New Varnish

[Lyulph Hesling]

I redid the varnish on my Sunbeam last year. I used Blakes Classic inside the hull, and it has worked very well, bright and clear, and no damage.

I did the covering boards and coaming with 4 coats of International Clear Wood Sealer (a two pack epoxy) covered with 8 coats of Blakes Classic Varnish. It has worked badly. The finished work looks "muddy" and a bit dull, but more importantly any little ding results in the Wood Sealer breaking clear of the wood, going yellow, then wet, then black. It is too brittle for use in a boat. To revarnish you have to rub back to bare wood, wasting all the effort of all those coats! I am going to have to strip it all off and redo the work, very annoying.

I note this fits in exactly with the varnish tests reported in the March 2011 Classic Boat. Two pack wood sealer or varnish may be okay in areas with little potential for damage (in cabins or houses perhaps), and it does build up quickly, with several coats a day (so boat builders like it) but I am never touching the stuff again! I will just use the Blakes (or Hempel, as it is now) Classic.

 

[Seanick]

Any two pack varnishes are a PITA. They are fussy about the application conditions and hard to remove.
The X boats we maintain always come back in the autumn with damage due to the nature of this 'contact sport'.

Stick with normal alkyd varnish. Easy on, easy off. If you put enough on it lasts very well.


Those that complain about normal varnishes have yet to learn how to apply it!

Another wood primer to avoid is UCP. Sticks to the wood like S##t to a blanket, but getting varnish to stick to it for the long term is nigh on imposible. Remove by sanding, as heat won't touch it.