Am sorry to go thru this again-but....
The cabin sole to 'Moondance' is in my garage. I plan to:
1 - sand the bottoms + sides + varnish.
2- remove the varnish from the tops by lightly sanding. How far down should I go? Someone once said they used varnish remover to do this first, then lightly sand.
3 - couple of coats polyeurathane with light sanding between.
Hi Gloss or semi Gloss? I was leaning towards Glossy because it should be harder (more slippery too?) with 4 kids and a dog
Any suggestions on particular product?
Someone once mentioned Varathane or epithane?
I dont plan on putting on 14 coats. Should 4-5 do?
15 deg F. (-9.5C) this morning so I guess I should wait til it warms up to about 40F.

I went through the process with my floor last winter. You need to be careful with the top surface. The teak and holly is the thickness of wallpaper. I removed my the varnish with a varnish remover, then used a teak cleaner and brightener. I did a second application of the cleaner and brightener to one spot I wanted to get better and rubbed through the veneer; be very careful. The polyurethane will raise the grain whether you sand or not. I do not recommend sanding until after you put on the first or second coat of polyurethane.

I chose West Marine's Admiral Varnish (glossy). I don't if it is better than other products. It has held well in its first year. I put 7 coats on the top and 2 coats on the bottom and sides. Keep in mind that most products are temperature sensitive. This may enter into your selection.

I second what Joe and James said vis a vis the thinness of the veneer and the need to be careful when sanding. Having just done all the floor boards on my 37 and having done them on my previous 34 I can perhaps make a few suggestions for you. After having cleaned and prepped the boards but before putting on the first coat of varnish I apply 3 coats of a good quality tung oil such as "Circa 1850". The first two coats are simply brushed on and allowed to dry. The 3rd coat is wet sanded in using 320 grit sandpaper. The wetsanding creates a thin paste of oil and teak sawdust. When you finish wetsanding an area take a lint-free cloth and lightly buff in a circular fashion. This will remove just the excess paste and you will have nicely filled the grain of the floors. This makes it easier to create a nice smooth finish as you build up your coats of varnish. I apply 6-7 coats of a good high gloss varnish [Interlux 95] and 2-3 coats of Interlux rubbed effect varnish to get a nice semi-gloss finish.It's a bit time-consuming to do all this but the results are well worth it.[Besides, what else have we got to do!!! Have fun.
Peter Kisilenko
C&C 37 k/cb Fretless V

High gloss is the most water resistant sheen. I would suggest using high gloss (or better yet Cetol, which is easier to do spot touch ups) and rub the gloss out w/000 steel wool. Try a sample first it should set for a few days or a week before rubbing.
Mine doesn't slip, looks great, wears well etc.

just refinished my floorboards and agree with Jackie that a natural finish is preferred. I am from the school that a natural teak finish has more 'feel', looks less artificial and is easier to maintain.

I chemically stripped the old finish and used brass wool to burnish the wood. With a well used 13 year old floor, I was afraid to use any sandpaper on the thin veneer of teak and holly. I used a couple of coats of Semco (a teak water repellant finish) instead of a varnish or polyurethane. I will oil the floor once the boat is in the water.

Anyone else use Semco? I am also considering using it on my exterior teak (the little I have).

If you're in Canada, the place to buy 1/4 inch teak/holly marine plywood is Noah's in Toronto. They are at 416-232-0522 or http:\\www.noahsmarine.com
Wally Kowal