Cabin Sole

[Makani]

I have a standard rig 34, 1988 vintage. Is the cabin sole laminate or hardwood? What is the best way to clean it - Murphy's?Thanks.

[Fuzzy]

Makani:
The '87 model sole is a holley/teak vaneer plywood.  I think the '88 is the same.
Larry

[Ron Hill]

Mak : You can try cleaning it cleaning with a mild detergent, but you'll probably have to sand. 
Be careful as it a very THIN teak/holly veneer.

[Stu Jackson]

Ultimate Sole just went out of business.  People have recommended Minwax Floor Urethane finish or a "basketball court" floor finish from Home Depot or Lowes.

[Jeff Kaplan]

mak, when i replaced the sole a few years ago, with out going into all the bottom and side sealing, i just finished the top with 5 coats of a good polyurethane with uv properties, minwax. as atated above, lightly sand the top and refinish. it will look brand new. i also bought an 8' runner to protect my investment. good luck...jeff

[horsemel]

This will be my third year with the refinished cabin sole.  I used MinWax wipe-on poly and it has held up well.  We too have runners on the sole floor to protect the finish.  They are right about the thin veneer, so don't get carried away with sanding.
Mark Mueller

[pablosgirl]

If you are lucky just the finish has yellowed with age.  If the finish is gone and the wood vernier is stained you will have more work to do.  If the wood is discolored, I have used a teak cleaner and brightener with good success, but you have to be carefull.  First you need to strip off the old finish first.  I would recommend that you remove the boards from the boat and use a varnish stripper.  Once the old finish is off, apply a 2 step or 3 step teak cleaning product.  This usually involves a cleaner and then a brightener.  Do not use a stiff brush as most products recommend, use a sponge.  For the really stubborn areas use a fine steel wool.  This process can raise the grain and some light sanding may be required.  Start with a 320 grit but don't sand to aggressively since the vainer can be thin.  You can always apply more coats of varnish to act as a filler.  Apply 2 or 3 coats lightly sanding with 320 grit between coats.  If the wood was pretty rough and you are using the varnish as a filler, use a sanding block on the third and subsequent coats to level the finish.  On the second to last coat, wet sand with 600 grit and a sanding block to get a really good looking top coat. 

I use carpet runners to protect the finish and to provide a non skid surface while sailing.  I use a 8 foot runner along the port settee and 2 2x3 foot mats in front of the sink and head.  When I leave the boat I pick these up to prevent any water being held against the wood in case the boat leaks.

[Bob Kuba]

Here is a link to the Tech Wiki that has some "before and after" photos of the sole refinishing.

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=DIY_Refinishing_-_Before_%26_After_photos

[Steve S.]

Makani - Don't know if you have started your project yet, but I used liquid orange stripper to remove the old shellac and then lightly sanded with 300+ grit.  Worked liked a charm and I didn't have to worry about sanding thru the veneer. 

[Clay Greene]

Same here.  Sanded with 220 and then used Minwax x 3 coats, 4 coats on the boards in the high-traffic area.  It is much improved.  I looked into replacing one of the boards right in front of the engine compartment (Catalina wisely went to a rubber covered board here on the Mk II) and was astonished at the high cost of teak & holly plywood.  I ended up fixing the dings with teak filler and am going to use a nice oriental rug for distraction.  It is not perfect but perfection is for those who stay on land. 

[Bobg]

dropped a hatch board and left a huge ding in the floor, you mentioned using teak filler, what kind do you recommend, thank you, Bob

[paule]

Bob,
Being an old shop teacher when a kid had a bad ding in his project I would dampen a rag and use a house iron to bring the area up and then sand smooth.
DO IT A LITTLE AT A TIME AND NOT ALOT OF PREASSURE CAN SOMETIMES FINISH A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OTHER AREAS, just an alternative to using a filler.

Never did it on the boat I also have one and just no gotten around to fixing it.

Paul