Cabin Sole refinishing

[Kirk Garner]

I have some water damage to deal with but think I can salvage the sole with some sanding and wondering if anybody out there has sanded down to wood and refinished might know what color stain Catalina used on their cabin sole?

Thanks, Kirk

[BillG]

there are a number of prior posts on refinishing the sole and the care involved so as to not sand thru the veneer.
I don't think they used any color, but after you sand the wood, you will find that just putting on a clear finish will darken the wood.

[Jeff Kaplan]

Kirk, I completely replaced my sole after I bought her, 6 years ago, the origional sole was beyond sanding. If you plan to sand down and refinish, remember, the vineer is Very thin, so be careful you don't sand the teak and holly right off. If you can solve the problem by light sanding, just finish the sole with several coats of marine poly, that will bring back the color. I must have put down at least 5 coats, and also very important,if you take the piece out, don't forget to coat the sides. good luck...Jeff

[Lance Jones]

Good point Jeff. I would do at least one coat on the sides and bottom. Water getting under the sole would wreak havoc on the unprotected plywood.

[Kirk Garner]

So is the entire sole surface veneer or just the light colored stripes? Sorry, I'm pretty novice here......

[David Urscheler]

Kirk:
The entire upper surface is a thin veneer. Mine had already been sanded to the max so I replaced mine two years ago with new teak and holly ply using the old boards for templates. I used three coats of poly, and sealed the bottoms with West System epoxy. They still look like new.

[Clay Greene]

I did this project last year.  I strongly suggest you only hand sand rather than use a power sander because the veneer is very thin.  I also investigated replacing the board at the base of the steps because of damage and it was cost-prohibitive.  I ended up patching the holes and it looks OK.