Oak tiller treatment

[wingcommander]

ÌMy attempt at woodwork. Kind next door neighbour donated the timber. Of down to the marina to check fitting. Any suggestions for finishing off oak . Don't want to spend a fortune on fancy coating.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

My oak tiller does ok with Danish Wood Oil but I made a simple canvas cover so little need to top up

 

[Refueler]

Any of the water based Decking treatments ...... they inhibit mould and rot. Easy to sand and recoat ...

But as Snowgoose says - make a cover for it ...

 

[Fr J Hackett]

If you want a long lasting deep varnish look then several ie 6 or more coats of Le Tonkinois

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Be aware that oak will darken a lot with age and it will stain around any iron fittings.

 

[Plum]

ÌMy attempt at woodwork. Kind next door neighbour donated the timber. Of down to the marina to check fitting. Any suggestions for finishing off oak . Don't want to spend a fortune on fancy coating.

I would leave it bare

 

[vyv_cox]

My tiller is not oak, one of the mahogany substitutes, sapele maybe? I Woodskinned it in 2004, all except about 6 inches at the end, where it is held. Natural.oils in our hands have preserved that part nicely and the rest of it still looks good. It is never left outside over winter, I have a stainless steel one for that.

 

[MM5AHO]

There are several species of "oak" including white oak European Oak, and red oak and more. Not all are durable. Redoak for example has pores that run with the grain allowing moisture to enter deep. Danish oil is good for the other oaks. Can be applied as and when required. Its a drying oil that dries like a matt varnish.

 

[KevinV]

On my wooden boat, which has an oak tiller, I've done it with 5 very thinned coats of tung oil (starting with 1:5 oil:spirit), then 5 coats of epifanes. Holding up beautifully

 

[Stemar]

Big +1 for le Tonk.

You get a lovely gloss finish, the equal of any varnish, but it lasts for years and doesn't flake off when it gets damaged. No need to strip back to bare wood, just rub it smooth and apply a few more coats. The tiller on my previous boat still looked great after 15 years, but it didn't live in the sun.