Which varnish?

Starting with the teak frame hatches, which I have dissasembled, sanded, epoxied the joints, and put back together with new lenses, I am going to start varnishing the exterior teak, which has gone grey. I'd like to use a traditional varnish, since the boats that use Cetol in my marina show yellowing. Ideally, I figure if I get a good base, I can add a few coats during the year to keep it up.

What's a good choice for an all around varnish in terms of appearance and durability? In terms of drying times and number of coats, it seems like there are a couple tiers, Epifanes taking 24 hours between coats with 7-8 coats to bare wood, and then Petit and Interlux requiring less drying time and a couple fewer coats.

The WM guy was pushing something called "Wood Pro Plus" which isn't a varnish but a "finish," doesn't require sanding between coats, and dries quickly. I can't find anyone who has used it, nor have I seen the finish on any samples, so I'm a bit dubious.

Varnish

Chris - I've been using Interlux with good results, although my friends and neighbors at the marina seem to prefer Epifanes. I've also been using the Jet Dry Interlux for some of the base coats with good results and faster drying times and two coats in a day. There is a product called Japan Dry or something like that that helps with drying time, it might add a little color to the varnish but used in small amounts it improves dry time.

I just applied 6 coats of Honey Teak which is a Cetol like product. 3 coats of base and 3 coats of clear for UV protection. 3 coats one day, then scuff with red 3m and then 3 coats the next day. You could do them all in one day. You lay it down wet on wet. Practical Sailor gave it high marks for ease of use and durability. I think it also looks great. It has a pigment that will darken your teak so be sure to clean and sand first.

Really like the Interlux Schooner. Did well in Practical Sailor durability tests some years back. Epifanes and Z-spar Captain's were also highly rated.

I inquired with Martin King based on some stellar work he had done on hatches. Here is his response in a thread you should definitely check out (click in the 'thread' name at the top for the full thread - with photos):

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showpost.php?p=26640&postcount=11

I just did the hatch boards and trim using Cetol Marine. Practical Sailor used it as their hallmark to judge other non-varnish finishes. It's very forgiving and I like that it's flexible (won't crack like varnish), plus only 3 coats are required and no sanding between coats. The end results are satiny and very pleasing.

It's possible that some people in your marina used the household version of Cetol - the can looks the same but it is far less expensive. Perhaps the yellowing is due to that. My teak is looking great with the Cetol (I like the color it gives off - it's not clear), but to be honest it's too soon to tell what the long term results will be for me.

I varnished the sliding companionway hatch earlier using Interlux with 7 coats, and now, after only 2 months it has a hairline crack down the middle! I'm now going to have to sand it down a little and add more coats.

I used Epifanes the last time - was harder to work with than the Interlux but end results were similar.

FWIW - My Dad always gets fantastic results with varnish. His trick is to thin the first coat or two with about 1/3 thinner. He'd use less and less thinner as he applied subsequent coats.

Thanks for the replies!

Chris:

Attached photo is of my 1973 E27's original c-way hatch and boards after using Cetol.

Chuck--

Thanks for taking the time to post the photo. Most of the boats I have seen with Cetol have a much cloudier appearance; the grain on your boat looks clear. What Cetol did you apply? Has the finish stayed that clear? Do you keep it covered when not in use?

--Chris

treilley said:

I just applied 6 coats of Honey Teak

Click to expand...

After trying several types of varnish on my coamings and handrails, last year I bit the bullet and tried Cetol's Natural Teak. After removing all the original coating(s), cleaning and sanding, I laid four coats of Cetol and three coats of the Cetol Gloss.

A year later, the color hasn't morphed into that ubiquitous Cetol 'blush orange'; the texture and hue are quite attractive, in my opinion. Even better, there's virtually NO deterioration whatsoever. I'm planning to add two more gloss topcoats this summer.

Far as I'm concerned, I won't go back to regular varnish for exterior woods. I just don't have the time or interest in maintaining floating furniture.

YMMV.

Capt Dan G>E35II "Kunu"

Bristol Finish

Anyone have experience with Bristol Finish? Big advantage is that one can put on four coats in one day, one hour between coats with no sanding. Haven't tried it but a friend with years of experience recommends it highly.

>> Most of the boats I have seen with Cetol have a much cloudier appearance; the grain on your boat looks clear. What Cetol did you apply? Has the finish stayed that clear? Do you keep it covered when not in use?

Chris:

I used two coast of regular cetol, then two coats of Cetol gloss. Yes, the c-way hatch and boards are covered when not in use.

I have used 2 coats of Cetol light followed by 2-3 coats of Cetol clear gloss with very good results. With that said, I used the same stuff from the same cans ~2 years later and it came out quite dark with a bit of the orange tinge to it. The shelf life of Cetol appears to be limited, at least in my sometimes very hot garage.

I'm an Epifane man myself. Just really like the way it looks and feels. It's one coat a day, but if you live near your boat, you just drop in for a few minutes every day, and finally you get to the day when the tape comes off. I don't think anything beats it for beauty.

I ended up trying out the WM Woodpro Plus synthetic varnish on the teak hatch frames. Really easy application, and I got five coats on in two days. It looks pretty good, and the can claims it can be used as a base layer for traditional varnish (it's made by Epifanes), so if I want, I can overcoat it with the real stuff.

The really nice thing is having new lenses in the overhead hatches, which had gone opaque via UV. I had Tap Plastics make up new ones of 1/2" smoked acrylic--it's so nice to be able to look up and see the mast, location relative to other boats or landmasses in the anchorage, etc. I reused the old teak frames, and in retrospect, I probably should have built new ones since I had to sand the heck out of them and epoxy the joints back together--but I could always make new ones and use the new lenses if I had to.

Now it's on to the rest of the exterior wood...

Chris

I'm with you. This morning I removed the V berth hatch to refinish.

I'll never waste my time like that on the main hatch. The frame is a simple box frame with inadequate screws at the corners.

I'll get a new lens from McMasters ($50), sandblast it ($25) and install (0) by the weekend.

I've taken the dimensions and they're in the computer-next time I'm building from scratch.

John

CWM said:

Chris:

Attached photo is of my 1973 E27's original c-way hatch and boards after using Cetol.

Click to expand...

Nice job! I just purchased a 1971 E 27 and was wondering if you might know what the distance from the bottom center of the lower hatch board to the top center of the upper hatch board is? The boat is about three hours away and I traced the origional boards, cut new ones but did not account for the rabbets that allow them to interlock so I'm unsure of the total distance, bottom to crest.

I am using a new Cetol product called Cetol Natural. It looks great and doesn't have that orange Cetol color. It already has UV inhibitors in it. One season with 4 coats and it still looks great. I'll just recoat my rails this spring. I put it on with a cheap foam brush from Home Despot and throw it away.

Stay away from Bristol finish