by DaveD » Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:04 am
Hey William!
She's a BEAUT!!
My falcon had a lot of cracks, pits, and bubbles that I had to grind out and sand...
That being said, I filled the spots that I ground out with West System and their 404 filler (like thick peanut butter), then I "painted the gelcoat with a couple of coats of West System "straight", rolled on. That really stiffened things up.
The coaming boards originally ARE mahogany as you suspected, as are the seats.
My coaming boards were still in tact, and some sanding and varnish were all that were needed. I assume that you could use some kind of 3/8 - 1/2 inch stock, dense wood or some other composite material to substitute for mahogany, if you couldn't find it at a reasonable price. I don't know if you have a boat "boneyard" near you, but you could check there for scrap mahogany (or if you are lucky, you could even get some teak). FYI, "lauan" plywood (underlayment), is usually faced (veneered) with "philippine mahogany". Sanded and varnished, it's hard to tell the difference (other than the cross section).
Keep in mind if the wood you are going to be used under extreme marine conditions, there is no substitute for the real thing...
For my benches were dry rotted out around the hinges, and seams, so I used "cabinet grade" 3/4 inch ply-wood. Is it marine grade? NO. BUT the glue holding the layers together is waterproof, AND it's HALF the price of marine plywood. I cut them to fit, then I "painted" it with 2 coats of West System to seal it, lightly sanded it and painted it with regular topside paint. Be aware that if you are going to step onto the seats, support them from below, and add some "grippy" stuff to the paint to avoid slipping.
Sorry for the delay...
Let me know if I can help, you can also PM me if needed.
--Dave
A bad day sailing is better than a good day at work...