mahogony

[aqua70]

I know teak is the prefered wood but I have accesss to all the FREE mahogony I need. Any pros or cons?
     I was going to use it for rod holders in the sides as well as trim.

[John Jones]

good substitute

I'll take some too, all you can spare.  My father-in-law lives in the Villas.  I'll have him pick it up.  

[aqua70]

Let me know what u need. I will deliver it to the Villas Fishing Club!!!
I am serious if you need it, let me know..

[RickK]

I made the anchor access door and the forward storage "door" out of brazilian mahogany and it has held up fine.  I bought a 4'x12"x1"T peice and it did it all.  I used teak oil on it and it lasts for a year or so but doesn't soak way in, so you take a sander with 60 or 80 grit, rough it up to remove the old dried oil and recoat again.  Probably not the best way but works for me - at least until I run out of teak oil .
I need to make a filler for between my forward V-berth - how thick are the peices you can get?  Are they rough sawn? (I live near JJ   )

[JimCt]

Grab that mahogany!  For varnish work nothing beats Honduras mahogany... if that's what it is.  Teak can be varnished but because of it's grain structure and natural oils does not hold varnish well.  A little used alternative to teak is black locust.  It's more rot resistant than teak and holds varnish considerably better.

Wish I were closer.  I'd sign up for some too.

[warthog5]

I have a better way to put a finish on Mahogany than Varnish.

This is how they do those super expensive figting chairs and make it last.

I used this methiod on the first run of flag poles I made. It is a little time consuming for what I was charging for the flag poles and have stopped doing the finish on them.

Sand the wood smooth. Put a thin coat of slow setting epoxy resign on it. After overnight or 24hrs sand with 180gt wet. It will have some slight dimples in the finish before sanding as it goes into the wood. This is what you want to try and sand out. Now put another tin coat of epoxy on the wood. Sand this with 320 wet or machine sand with 220gt on the DA sander. beware that using the DA sander doesn't take much to cut thru a corner and you will have to coat the part again.

Now the surface is flat and smooth, no dimples but dull.

Now spray it with 3 coats of Awlgrip Clear. 1hr between coats.

Not only will it have depth, but the shine will knock your eyes out. It will be extremely durable and no fussing with varnish each year.

[Bluesbrother]

Man, he always makes it sound sooo easy....

[jdupree]

Where can you get mahogony?  One of the original teak rod holders on the CCP is broke and I need to replace.

[aqua70]

We posted a question  concerning mahogony a few weeks ago. We use Warthog's idea and so far so good.
    Two coats of resiin and we are ready to Awlgrip like he recommended.
Awlgrip is not  available in our area. Is it  a  spray urethane?  
Any suggestions?  Thanks RG

[warthog5]

Yes and is a preferred boat finish that really holds up well.

Note that pix's don't do it justice.

[warthog5]

Yes it is sprayed

The pt# for clear G3005 + AWL-CAT No. 2 Topcoat Spray Converter

[JimCt]

Whatever final finish you put on mahogany check to be sure it has good UV blocking.  Mahogany yellows over time in sunlight.   System 3 strongly recommends a few coats of UV blocking finish over their epoxy since epoxy is also vulnerable to UV.  Don't know what UV protection Awlgrip has.

[aqua70]

Thank You Warthog and Jim,
     We used Helmsman Spar Urethane (clear satin). The product contains over 100% more UV blockers. It also expands and contracts with the wood as seasons change and temperature changes.
    One tip I may offer, When applying the coats of resin, use a heavy rag and of course gloves. Rub it on like you are using stain. Make sure you lightly dampen the rag with a compatable thinner. We used Interlux 202 and its Epi Glass partner. Wet sanded it between coats as Warthog recommended and then applied the Helmsman finish coats. I will post some pictures asap. Thanks for your help... Ron G

[Irish Rover]

Mahogony is great.  Like JIm said it holds a nice vanish for a good long wear.  And it is tough.

When I was a kid I used to vanish the mahogony seats on an old boston whaler ever year because as kids we used to abuse the boat.  Drag anchors and water ski's across the seats.  Never washed the boat down, so there was salt all over scratching in vanish all the time.  

Good wood, takes a lot of abuse.

My father has a 50' Admirilty trawler built in 1967 in Hong Kong.  Still in the water.  The hull is Mahogony planks that are 1967 and still solid as a rock.  A little rot here and there, but nothing compared to other boats her age.  The rest of the boat is teak.

Good luck with your project,

Justin