Varnish or Epoxy Traditional Clinker?

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I have sanded a clinker pram (mahogany) but decided to strip it down to wood as the varnish keeps flaking off and a half varnish half wood would look odd on re varnishing.
What I am not sure about though is whether to give it a couple of coats of epoxy then varnish on top. I have done this on plywood dinghies and it saves a lot of work but does the clinker need more freedom of movement than the epoxy would allow. The dinghy is traditionly built with copper rivets.
 
I had an old clinker Merlin Rocket and varnish was recommended rather than epoxy. If the wood moves as it probably will, epoxy is too inflexible to cope with it. The copper fastenings probably mke it even more flexible.
 
I had a merlin rocket a great dingy i sailed her on the rivers coastal and Nofolk broads,sailed back from there to Maldon.

crusing today i suppose shes to small,but then a wayfarer went from Iceland to demamark via scotland(top of England) with a an Engish crew (from England)

i wouldent do nor have done that, myself for anything!!

A Merlin rocket is a fast sailboat and sits on the mud perfeftly! A perfect small cruiser. just dont forget to have some wine and "fray bentos" aboard?

I had my Merlin rocket varnished, only revarnished every second year and always looked wonderful

If your fastenings are loose??? then either re- rivit or just go on sailing--

Ill bet theres nothing wrong with the rivits so long shes not always on land uncoved. better always afloat on a bouy and still to have leaky rivits ummm just sail her!! And open her self bailers
 
Funny was having a conversation the other day about this.
I was told not to use epoxy on anything wooden except on double diagonal or marine ply as clinker and carvel need a minute freedom of movement and if you epoxy it one of the outcomes is that some of the planks could crack badly /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
Try a varnish such as goldspar not cheap but durable.
Hope this helps.
 
Use a traditional Yacht varnish.

Dont use a hard finish varnish like epoxy or polyurethane as it cracks and water gets underneath.

I recomend Epifanes varnish. UV proof and flexible!
 
My two-pennyworth,
Forget the epoxy. It it would be unforgiving of wood movement and more critically, would seal in water in the wood. Epoxy, moreover is not UV resistant, so the work would have to be varnished as well.
If varnish adherence is a problem use an oil finish such as Le Tonkenoise or Deks Ojlie rather than a hard varnish.
 
Just to expand on that - buy this month\'s Classic Boat!

The magazine has been running a long term test for varnishes, oil finishes, etc.

The test has now been running for two and a half years.

Current results are in this month's edition. It covers only finishes suited to real wood, i.e. not epoxy.

It makes informative reading. Basically, the contenders are Epifanes, le Tonkinois and, well out in front, Coelan.
 
Re: Just to expand on that - buy this month\'s Classic Boat!

I've epoxied ply dinghies, but would agree that on a planked wooden dinghy the epoxy joint would be stronger than the wood, leading to splitting.
Stay with a varnish. Non-polyurathene, as suggested.
 
Re: Just to expand on that - buy this month\'s Classic Boat!

Well that seems to be unanimous not to use epoxy. Thanks for the replies. I aim to use Epifanes.
 
Can't use coelan under water, it goes white, as it absorbs water. Dries out again, back to clear. Not reccomended. I'd just varnish it as I do mine, every two years.
 
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