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I have a 2008 Starboard utilizing Wood Veneer in need of some TLC repair work and would appreciate some advice.
The visible wood deck on the top has a few places where there is a break in the wood and where water may have entered - The board is still quite light and I am confident of a good structural repair after confirming it is fully dry. Pretty confident about this process so really only chasing some help on surface finish…
1) I want to resurface he visible wood on the top side to ensure it remains water tight and looks as good as possible – any thoughts on methods and products to do this?
2) The white under side of the hull has wear marks which has exposed the wood in a few places. Would a paint re coat be enough to restore it and if so what type of paint.
I prefer to use spray cans of paint rather than a spray gun if possible.
In my opinion, not a pro:
1 - should be epoxy resin UV resistant, but I doubt you can get it in cans, you can still apply by roller and 'comb' it by brush. But if the wood is cracking it might be worthwhile add a thin layer of fiberglass
2 - 2 coats of automotive spray putty then sanding to remove small scratches and depressions and then another couple of paint. The debated theory is that you should sand with wet & dry 600 grade the last coat, it worked ok for me, and also I would wait for a few days before putting the board in the water.
Enjoy !
You'll need to get UV stabilised non-yellowing epoxy. I use this in all my repairs. Australian made and the 2:1 ratio makes it easier to get the mix spot on:
boatcraft.com.au/Shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=1
They also do a Crystal clear resin you might want to look at.
Sand the bottom of the board smooth and put some resin on any bare patches. Give it a light spray with SuperCheap acrylic white afterwards if you really want. It doesn't need to be perfect and will get trashed by the board bag anyway- if you use one. The main thing is just to keep the water out.
I have fixed a few of these and it appears the problem is:
The wood absorbed the resin (as intended) and adhered well to the layers below, but no excess resin or glass layer was present above the wood (apart from the ****teenth of a micron of sprayed-on PU or resin for deck grip). I am talking about the exposed visible wood on the deck.
Thus, UV exposure attacked the resin and/or wood (due to no sacrificial layer above), plus the tiny amount of wood oils are resistant to adhesion (compared to other materials) so resin above peeled off easily, plus the wood is essentially unidirectional and eventually cracks, plus the whole thing yellows from UV.
I have found ones that have raw wood, feel just like pine boards at Bunnings, you would never know it had resin there.... and that raw bit soaks water in. Won't get to the core, but the outside just degrades more and more from UV and water.
It is great strong construction and I have said I think Starboard's wood construction from about 05 to 09 was the best ever, but the exposed wood didn't work well.
The problem is with the yellowing and cracking u can never get it looking good again. You can soak it in resin, and really that is what it needs to impregnate the wood and fill the cracks, but it will still be horribly discoloured.
You can replace wood but it won't match.
I think the best solution is soak in as much resin as it will take, then sand off nice n smooth, paint over (get rid of the wood look totally) , regrip.
I think the best solution is to be very careful about the info you get from forums!
Thanks all for your input. Common theme is be careful with the work I undertake and conservative with my expectations. Given the age of the board, I will probably go with some UV stabilised non-yellowing epoxy to seal the wood and restore functionality. Whilst there will probably be massive discolouring of the deck, I will have to live with that.
Underside is pretty straight forward.
Cheers…
I've got a 2012 Futura in wood construction, the marketing blurb said it is UV resistant and i would have to agree as this is my main board which i have used a lot and the wood finish on the deck still looks great. I actually really like the starboard wood construction. Good luck with the refurb !
