Varnish options

Kelpie

Kelpie

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This winter I am taking various bits off the boat to varnish. I have access to a fairly large heated loft space to do the work. Cabin doors, sole boards, one of the coachroof handrails, the mast spreaders, washboards, sliding hatch, and any other small bits and bobs that are easily removed from the boat.

All of the exterior wood had previously been treated with some sort of brown woodstain which is pretty yucky. The interior pieces have been varnished, except the sole boards which appear to just be bare plywood (maybe they were varnished once upon a time, but it's clearly long gone now).

Firstly, the spreaders- I'm not too bothered about the aesthetics here, as they will be 20ft up in the air. But I do need something that will keep them in good nick and will cope with UV. First thought was epoxy seal and then a 2-pack PU varnish for the ultimate protection. Might be overkill though as the presumably cheapo wood stain currently on them doesn't seem to have done that bad a job.

The handrail, washboards etc- I'm tempted to use Woodskin as this is what is on the toerails, so it should all match up. Although it does seem a shame not to use a proper varnish when I have the chance.

Interior doors- I guess any old varnish will do? Does it even have to be yachtie, or would waterbased Ronseal be OK?

Cabin sole- I've read up on this and it seems that Ronseal diamond hard varnish is very popular.


It's going to be a busy winter :D
 
I used several coats of International Goldspar Satin on the sole boards 12 years ago and they're still OK 12 years later despite up to 8 months aboard each year, although shoes rarely worn. Did the apartment wood block floor with water based (foreign brand) 3 years ago and that's still fine and I would use it on any interior boat woodwork, can overcoat in a couple of hours in warm climate if not sanding between coats. Exterior, I use Woodskin on cockpit table and grab rails and quite happy with results. Sounds like you may have Burgess Woodseal now, that needs stripping off before applying varnish.
 
Cant comment on the outside , but I used a polyurethane varnish for the inside , sanded all down the teak , and mixed 75% white spirit with 25% varnish for first coat , this helps tie the varnish,
2nd coat 50% 50%
3 coat 100% varnish
A lot of hard work but the results are nice
Good luck
 
Lightwave395 said:
Am I reading this correctly - you really have wooden spreaders...?
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Yup. Boat dates from 1970. Spreaders are, I think, teak, and very substantial. They aren't your normal skinny tube or aerofoil type- they are more of a long thin triangle, with the base as wide as the mast. They are great for standing on when you are half way up the mast!
 
Graham376 said:
I used several coats of International Goldspar Satin on the sole boards 12 years ago and they're still OK 12 years later despite up to 8 months aboard each year, although shoes rarely worn. Did the apartment wood block floor with water based (foreign brand) 3 years ago and that's still fine and I would use it on any interior boat woodwork, can overcoat in a couple of hours in warm climate if not sanding between coats. Exterior, I use Woodskin on cockpit table and grab rails and quite happy with results. Sounds like you may have Burgess Woodseal now, that needs stripping off before applying varnish.
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Thanks. I'm not sure what the woodstain is, but it's got a dark brown colour that completely hides the grain and colour of the teak- like a very thin paint. So it will all be coming off anyway.

I've had some good results with Woodstain, but also some less good results- and I don't understand why, as it's not been as simple as a different batch, or different type of wood. I suspect something like humidity was to blame. I think the look is perfectly acceptable, and the easy overcoating (no more scraping off the old stuff!) is a big bonus. However it lacks abrasion resistance so I may go with a proper varnish for things like washboards, which tend to get abused quite a bit.
 
For interior use, we have been using the water based Ronseal and it seems to work fine. Someone on this forum gave a very good piece of advice with it - if you want a silk or matt finish, put a coat or two of gloss on first and finish off with one coat of the silk or matt in the same colour. You really need multiple coats to develop enough protection, but multiple coats of silk or matt tend to end up looking a bit cloudy - obscuring the grain.
 
I use Le Tonkinois for the exterior teak, although here in the UV-rich med, it lasts a mere year on the more exposed parts (pulpit seat is the worst, being all exposed and often with sun focusing droplets and abrasive dirt on it). It then starts to flake a bit, although only on the surface layer, so the wood would probably be protected for a few more years before it really comes off the wood beneath. Easy to refresh by wet sanding until back down to sound varnish and then applying more coats over it - no need to ever strip it off. It also smells very nice and is all natural hippie varnish. It's not particularly abrasion resistant though - the bit where the ropes come off the winches always chafes off by mid season, although thanks to the varnish having soaked in very deep (never use thinned), the wood is still protected and no water gets in to blacken anything. It is also surprisingly non-slippery (we have it on the cockpit coaming cap, which I occasionally stand on).

For interior, Ronseal Exterior (I know) Yacht Varnish Satin, mostly because it's a very good match for the existing finish. It's not water based and stinks awfully for a long time though. Good ventilation required.

I did also use Ronseal Quick Dry Woodstain Satin to slap on the cockpit table, as the veneer was too knackered to varnish anything. Didn't expect much from it, but to my surprise, it's still there after 3 years of use and even handled hot drinks and food. It is spending half the year under a canvas cover though. It comes in a large variety of choices, none of them even remotely match the words used, i.e. our "Teak" one is far too dark. Try a sample first and buy lighter shades than you expect.

Hate the Woodskin look - reminds me of bad spray tan.

No idea about cabin sole - ours are synthetic laminate, which is bloody great. They're from 2001 and look like new.

Le Tonkinois in cockpit:
varnish_after.jpg


Ronseal Exterior Yacht Varnish Satin matches our Bavaria 2001 varnish pretty well:
varnishmatch.jpg


Woodstained cockpit table (this is a mix of solid teak edges, plywood with the teak veneer half gone and epoxy filler repairs to it):
table_stained.jpg
 
Hmmm, I'm starting to wish I had used Le Tonkinois instead of Woodskin on my toe-rails etc. From what I've read it appears to have similar ease of use and touch-up, but looks better- more like proper varnish.
 
Kelpie said:
Hmmm, I'm starting to wish I had used Le Tonkinois instead of Woodskin on my toe-rails etc. From what I've read it appears to have similar ease of use and touch-up, but looks better- more like proper varnish.
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I'd be interested to hear how long your Woodskin lasts. I applied some on my grab rails on the coach roof last season and it "evaporated" in less than six months. I've never been so disappointed with a product that is so highly recommended.
 
I have tried a few finishes on my toe rail and currently find Woodskin the most efficient. It is an area which takes knocks, foot traffic and rope abrasion, so do not expect too much of any solution, which makes Woodskin (at least for me) appropriate. 3 coats does a couple of years looking reasonably good, but its big advantage is the ease by which it can be prepped up for a re-fresh. I use Le Tonk on things like hatchway surround and bits of trim )lovely stuff!), polyurathane varnish or Epiphanes on the bowsprit and either Epiphanes black or international Goldspar satin down below. The main hatch boards are epoxy coated with polyurathane or Epiphanes on top - and this is the most stable/durable varnishwork topsides.
 
Look at Coelan, its a liquid plastic with 15% elasticity. I used it on the varnished parts of my boat in Greece and 6 years later it was as good as new, just needed regular wipes with a damp cloth. Provided you follow the instructions, it's an easy fix. Albeit upfront cost is higher than varnish, offset against another 5 years of lounging instead of varnishing!!
 
PS I also recall one of the yachting mags did a long term test of yacht varnishes and Coelan was the product with best result.
 
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