What wood finish?

[Gordonmc]

I had a similar bad experience with Deks Olje many years ago, after using many layers of the base coat to soak in and then the top coat, but was applying it to a mahogany type hard wood. Went over to woodstain and this is widely used in Orkney and Shetland.
However, to be fair to Deks Olje wooden boats in Norway tend to be built of larch or similar and I have seen many nice oiled hulls over there so its perhaps a case of it only working well on the type of wood it was developed for.

I tend to agree that there is no such thing as a perfect cover for all woods. After seeing some oiled boats from Norway on the Banff - Stavanger race I did the exterior mahogany brightwork with Deks, both No 1 and 2 with the recommended number of coats. It lasted barely a year. Since going to Le Tonkenois I haven't looked back. I normally buy from a UK distributor from his boat-jumble stall to save postage costs.
Coelan has its enthusiasts, but again much depends on the wood its used on. An acquaintance had to strip the coelan off his newly bought teak boat as water had got under the surface and the stuff was coming off in sheets. It is possible the prep. was not as rigorous as required; ie. strip to bare wood, de-oil with acetone, one coat of Coelan primer and then multiple coats of Coelan, all on the same day. That regime is far from practical.

 

[Mukes]

But isnt it slippery when its wet? Looks as though it could turn into a skating rink.

This was my worry but Coelan do say it is naturally non-slip - which I was very sceptical about. Before I applied non slip beads I wanted to try it this summer and in very wet conditions it was fine, with deckshoes, as the surface has a strange rubbery texture - despite being shiney.

 

[Vitalba]

Collars the mast and spar maker have just published the result of a two and half year varnish test they have carried out using a new round Sitka spar (one side UV exposed the other not).
Epifanes with Extra UV seems to have faired the best with Seajet UV close behind. The result on some of the other 6 tested were disappointing to say the least.
It is interesting that the two winners, one well known brand and the one I`ve never heard of both include Tung oil, but the then so does Blakes Classic which performed less well than their cheaper Favourite.
I have recently had dealings with Collars and found them exceptionaly helpful and very reasonable so if you need a new mast for your 100 foot Classic or a paddle for your canoe, I think you could do a lot worse. (I am not connected in any way). VITALBA.

 

[jswindel]

Has anyone tried using just pure tung oil as opposed to linseed or teak oil? I have read that it is very good and it is not too expensive. They even sell it in our local DIY store.

 

[Vitalba]

Has anyone tried using just pure tung oil as opposed to linseed or teak oil? I have read that it is very good and it is not too expensive. They even sell it in our local DIY store.

I have used Tung Oil on our kitchen teak work surfaces. This has lasted remarkably well over three years even around the sink where it is subjected standing soapy water. However this is not quite the same as hot and cold and the odd burst of UV when its not being dowsed with water - salt or otherwise - when out in the elements
I used Deks D1 (thats the oil not the varnish) on the seats and locker lids in Vitalba`s cockpit on advice from this Forum and am pleased with the results. My problem was that the wood (Iroko) had dried out and was warped and split and a high finish would visually only amplify this condition. The Deks Oil leaves a satin finish which is I suspect is not as slippery as varnish (ideal in the cockpit). You must however follow the directions and keep the surface wet for as long as possible thereby allowing the oil to soak in. I kept it fluid for over a day. Any excess should then be removed from the surface or it will form a skin - as the tin says it should be in the wood not on the top. VITALBA

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

Sikkens Cetol !!

 

[oldharry]

I used Deks D1 (thats the oil not the varnish) You must however follow the directions and keep the surface wet for as long as possible thereby allowing the oil to soak in. I kept it fluid for over a day. Any excess should then be removed from the surface or it will form a skin - as the tin says it should be in the wood not on the top. VITALBA

Yes - did that: fresh coat every 8 - 12 minutes over around 6 hours. I then used Deks 2, again exactly as per instructions. Looked like a million dollars - until it all started to go wrong 18 months later. Now it looks far worse than I started with, and I strongly suspect is going to be a great deal more work to get back to bare wood.

It the 'soaking in to the timber' bit that worries me: is that going to stop anything else sticking to it? As far as I can tell from scraping back one or two small areas, the Deks 1 'oil' has dried out completely. Or am I now stuck with the depressing grey weathered teak look for a year or two while it dries out sufficiently to allow something more durable to 'take'? Is there a solvent that might speed it up? The yard 'know it all' suggests cleaning with Acetone. But...

 

[Tranona]

Yes - did that: fresh coat every 8 - 12 minutes over around 6 hours. I then used Deks 2, again exactly as per instructions. Looked like a million dollars - until it all started to go wrong 18 months later. Now it looks far worse than I started with, and I strongly suspect is going to be a great deal more work to get back to bare wood.

It the 'soaking in to the timber' bit that worries me: is that going to stop anything else sticking to it? As far as I can tell from scraping back one or two small areas, the Deks 1 'oil' has dried out completely. Or am I now stuck with the depressing grey weathered teak look for a year or two while it dries out sufficiently to allow something more durable to 'take'? Is there a solvent that might speed it up? The yard 'know it all' suggests cleaning with Acetone. But...

Been there! Did the same job on my Douglas Fir mast a few years ago. Was great for one year, film started to break at the end of year 2 so scraped it back to bare wood. No sign of the two tins of D1 that supposedly soaked in! Cleaned with acetone and recoated in Sikkens Novatec/Novatop. After 5 years with the front face permanently exposed to the prevailing SW winds, still seemed intact so took mast out (mainly to check rigging) - light rub down and recoat in Top restored the sheen.

Provided you accept the lack of high gloss and the darkening of some woods, IMHO this is the perfect coating for a maintenance free finish. All my "brightwork" - coachroof sides, hatch framings, toe rails rubbing strakes etc is finished with it and the overall effect is very pleasing.

 

[Woodlouse]

Yes - did that: fresh coat every 8 - 12 minutes over around 6 hours. I then used Deks 2, again exactly as per instructions. Looked like a million dollars - until it all started to go wrong 18 months later. Now it looks far worse than I started with, and I strongly suspect is going to be a great deal more work to get back to bare wood.

It the 'soaking in to the timber' bit that worries me: is that going to stop anything else sticking to it? As far as I can tell from scraping back one or two small areas, the Deks 1 'oil' has dried out completely. Or am I now stuck with the depressing grey weathered teak look for a year or two while it dries out sufficiently to allow something more durable to 'take'? Is there a solvent that might speed it up? The yard 'know it all' suggests cleaning with Acetone. But...

I often give wood a couple of coats of D1 before varnishing. It doesn't stop it from sticking.

 

[Seanick]

Harry, I think you need to remove all timber from your boat, clean and coat the back and all faying surfaces before rebedding on buytl rubber. Untill you do that you will always have problems with damp 'coming through from behind' and blowing off any coatings.
Unless you do that I would leave it scrubbed to avoid dissapointment! ;-)

 

[oldharry]

Ouch! Thanks Seanick - you will have seen the state it was in when you were aboard the other day. Certainly scrubbing back and living with the 'weathered' look would be simplest. But it has only happened on horizontal surfaces - all the vertical surfaces are as good as new. And in any case there is lots else to do - as you probably noticed!