Varnish/Sealing recommendations please.

[Phill]

My lovely old Quicksilver tender is getting a new floor. Its marine ply and I just wondered what people have found worked best for coating it. The boat hangs on davits most of the year where the floor is exposed to the sun. It's also often partly submerged in rain water when the transom drain gets blocked with leaves.

Your thoughts on a coat now and leave all season method are most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lakesailor]

I just used Burgess Hydrosol marine sealer for some interior work on my clinker dinghy as it got an excellent result in the Classic Boats test.
It's a slightly coloured satin finish which helped my pine thwarts blend in nicely with the oak and mahogany. It's also microporous which I find I need as some stupid sod has sealed imperviously the outside of the hull in the past. In addition it's amazingly easy to apply and can be overcoated within the hour.

I also used some Epifanes Clear Coat over some of that treated wood to give a nice semi-gloss finish and still retains microporosity. It still retains grip when wet.
I've done the thwarts and gunwhale. I just need to do the inner planks now to complete the job.

 

[tillergirl]

Fred Drift here Lakesailor. That dinghy really does deserve the finest pair of ash oars

 

[Lakesailor]

Honest. I've got oars, but the alloy ones are better for rowing with.

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ThreeSummers]

Coat all the plywood with epoxy, sand, re-coat, sand lightly, then paint it white with PU paint (to keep it cool), then install.

Do the first coat in the evening when its cooling down, with a slow hardener, that way the cooling wood draws the epoxy into the grain. If you do it when its hot, the wood out-gasses, and you don't get a watertight seal 'cos of all the little bubbles that WILL appear.

Make sure the wood is dry before doing it, and that ALL the wood is sealed, edges included.

That's what I would do.

 

[tillergirl]

That's better, Style Sir, Style!