Oil or varnish?

[rex_seadog]

Having just scraped off all the varnish from my hatch cover runners and washboard runners I am finding that the bare wood looks quite attractive. I was therefore wondering whether to re-varnish or apply oil. However, I'm not sure what sort of hard wood it is - I don't think it's teak - so the question is what sort of oil should be used? Is teak oil suitable for all types of wood? I must admit I'm reluctant to varnish again because even after careful preparation and many coats of quality yacht varnish applied indoors it only seems to last a couple of seasons. Doesn't help in the case of the hatch runners when everyone treads on them when stowing the mainsail.

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[ccscott49]

"Teak oil" Is not real teak oil, i`ts a petroleum product and suitable for any wood. Yes your runners are probably teak or iroko. Oiling them would be a good idea, especially if they get trodden on. Just a bit of oil every couple of months will keep them looking good.

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[mtomison]

I have been using Rustins oil on my toerail of a moody 38 for the last couple of years with some success. In the harsh Scottish conditions it is necessary to reoil every six weeks or so but this is a lot easier than scraping off varnish before overcoating. I have just touched up my rail today and whilst I had to scrape off about 5%, it was easy to remove and touch up, and tomorrow I will give two more coats which will do till may. If the old is is sound but not looking good it looks fine after a new coat is applied.

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