Schooner for varnish. Good stuff. Again check out the book if you can. A wise 7 dollar investment I think. Good Luck...Dan