Advice for Stripping Varnish off a Swim Step

[hbMoppie]

Hello all, as some may recall I purchased a 62 Express Cruiser last fall, and am enjoying the labor of love that it is. She's almost up to standards. The next project I want to tackle is the really cruddy swimstep. It's teak, and it has years of varnish, with non-skid mixed in (at least I think so). It really looks crappy, and I don't want varnish. Want to go with oil only. Question I have is what is the best way to strip the finish off while it is in the water? is there any solvent I can use that isn't going to get me in trouble with Harbor Patrol? Do I need to just bite the bullet and get on my hands and knees with the coarse grit sand paper?

Any advice from the old salts would be appreciated.

Thanks

[CaptPatrick]

Do I need to just bite the bullet and get on my hands and knees with the coarse grit sand paper?

....Yup....

[Raybo Marine NY]

if it has that milky look as if its not quite adhered in all spots you can use a heat gun and peel it right off

[CaptPatrick]

A heat gun and scraper, properly used on varnish over a good smooth wood base is a good technique.

But I'm willing to bet that the swim steps/platform here are well worn, missing a lot of soft grain and in a condition that is termed "railed out". For that kind of restoration sand paper is the most common way to go. If the teak can be un-bolted from the framework, that makes life a lot easier...

[hbMoppie]

in a move that can only described as not thinking ahead, the swim step was removed while out of the water after the survey to have the rusted out fastners replaced, but my broker forgot to tell his repairman to have the deck refinished while it was off the boat. My fault for not staying involved in the process. Now I have the boat, and have to look down at that crappy thing all the time.

btw, put Nuteak flooring down in the cockpit and cabin and it looks fantastic!

[jackryan]

Can you post a picture of the Nuteak in the cockpit and cabin?

Thanks,

JR

[hbMoppie]

I'll snap some photos shortly and put em up

[Joef]

Hey - for whatever its worth...

i just stripped god knows how many coats of varnish off of my Scopinich fighting chair. I took the teak peices off the chair and coated them with a thick layer of that orange smelling stipper that you get at home depot...then i went to bed. When i woke up the next day, all the varnish had bubbled up and nearly fell off the teak...i literally wiped the stuff / flakes off with paper towel and an old stiff-bristle brush. I then washed the teak with water and did a 2 part cleaning...then...lots of sanding to get it all clean and ready for epoxy coat and new varnish.

the sanding was the hard part...but actually getting the old varnish off was suprisingly easy.