Small Projects

We have been working hard on Wrinkles to make her look the way we want her to. It is the small improvements that make a big impact. For example, we removed all six of the porthole screens and tried to make them a little more presentable. We tried soapy water and scrubbing, but the corrosion just wasn't going away. We ended up soaking them in muriatic acid and scrubbing them with a plastic bristled brush. Now that looks more like it! The screen at the top of the picture is after one quick cleaning in the acid.

Next we pulled off all the teak except for the eyebrows for a complete refinishing. The eyebrows on Com-Pacs don't come off very easily, so they are usually refinished in place. The rest of the pieces get a complete sanding and several coats of Spar Varnish. Everyone has their favorite materials and methods for teak renewal. I prefer the look of the Spar Varnish and it seems to stand up pretty well.

When I first looked at the teak on Wrinkles I was concerned that 24 years of Florida sun and salt had pretty much finished them off. As you can see in the first picture they were pretty rough.

Once I started sanding I was pleasantly surprised at how well they cleaned up.

I'll post some pictures of the teak with the varnish on them as soon as they dry. I am done with everything except the bowsprit insert. A few more coats of varnish on that piece and I can check off another item on the To-Do list.