Proud new owner of "Agua Dulce" - Commander #272!!

10 days ago I saw an ad on Craig'sList for a Pearson Commander. Looked interesting. We were about to buy an ugly, dirty boat in desperation of missing another sailing season. Never seen a Commander before. We went to see the boat and made an offer on the spot. (We generally do things with our hearts, not our heads!) Two days later we completed sale. 3 days later, we loaded all 4 kids on the boat and left Gulfport, MS for Pass Christian, MS. Left her there for the night and next day reached her new home in Slidell, LA! (across the lake from New Orleans)

The boat's in beautiful condition and only needs her brightwork restored. I just have to see it all slick and shiny at least once, so I'm going to varnish. I've read some 8 odd pages of discussion on this topic, but most are several years old and I am wondering whether there is some fabulous new product that's come along in the last few?

As soon as my teenager comes home I'll get him to show me how to post photos.

Thanks for any help, and I'm glad to be here!

Well....here is my 2 cents worth because I have been dancing around this issue since I started the restoration of C147. For me personally I think there are only two good options. And since I live where the sun does major damage to brightwork I'm going in the direction of the easiest to maintain. But sometimes I question myself and wonder if I would not be happier going with the best looking option.

Option one = the best looking option Epifanes varnish

Option two = the easier to maintain Cetol natural teak

Oh and welcome aboard Commander 272.

Thanks, 147. From what I'd read here already I was thinking I'd go with the Epifanes if nothing better had come out recently. Do you have an opinion on the Wood Finish Gloss? The website says it doesn't have to be finished between coats, but the Clear Varnish does? Have you seen what the tint in the Wood Finish looks like? I hate tinted polyurethenes that look like the color is sitting on the wood, don't want to wind up with that look!

We're in the same boat, so to speak, weather-wise, since my boat's in Louisiana, but I just have to go with the best-looking option the first time. I think I'll make covers for EVERYTHING and maybe it'll last long enough that it won't kill me when I have to do it again.

Welcome Aqua Dulce!

I'd recommend the Epifanes Clear Varnish. Sanding between coats doesn't take very long to do. All finishes will need some sanding between coats if you want to get rid of drips and dust marks and achieve a deep gloss look.

Did you see the Q and A page from the Epifanes site? It has lots of good information. Using a cabinet scrapers to prep the wood is very smart. His advice on brushes is a bit of an overkill, a quality foam brush works great.

http://www.epifanes.com/qanda.htm

I'm on the fence with canvas covers for bright-work. It's kind of like putting a burqa on your boat. You're going to have to touch up your varnish every season regardless, it gets beat up from sailing. A timeless ritual of renewal, getting a boat ready.

Welcome A.D.
I've been very happy with Interlux Perfection. It's a two part product, hard as nails, goes on and smells just like an automotive clear coat. It has good UV protection and I think that its a good choice if you're not going to cover the britework.

Commander 272

Sorry it took me a bit to respond... been a bit crazy here.

Since you asked for my opinion here it is...If you are going to make brightwork really POP I think you need to go with high gloss for the finish.

And I agree with 227 that sanding between coats is always a good idea anyway. For the first wash coat I don't sand after it because most of it soaks into the wood but after that I do.

As far as tint goes I personally don't like using them at all. I'm a woodworker since the day I could reach the top of a tablesaw and I really like the natural beauty of wood so I don't think you can improve on the clear finish of wood. If you need a differant color my motto has always been use a wood that has that color. But again that is just my opinion.

I am in the same boat as you on covers. The Florida sun is brutal on everything not just exterior woodwork. It attacks even the hardware on the boat. So my cover will literally cover the entire deck of the boat. I'm lucky that my wife has all of the machines to do my canvas work for me.

Hmmmm...think she'd be interested in making two?

Yup...she has all of the machines because she has a small business doing mostly custom window treatments but she is open to doing a wide variety of things. Last month she did a cover for a 1936 midget race car. :-)

Another vote here for Epifanes Clear Varnish. -Same stuff since the Dutch started making it at the start of the last century.
No better product can be found - in my opinion.

Spend the effort to do it right and the finish will be extremely long-lasting. The coambings on C-155 are still looking great after 3-4 years!

Congratulations on acquiring a Commander! Welcome to the board and do show us some pictures - we are looking forward to them!

PS. To post pictures: Click on the 'go advanced' button just below where you input text, & then click on the 'manage attachments' button in the screen that follows. Just follow the instructions after that...

Here are a few pics, finally. (maybe)

They aren't the greatest pics, but you get the idea. The paint job is about 3 years old, I think. The feet, arms, foreheads, etc. belong to my children. There are actually better photos of the boat, some of her hauled out getting this paint job, posted by a previous owner, somewhere else on this forum. She was in Mississippi, then Louisiana, then wound up in Miami. Then bought back by a prior owner to Mississippi, where we found her and brought her back to Louisiana! We are planning to rename her soon, but I'm afraid she'll become downright schizophrenic!! Anyway, I am going to take the advice given here and go with the clear varnish. Maybe by the time I've gotten that done I will have saved up for a nice cover! I will be in touch about that, 147! Thanks for the welcome, and the help with posting pics, Rico.

agua dulce

Your commander looks like while having several previous owners she has indeed been well cared for. I'm looking forward to seeing her after the brightwork is bright again.

Are your kids and wife even close to as excited as you are about sailing? This really is a good boat for family outings. That is one of the primary reasons I bought 147 so I could take my children and their children sailing. My oldest grandson is 9 now and he is starting to take a real liking for it. I hope your family does too.

147, my HUSBAND, and some of my kids, are. ; ) And, yes, the Commander is a great boat for us. The extra-long cockpit is pure genius, as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, and 227, thanks for the suggestion. I will check it out, but it looks like you're outnumbered!

Agua Dulce

My bad and my appology. :o I made an assumption and it certainly made me pay the price.

It is really nice to see a lady join this mostly male forum. I'm sure you will bring some perspective to the conversations here that we would not have without your presence.

Sorry.

No problem, it made me laugh. The thought of my husband sanding and varnishing makes me laugh, too!

My 8,10, and 12 year olds went to sailing camp last year and the older 2 loved it. The youngest was a little intimidated, probably b/c she's very small. My 15 yr. old thought sailing would be slow and boring until a friend took us out on his 62 footer and nearly put the rails in the water! He had a death grip on the lifeline that was hilarious to see! I'm hoping that they will all be doing Jr. regattas this summer. My husband and I had to sell our last sailboat, a 17 ft. Slipper, when we were young and poor and couldn't afford the slip fee anymore. Just as we were about to pull her out and store her, someone stole our trailer! That was 12 years ago. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the greatest idea to load our 4 kids on the boat and take off into the gulf after a 12 year hiatus, but we made it. That's how you create memories, right?

I know exactly what you mean. I too look back at my early days of sailing and think "what was I thinking?". My wife and I moved to Florida in 1978 with a 1 year old daughter. About 6 months after we got here we bought a chrysler 16' open daysailor. We would spend most weekends in that daysailor with our 18 month old daughter. We would go about 2 miles out into the gulf to a sandbar that was always above water and we would spend the day on the beach and then sail back in with the sea breeze. We never had a motor on that boat and all was well until one day with some especially stiff wind we were sailing along having a great time and the shroud broke. The mast went in the water and we had to paddle a mile plus back into shore. That was the day my wife decided she was not getting on a sail boat again that did not have aux. power. memories....

Bet you paddled that mile acting a lot more unconcerned than you felt!

And 109, thank you, too, for your input. Sorry I missed you somehow. I'm sure you're right about the sanding. The boat may need a burka, though, you wouldn't believe what the Louisiana sun can do!

Oh my goodness!!! I just realized who you are, Rico! Looking at Mephisto Cat's restoration finalized our decision to buy 272! I am honored by your acknowledgement...

Wow! - You are too kind!
Thank you...
:o

I am always happy to see an Ariel / Commander go to a good home! (and an enthusiastic skipper!) As a fellow Commander owner, I'm very happy to see you on the board!

These boats are beautiful to sail, and very pretty to boot!

Congratulations on your (& your salty crew's) new Pride & Joy.

Happy sailing!

Got hardware flyin' off the boat at 13 kts. Damn.

That was IN 13 knots, not AT 13 knots. : )

I know this is an old thread, but I am in New Orleans with Commander 220. I'd love to see 272 if you still check in to the site. My email is btoche@hangmancreative.com