Varnish

[Eric Sea Frog]

Now, the stupid question no one dares ask: I'll be the good boy.
redface.gif I never tried ordinary varnish on a boat. I suppose it's just not the thing to do, but what's the difference precisely ? Will an outdoor varnish melt in water ? Doesn't an outdoor varnish have to stand UVs as well ?
Of course my question has nthg to do with those two products' prices !!

[Jonathan Kabak]

From everything that I understand about it...

"Regular Varnish" ie the stuff you might find at a Dutch Boy or Benjamin Moore store is usually what is called spar varnish. This spar varnish provided we are not talking about spar urethane or some other new age stuff is generally the same type of product as your typical marine spar i.e. McCloughskys, Captains, Z-Spar, etc... Yes they are all UV resistant but just like any other type of coating they are not all equal. Some varnishes marketed to the Marine market have a greater concentration of UV blockers and perhaps salt inhibitors. I think if I remember correctly that one or several of the more promenant brands make a high build up varnish and a clear varnish that has extra uv protection in it for the final few coats.

I will not attest to which varnish is best (plenty of others have already done that).

My advise is as follows...

If you are using it as part of rig slush then use the inexpensive stuff.

same goes if you are using a linseed, turps, varnish mixture (which is applied more like oil then varnish)

If you are going for a high quality multi-coated surface then I would recommend getting a higher quality varnish.

Just my two cents,

Jonathan

[Eric Sea Frog]

Thx, I'll buy good stuff. Not so expensive.