Varnish, Hull

[johnny breslin]

Im looking for advice on the varnishing of a hull of a 22foot open boat Larch on Oak New build. Im thinking about initially applying Epifanes PP extra varnish. It is a two component varnish based on alkyd resin/isocynanate, fast dry time excellent abrasion resistance. I was going to apply Epifanes yacht varnish on the last coats for extra uv protection. Any Advice Welcome. Thankyou In Advance, Johnny
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PP Varnish ExtraPP Varnish Extra

[David G]

Generally speaking, 2-part finishes dry harder, resist abrasion better, and maintain a gloss.

However. they are inflexible. Where the wood moves, the film of the finish doesn't. Something's gotta give. That will be the film. It will crack at the movement locales and water will intrude, and you'll have to clean up the mess. If you insist on a 'bright' finished hull, you'll be better off with a more traditional 'long-oil' formulation. My go-to is Interlux Schooner #96, but there are lots out there, including from Epifanes.

Save the 2-part for more stable substrates.

[Dave Hadfield]

It’s not a good coating for a hull. Massive work commitment.

Paint is your friend.

But on Drake we do keep some things varnished. The name boards. Some highly visible blocks. A cockpit table. Interior stuff.

Not the external hull. Obsessive time requirement.

[NickW]

If you're set on a bright finish, I would suggest you use Deks Olje D1 saturating oil which is easily maintained. If you want a high gloss finish then use Deks Olje D2 gloss finish on top of the D1.
https://www.boatpaint.co.uk/acatalog/DeksOlje.html

Nick

[dutchpp]

I would use at least 5 layers of le Tonkinois and if you really want a glossy finish, top it of with a couple of coats of standard Epiphanes yacht varnish.
It's a bit of work, but will be extremely beautiful, you could always switch to paint in the future

[SMARTINSEN]

Im looking for advice on the varnishing of a hull of a 22foot open boat Larch on Oak New build. Im thinking about initially applying Epifanes PP extra varnish. It is a two component varnish based on alkyd resin/isocynanate, fast dry time excellent abrasion resistance. I was going to apply Epifanes yacht varnish on the last coats for extra uv protection. Any Advice Welcome. Thankyou In Advance, Johnny
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PP Varnish ExtraPP Varnish Extra

photos would very much be appreciated.

[debenriver]

Is she clinker (riveted lapstrake) or carvel?

If carvel, are the seams splined and the fastening holes plugged?

If clinker, I would definitely not use a 2-part coating as they are too brittle. As David G says use International or Epifanes or similar traditional style varnishes. Thin the first coats and apply in total about 7 coats.

If carvel, splined and plugged, then 2-part coatings should be OK.

Cheers -- George