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I am sure this question gets asked weekly by WhalerCentral newbies (just joined). I have a beautiful 1986 Super Sport in great condition...rails, fittings, everything.....oh my beloved whaler!!.....I bought it used 6 years ago and keep it covered during the week....the wood was starting to crack when i bought it and the finish is now starting to flake off 6 years on......I have placed a call this weekend into Nautical Lumber to see if they would do a run for the entire interior (Specialty Marine says they dont carry the 1980's Super Sport 17's - only the 11,13,15)...BUT I have to think its possible to truely restore the existing lumber before i consider this...it really is in good shape...just varnish coming off in many spots.....i dont want to just varnish over old varnish...but how does one attempt to do this properly???? is there a thread with a rigorous process i can follow or a "build-thread" where someone chronicles what they are doing in a restoration? If not,anyone who can give a quick rundown as to what to do would be my savior!.....i am pretty handy and know my way around woodworking so not a total novice here...but i want to do it right....many thanks in advance to those who can offer help.....-rob

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Bob, if you're a woodworker, you won't have any trouble. Remove all the wood from the boat and separate all the parts - be patient, it's like a big jigsaw puzzle. Then sand it all down to bare wood - I did mine with a random orbit sander and 60-grit paper and it went pretty fast and easy. Then finish sand, and varnish. You'll probably use up about a gallon of varnish on the job - you'll want 5 or 6 coats.

Tim

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Take a look at this post from back in May. If you're going to remove, disassemble, finish and reassemble, you might want to consider what I've done using West System.
It's worth the up front effort. Good Luck! p.s. you can see the results on our personal page.

http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...post_61331

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For those of you looking to replace your 17' Super Sport interiors, We (Nautical Lumber Lumber Co) manufacture a full replacement kit.
pictures of the interior will be posted on our new website that launches in the next 2 weeks.

Regards,
Mike

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Thanks so much for all the input guys! I really appreciate it. Mike at Nautical Lumber returned my call first thing monday and was really nice and user friendly. Says they DO have a run for the 17 Super Sports made in the mid 80's and quoted me what seems to be a very very fair price. I may remove my old wood, keep it and actually order the replacement kit from Mike. My concern is that some pieces have no varnish in some spots AND the two vertical legs that support my helm are seeing some rott at the bottom (the original owner probably had no bildge and this will happen if wood is submerged in water for an extended period I would think). Looking at the photos, the quality and flawlessness of the NL-interiors may be too hard for me to pass up (albeit more costly than a refinish of the existing wood - gonna try to buy it without the wife finding out!). again many thanks to all who answered...good to be a member of a whaler community!