Exterior Wood Finishes

[CapnK]

I'll toss in a vote for: epoxy + reg'lar old varnish (on teak, oak, or mahogany). Simple, works well, no exotic names or prices.

On bare wood, put 2 coats of resin, let dry, sand smooth, then varnish. The epoxy hardens and protects the wood, the varnish then UV-protects the epoxy.

I was told to do this by a friend who makes wooden boats down in Texas, and it worked great for me. For the varnish, I used the Worst Marine house brand, which is exactly the same as Pettit's (IIRC) but abuckortwo cheaper, and it has the highest level of UV protection of varnishes (at the time I bought it, according to PS mag). 2 coats of varnish lasted me over a year and still looked awesome. I'd planned more coats (and will use more in the future), but ran out of time when applying...

The process took a bit more effort than the Cetol which I used on my previous boat, but the results made it look as if I knew what I was doing, like I'd had actual experience beforehand. I even had a powerboater ask me how much would I charge to do his.

[commanderpete]

There must be 100 different choices for wood finishes. You've got regular varnishes, modified ones, water or oil based, 1 and 2 part urethanes, Cetol types etc.

They all claim to be the longest lasting. Each has its own fans. Somebody else will tell you its crap.

What does this mean?

They all work, but no product has swept the field because it is clearly superior.

I'm still intrigued by those products where you can apply multiple coats in a day. This would greatly speed up the process.

The Detco varnish ebb mentioned seems to allow this.

I had an unhappy experience when I tried Bristol Finish, so I hesitate to try any more miracle cures.

http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...read.php?t=855

[ebb]

Man! we're ALL looking for the right stuff.
The boat restoration is a job for these guys, so they would tend to use stuff that wouldn't mess with their reputation. And the boat yard runs on what works and what doesn't. Word of mouth is king. Since this Crystal is. I think, relatively new*, I'll ask them if they bought the hype. As I point out, tho, the apparent ease of application in an exposed situation may have a lot to do with it. A dirty dusty windy yard ain't ideal for varnishing. Impressed me. After the job leaves the yard, so may the luster.

Personally learnt to HATE EVERYTHING about traditional varnish except its LUSTER. "I'm not the only one!" One of these days, after a bloody century of trying, one of these chemical conglomerates could come up with the real enchilada sauce!

*Guess not. Check out:
>google< Another Varnish Post [Archive] - The Wooden Boat Forum
http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulleti...hp/t-9637.html
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A problem with some forums is wading thru the shuck and jive. Like with varnishing, it is possible to learn the technique. Scot Rosen's posts on the WBforum above seem credible to me. A lot more credible than P.S.'s funky two inch square wood chip varnish tests I recently found in a book of theirs - imco not even coming up to a grade school science project level - if anything, varnish should be tested in real life situations to be credible. My opinion. You know, like ON a boat. Anyway, a vote for Crystal. Don't know if there was any further follow up on its lasting qualities from S.R.?

[Robin]

Well guys, I wanted fewer choices not more. The Detco Crystal does look interesting. And from that discussion in wooden boat, it might be the one. I actually love varnishing, I just never have enough time.