gumwood rubrails left raw?

[bucky2]

This is a question for all you pacific northwest fish boat captains with gumwood stems on their boats. Ive got a sailboat in the Pac. NW with what I think are gumwood rubrails. Somebody sanded off the finish (if one was even on there) before I came along and I'm looking at finishing them. There wont be any metal bang strips fastened to the outside. Can gumwwod be left raw. Ive used db linseed oil on interior furniture but will it really hold up to sun and salt? Is Deks Olje any good? I'm ruling out varnish and cetol cause they wont stand up to the the abrasion. Any Ideas?

[Wild Wassa]

If you are expecting to give paint a whack or abrasion no paint can stand up to continual abrasion. If you repair the paint when something serious happens to it ... it will not matter what paint or varnish you use on the boat.

If the surface of the timber is old, eroded or rotting, CPES also called Mulltiprime could be a good wood preservative, sealer and primer, before varnishing or painting.

If you do paint the boat/rails seal the timber, problems like mildew can occur under the paint if you don't seal the timber.

Deks is not a hard material like a polyurethane paint. Deks is used because it goes on easily. Deks requires many coats of #1 and 2. Deks goes straight on to timber. Deks is easy but often. If you like Deks? ... you might like it a lot. Deks 1 has a good finish, Deks 2 is glossy.

Colours and clear in 2 pack water based marine poly will 'eventually' go hard and can take a whack and a bit of abrasion. Poly doesn't go on and is then hard, it takes months to cure to hard. Poly's hard is a flexible hard. It can take a certain degree of whacking and abrasion.

Warren.

[ 08-20-2004, 07:19 PM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[redsail]

Deks #1 would work well on your guards. I use it on 6'' wide gumwood cap rails that I used to varnish. Give it 3-4 coats to start and 2-3 a year after, guick and easy

[PeterSibley]

Whats gumwood?