You know how it goes with projects: the prep takes 90% of the total time and it’s kind of ugly along the way, then in a blink it’s done and everything’s pretty? The aft deck solid mahogany went kinda like that.
First, I sanded all of the mahogany pieces with Mirka Abranet 240
I hit all of the flat surfaces first with just the stock sanding pad. With Abranet, the vacuum pulls almost all of the dust through. It’s a lot better than any paper-backed sandpaper I’ve ever used.
Once the flat areas are done, I put a foam spacer pad on and hit the radiused edges. Then move on to the next piece and repeat.
Ready for Spar varnish
First coat seals the wood
Second coat
3rd coat and done
Ready to install.
First, saturate the back-sides of each panel with US Composites epoxy
At the same time, we wetted out the hardtop structural wood that these pieces will attach to.
Next, trowel on some wood flour and cabosil-thicken epoxy
Glued & screwed in place
Repeat the process for the center and starboard panels
Next up come the long side panels
Gotta keep the epoxy off of the Awlgrip paint!
Saturate the wooden attachment points
That 50-year old plywood I reused here sure soaks up the epoxy.
More wood flour and cabosil-thickened epoxy
Trowel on the glue and get ready to screw
Ready to install the panel
That’s quite nice
Port side got installed next
Next, we installed bungs in the screw holes
The bungs will get sanded later and get a few spot coats of varnish. Then I’ll sand all of the wood back here and apply the final coat. But that’ll happen after the boat’s splashed.
Last step: install the window finish pieces
It would have looked cleaner to just make these side pieces out of a single mahogany stick. But the little finish pieces can be removed without destroying anything, and that will allow me to take out the windows if I have to. I find that the window tracks I’m using get packed with dirt, and that makes the windows slide less smoothly. Being able to remove the glass and give the tracks a thorough cleaning is a periodical maintenance item. So it’s worth having the little finish/fascia panels removable.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Radio Box II
1969chriscraftroamer46 
How does the Aft Deck Flooring look?
Hi Kent!
The original teak has held up quite well. It wasn’t sanded too many times, fortunately.
But I’m kind of working from memory. It’s been almost a decade since I saw it!
Cheers,
Q
My Toe Rail was sanded way down when I got involved in my 67′ ’45 Connie– I removed the Stanchions and was able to sand down the high spots under the Stanchions..
The Aft Decking was sanded down to a “Nub”– I found a Composite material the looked real and covered the old Decking..
I wish I had more Pics.– But I had the Boat before the Digital Age..