Varnish again.

[Seagreen]

Just for a mast and spars this time. Must be hard wearing, long lasting yet quite flexible. What do we like?

I think the Mast has a traditional varnish finish at the moment. I don't want to have to redo it for some 3 or 4 years.
Get off the floor, I've actually posted a boat question!

 

[Roach1948]

Well I used Epifanes, but I wish I had used Coelan, as it would have minimised work to almost nothing.

 

[Seagreen]

So why Coelan?

 

[Roach1948]

Ultra bending, flexible (upto 400%), breathable and almost maintenance free except for touching up damged areas. I dislike varnishing spars as they are always the most awkward things to varnish whether they are laying down or upright, so I would be tempted with a zero maintenance approach. I know a few East Coats yachts that are changing to Coelan - but for the moment I cant afford it.

 

[Seagreen]

Do I have to strip the mast back to bare wood or can I overcoat the existing stuff?

 

[Roach1948]

I'm afraid it is a start-again job! Hence my reluctance to do it this year.

 

[Seagreen]

Erm. I'll see how the cockpit goes. If I get all of that done by the end of March, I can hit the mast with Vigour. Given up on the deck recaulking, it'll just be patching for now.

 

[ccscott49]

I put coelan on my masts and spars five years ago, needs a coat now to make them shine again, but no damage and no maintenance in five years, the only reason for a coat soonish (maybe next year or so) is the shine has gone. Got to be the way to go. But as has been said back to bare wood and plenty of primer and six-eight topcoats, not cheap, but worth every penny.

 

[pyrojames]

I'm planning to try this stuff:

http://www.boatpaint.co.uk/acatalog/Boatpaint_co_uk_Shop_Two_Component_Varnishes__44.html

The previous owner had tehmast done with Stoppani, and it lasted 7 years in Mallorca without being touched.

 

[Roach1948]

Very good stuff indeed.

Roach has it everywhere! Cockpit, Deck, Raised topsides and rubbing strake. The only downside is that the cost and last summers downpours. It really needs around 7-10 coats of poliglass to look any good. I only managed 5-7 last summer in some high traffic areas and that stuff started to rub off. But the stuff that is properly applied has lasted and looks great.

 

[Seanick]

International Goldspar. Excellent gloss retention, abrasion resistance to halyards.

Colean. Overrated, fiddly, hideous mahogany stain, does not last as long as claimed, to soft, dull, blooms on a damp morning etc etc rant rant...

If you want a yacht finish, apply a yacht finish!
Save brown gunks sikkens, burgess etc for you greenhouse!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Seagreen]

Actually, Seanick, you wouldn't be the first Pro boatbuilder to recommend International. I'm currently trialling Varnol on a lot of surfaces, especially the Gunwhales and Capping. It has a nice easy "slap it on and forget it" application, but needs frequent topping up, which makes a pleasant job on a nice afternoon, but I can't easily refresh the coating on the mast, not without scaring the gulls and myself in the process. Enough coats and it looks and wears well, but the skipping a repeat application and it wears away fast. I suppose this is true of most varnishes.

 

[Seanick]

Agree re Varnol. Great smell too.
The pitch for Goldspar on masts is that if you do a good job, ie strip and apply 6 to 8 GOOD coats, its going to last for at least 3 years before you need to rub down and apply 2 more refresher coats. Most of my customers masts we do every other year. Saying that, they are bermudan, so no gaff jaw damage......
It stays so shiney, is hard enough to resist hsalyard chafe, but when the time comes, it succumbs to the hot air gun.
It also stabilises glued masts. I wont tell you how many under 10 year old mast we have replaced which were coated with Sixxens Cetol.....glue faliure due to dark colour and microporus finish......

Ever tried Ravilakk (Jotun)?

 

[ccscott49]

A tip, dont use the mahogany stain/primer! There is another one, which is only mildly pigmented. Plus I dont want to have to take my masts down evry two years to varnish them. By the way, it does last as long as it says, yes it will bloom on damp mornings, but in my experience, only on horizontal surfaces, where water lies, not on my masts. I use epifanes, everywhere else.

 

[Seanick]

I am glad its worked well for you. Maybe you followed the instructions and applied it correctly. If only people did the same with varnish, rather than expecting three coats to last 5 years!
My observations are that most swear by it (colean) having just paid for it........

Hear what you say re stain though. Noted.

 

[brokethebox]

A totally different suggestion that i've found has lasted well on GMC is a cement floor sealant named Bradite. It's a polyurethane moisture cure and soild and good looking. I now have all masts spars and some 60 something blocks done in it.

James

 

[ccscott49]

Which is what coelan started life as and is still used for, same formula basically.

 

[xtiffer]

Has to go back to bare wood.If you want a job that will last
for 5 years or more then apply 4 coats of Sicomin Wood Impreg 120 then 5 or six coats of their Polyurethane varnish.
Strong as steel and a true glasslike finish.
Produced in France but if I can get it in Turkey then you should not have a problem.

 

[dur]

I've used Epifanes, Schooner and Le Tonkinois to good effect. Favourite is Le Tonk but I wonder if you can't go too far wrong with any half decent stuff as long as you put it on properly and don't stop until you have at least 7 decent coats after the priming coats. As has been said many times - quality of finish depends mostly on the time spent with the sandpaper.

 

[lamasboat]

I am currently preparing a section of a boat for demostration to a possible client and trying Ravilakk-Jotun. I will let you know my observations.