looking for the very best way to finish brite work

[ripley699]

Hi all,
I have made an offer on a boat.it was accepted with the caveat that I cannot buy for 8-9 weeks and he can continue to show/sell to someone else. i offered 10 K over his bottom line [with very good reason ,as odd as it may sound]
my quesion is this: let us take the wooden name board off her stern. it has suffered from the California /westcoast sun for too long and needs to move to New England.
the question is this :if you could do any thing you wanted to ,how would you prep/repair/refinish this piece of wood? same thing for the life lines: they are all wood from mid ship to the stern...what steps can I take so I won't be refinishing/revarnishing her every 4-6 months.You can use any method available to man.
Cost is not a problem as i hope to only do this chore once a year or less if done right.
down below she is one hundred % britework parquet floors ,a maple staircase down to the saloon.
and yes, she has some snot on her but much more is wood than snot .I apologize for this but it can't be helped. I will also need to refinish her spars as well ,a chore I look forward to [once or twice !] with a mast of 72+ - feet .I don't relish the thought of too many times
Thank you all for any info/insite you may offer.I am always amazed at the depth of knowledge on this forum . i look forward to hearing from as many people here as possible ..I would like this topside britework to be as bullet proof as possible
thanks again
Ripley esq.

[outofthenorm]

Keeping varnish in good shape is simple, but there is no magic short cut, and no do-it-once-and-forget-it solution.

Strip it, sand it, and varnish it with a good quality traditional tung-oil varnish. Start with 3 or 4 coats, 12-24 hours apart, no sanding in between. When cured - takes at least 3 days, better 7 - sand it with 150 grit until reasonably smooth, then apply 3 more coats, maybe 4, sanding in between. Then, every boating season, (or twice a year in a really hot climate) rub it down and put on another coat. Every boating season. Without fail. Miss a season - you have to start over. Do it every season and you can go 20 years without having to wood the piece.

You don't have to do everything all at the same time either. Once you get the hang of it, you can re-coat something in a remarkably short time. It becomes routine and after a while, both easy and pleasant.

- Norm

[ripley699]

Thank you ,Norm..
I would imagine that everybody has their favorites.. do you have a preference of which brand of varnish will hold up best under the rays of the sun ?This boat will spend about 15 months in the northeast and then ,I hope many years in the islands where the sun will once again begin to do her"damage dance".. To bring her her home from the left coast I plan to sail her thru the canal and up the east coast to New Hampshire next spring.
Thanks
Rip

[RFNK]

I'll bet Norm's right but I think we're all waiting with bated breath to hear the magic wand solution to this one! On my Folkboat I put epoxy over teak and then varnished over that. Some bits needed re-varnishing after about 6 months under the Australian sun but others, seemingly facing exactly the same sun, don't look like they need it at all. I wonder if a scientist could work out how that could be the case - did I put the varnish on a little thicker in some places, leave it a little longer between coats, or what? Anyway, I look forward, along with many others I'm sure, to hear the replies to this question! Rick

[Gold Rock]

[quote=ripley699;2325787]Hi all,

Cost is not a problem...

Then hire an expert to do it for you.

Alternatively... the scenerio you describe doesn't exist in the universe I've experienced so far. Norm's advise on a proper varnish job is the best I know of. Do not skimp on the number of coats. For hot sun environments, 9 to 12 coats would be minumum for decent performance, but there's no avoiding the cost of all that beauty.

[ripley699]

Hi Gold rock,
i don't intend to convey the idea that i have endless sums of money..But i do know that it is far wiser to spend an extra $100.00 now to avoid a refinish in 6 months..
I asked for advice on what everyone felt was a good way to refinish sun eposed wood in the best way possible ,a way that would minimize the frequency of re-do's.this is new to me.
I believe there many here amongst us who have more experience than others,myself included. important part of owning a boat is the daily upkeep and knowing that she is in the best condition possible...at an overall lenght[including the bow sprit ] of 57 feet and lots of britework,i felt that it would be wise to ask those who
had gone there before me..... this is my first "BIG BOAT" as far as being an owner..i think that you would agree that any information i can glean from this forum would be very useful...and I do plan to ask many,many questions..do you think I'm wrong?
All thoughts and advice would be appreciated

Thanks
Rip

[outofthenorm]

Ripley, I use Interlux Original Spar varnish #90, but that's just a long-time habit, not a real recco. I think any good, old-style varnish is a viable choice. Many here swear by Behr spar varnish, for example, and some prefer Epifanes, or Captain's or? I like the Interlux because it smells good going on, the gloss is just to my taste, and it's very forgiving, meaning you don't need a letter perfect day to put on a coat.

I've tried Deks Olje on various woods - white-oak, doug fir, mahogany, cypress. I like it for spars, but not for horizontal surfaces. The #1 seems to penetrate a lighter, softer wood (like sitka) and the # 2 bonds and protects well. I've had less success with it on rails and hatches.

As for the size of the upkeep problem - it's bad at the beginning, when you are still figuring out what to use and how to use it. But once you find a varnish you like, brushes you don't hate, and the right attitude, IMO it's part of the pleasure. The payback for doing it well is pretty good.

http://gallery.me.com/outofthenorm/100013/100_0027/web.jpg?ver=12326502820001

One other thought, remember that no matter what you use, it's about protection, not perfection. Blemishes and bumps are part of the beauty. What's important is to maintain a fresh, unbroken top coat at all times.

- Norm

[Canoeyawl]

If you limit the brightwork to vertical surfaces and avoid the horizontal stuff, you can add quite a bit of time to your maintenance intervals.

[Lew Barrett]

. It becomes routine and after a while, both easy and pleasant.

- Norm

Sort of. :D

[Seneca]

I have been using Le Tonkinois with great results and it is not sanded between coats ... ever... only scuffed with a Scotch-Brite pad. It's flexible and has no solvents..pure tung and linseed oils. Available online; just Google it. Kush available by mail order is supposed to be good as well.

[JimConlin]

....But i do know that it is far wiser to spend an extra $100.00 now to avoid a refinish in 6 months..
...
Thanks
Rip

On a boat of that size, nothing takes that little money.

[2MeterTroll]

paint

[Lew Barrett]

Cheap paint at that!:D

[Gold Rock]

Paint is a grand alternative as well. Much more durable than any varnish I've ever used. I use Epiphanes myself. I think folks who have strong preferences for a brand are those that do a good job of application. Like Norm suggests, my choice is because it's performed well for me, but that's as much because I do a very thorough job of applying it as due to the quality of the product. Classic Boat mag published the results of a test on clear finishes last year sometime. The winner of their test, which included all the ususal suspects, was a product called Coelan. I know nothing about it other than it won by a margin of a couple of orders of magnitude. It's apparently pricey and I don't think there's a USA distributor, but I could be wrong. Good luck.

[ripley699]

"good luck " Thanks ,I'll need it !
My biggest concern is actually selling my building lot in time to free up the cash so i can buy her free and clear..
After that I will prolly hound you all !

I hadn't planned to buy this boat for another 2 years + - but he dropped the price so quickly that I can't pass it up,,,even it she has to sit on the hard for this winter & spring...
Thanks for all the advice ,,,I hope to be back for more.

[Seneca]

I have seen Coelan; it's made in Germany and is distributed in the USA; you can do a Google search and find it. I think it's very plastic looking, probably because it is plastic. But it lasts and lasts, I understand.