To varnish or not?

[Dominic11]

i'm refinishing my 1963 Dickerson Ketch. There is a bit - not very much - of exposed wood on deck - toe rail, tiller, handholds and cabine door. Can i just sand the old varnish off and let it weather or must i treat the wood with some type of penetrating oil (Linseed Oil ?) to prevent drying out. I'd rather avoid the yearly ritual of sanding and varnishing...i think the wood is mahogany.

[Jay Greer]

My son once summed up boat maintenance in this manner; "How long do you think your wife or girlfriend would stay with you if you never bought her dinner, a good bottle of wine, nice things to wear or took her to a spa?"

So, I would say that part of the pleasure of owning a wooden boat is in taking good care of it. Personaly, I like a bit of varnished wood on a boat.
Jay

[SailBoatDude]

The only way to escape yearly duties of varnishing is to use 2 part polyurethanes and still have some duties every couple of years or paint over the bright work. Keeping natural wood finishes, exposed to the elements is about the hardest thing to do. Traditional oil finishes require several coatings per year to keep them looking good, so are not what you're looking for. Brown paint is the easiest to care for.

[nessboat]

I,m with Jay on this this ,a wee bit of TLC at least once a a year shows her you really "care"...lol

[SailBoatDude]

Once a year isn't "shows you really care"

[Dan Payne]

Cetol Light and Cetol Marine Gloss! I know half the forum will crucify me for this, but in San Diego, with over 300 sunny days a year (maybe closer to 350) traditional varnish simply does not last and you become a slave to the bright work. Two undercoats of the light, 3 of the gloss...DONE! 6 months later, wipe down with a scotch brite pad, and do one or two more gloss coats. DONE, for 6 more months. Tradition varnish looks better. But Cetol looks fine when you consider the time savings. Don't leave your mahogany unfinished or oiled. Looks like crap.

[Dominic11]

I appreciate the advice...and from my own reading (Don Casey) i have discovered that while Teak can be left bare, mahogany needs treatment....
given that i think its mahogany, any votes on the best varnish to use - i want durability over all else, and nice looks, of course :)

[JimConlin]

I appreciate the advice...and from my own reading (Don Casey) i have discovered that while Teak can be left bare, mahogany needs treatment....
given that i think its mahogany, any votes on the best varnish to use - i want durability over all else, and nice looks, of course :)

Now you've done it. You've said the secret word that brings the duck down. You've stepped on the landmine.
The question that evokes the most heat and the least light here is which brand of varnish is best.
Others may disagree, but the answer is Epifanes.

Flame on!

[gimmellsmom]

We're using epifones, partially because of reputation/history partially due to the limited products availabe in Canada. There are less
expensive options available though!

[SailBoatDude]

Like I said, the two part polyurethanes.

[Dominic11]

Ok; thanks for that. Now an interior paint question -
best white glossy finish - i have a Herreshoff style cabin -
best primer, and most important, best way to fill nicks and holes, etc...

[Ian McColgin]

Different clear coatings serve, or sometimes misserve, different purposes. There are boats, usually motor boats or motorboatlike sailboats, where the deep plastic sense that the two parts give - almost like bartop - is just the right effect. However, the two parts in my experience are a bit harder and are not suitable for spars and many places that take abuse. Also, a really good job with 8+ coats of well-applied varnish has a warmth that just can't be matched.

If you don't have the talent or the patience or if you have a vapor problem, especially coming up through iron fastenings, Cetol with or without CPES sealer, may be the ticket.

Experiment.

G'luck

[BrianM]

I've oiled my handrails as I don't want a slick surface on something I need to GRIP in an emergency. Easy to touch up, no sanding required and they look "right".