Poll: Life after Behr Spar Varnish

[wizbang 13]

hmmm, here's a lil pic being used for the PTWBF on Facebook...looks like a CETOL deck in the foreground !

[sp_clark]

This isn't the same as what used to be labeled as "Super Spar" once sold by HD?

Seems to be limited to their Pro division... there's a pop-up for local Pro rep that'll point you to a BOB retailer nearby.

[Dinghy Pipedreams]

If one owns a boat with old orange Cetol that needs a few scrapes and dings touched up, what color ("model" name)of the newer Cetol would be a match or close? I've been reading here and elsewhere that the newer orange tint is a different color/tone. I imagine that using a different Cetol color would not go well without ls t sanding off the original orange? Can't seem to find a definite answer elsewhere online so far. What do you old Cetol users use in this case?
Thanks.

[ron ll]

I use Cetol Marine, yellow label. But NOT Cetol Marine Gloss, which is a bit different. I’ve found that even the original orangeness would mellow out in a few days. Here is a pic of the “Marine” yellow label, about a year old on my fir deck.

0ED98CE7-388C-46EA-935C-D1C1CD82BC04.jpg

[Dinghy Pipedreams]

Thanks for the pic Ron! My gunnels and seats are fir as far as I can tell so this is very helpful.
Did you find it hard to get the yellow to blend in completely with the orange? What color did bare wood dings/scrapes take on (I'm assuming more yellow than the surrounding older orange so it always shows the difference a little? At any rate in your pic, the two seem to blend pretty well.

I've found it surprising that Cetol doesn't produce the original orange at least as a smaller touch up can seeing as that finish is....everywhere in most marinas.

I always thought I'd hate the orange ( I have it on my big boat too) on the dinghy but for some reason it looks right on this one. I have yet to do a retouch/revarnish (cetol) job (ever) but will start with the dinghy.

I do like Cetol overall. It's worn very well for 30-ish years on the 31. (I have no idea how many times it was touched up or redone but we've had "her" for a decade now.

[Boatbum]

I met a guy whose varnishing puts mine to shame. He does a curious thing. He mixes Captains into his Epiphanes. On colder days it helps it dry faster without the need for Japan Drier and it makes the finish just a little harder.

[harlm19]

Epifanes tends to be the single pack varnish of choice, even of Venetian water Taxi builders as I discovered last year while visiting one. However I prefer white paint for foils ... For the reasons that Jim has stated, easy to fill and fair, also because you can spot weed easier and also if you are sailing in shallow water you can eyeball how close you are to the bottom.
Two pack gives you a harder finish if you are considering burnishing or fine wet and dry.
The finish of your foils are probably more important than that of the bottom of your boat. Pay particular attention to the tip, trailing and leading edges.

[John Howland]

I used Waterlox Marine finish a transparent finish modified tung oil for years. Worked well for me. But I have no analytical data and my empirical data would be controversial.
I have heard it said "That if you do what it says on the label and it will do what it says on the label."
None of them hold up to mother nature for long.

[SeniorLady]

I want to touch up a couple small bare spots on the rails of my Sanderling. I was told that it is Cetol on the rails. I have contacted the precious owner to ask what color Cetol was used. Any guesses based on this photo? (Not sure why the photo is turned 90 degrees.)
20220628_Cetol.jpg

[Hwyl]

....

[wizbang 13]

I want to touch up a couple small bare spots on the rails of my Sanderling. I was told that it is Cetol on the rails. I have contacted the precious owner to ask what color Cetol was used. Any guesses based on this photo? (Not sure why the photo is turned 90 degrees.)
20220628_Cetol.jpg

What flavor of wood is that?
If a mahogany type, I'd say it is the" teak light", if it's fir/white cedar/etc , then the original orange.

[peter1708]

18 coats of Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss - 4 after building boat in 2014, 14 more applied over a 2 week period in 2020. Pete
1 from Ty.jpg

[SeniorLady]

thanks. I'll try to figure out the flavor of wood.

[SeniorLady]

That should have been 'previous owner', not 'precious owner'!

[Cedar Rowboat Guy]

Hi all Question: I want to add a sealer to oars for my rowboat and then varnish. If i do can I add the sealer in October and then wait until warmth in spring to add varnish on top or does varnish have to be applied soon after sealer is applied. Thanks anyone.

[Yeadon]

Seal it up and get back to the project when you can.

[Dano355]

Has anyone on this forum used Total Boat Gleam 2.0 varnish? Why isn't it listed in the poll?

[Asgeir]

Fans of "Le Tonkinois" - which one do you use the "original" or the "Vernis Marine No 1" ?
vernis-letonkinois-2L5-324x324.jpg

tonkinois1.jpg

[Yeadon]

Poll continues to suggest that the majority of people who participated in the poll continue to not use Epiphanes.

[Yeadon]

Why isn't it listed in the poll?

Thanks for your question. Read post #1.

[Asgeir]

For a premium result I like International Schooner - the original with tung oil but it is hard to find.
I think Schooner Gold is pretty good too - the high build and increased durability are appealing claims...
I don't like International Compass...
For a non-premium varnish I think Hempel Dura Gloss Varnish is a good product.

[Paul Schweiss]

Poll continues to suggest that the majority of people who participated in the poll continue to not use Epiphanes.

Huh? I thought the Poll indicates Epifanes the most preferred varnish?

[Asgeir]

STOPPANI Classic Yacht Varnish is often used in Italy on Riva runabouts.
Boero Altura UV also has a good reputation.

[Yeadon]

Huh? I thought the Poll indicates Epifanes the most preferred varnish?

55 votes so far. Of those, 30 votes were not for Epiphanes. Most people prefer "not Epiphanes."

[Paul Schweiss]

Ok, but the rest of the votes are spread across 9 other varnishes, and the 2nd place vote getter has less than half the votes Epifanes has, so it is far and away the most popular coating.
Seemed like a very odd comment when looking at your chart.

[StevenBauer]

Surprising how many didn’t stock up on Behr Super Spar Varnish when they had the chance….

[Yeadon]

Can you imagine how many more would not have voted for Epiphanes if they'd just had the foresight?

[dalekidd]

Late to the polling booth.

Guess I'm an outlier. Technically I don't use varnish. I use Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. Four coats, keep boat in garage, finish lasts forever. Well, maybe not forever - but at least 9 years.

[Canoeyawl]

Flagship...

[Ted Hoppe]

I use Cetol Marine, yellow label. But NOT Cetol Marine Gloss, which is a bit different. I’ve found that even the original orangeness would mellow out in a few days. Here is a pic of the “Marine” yellow label, about a year old on my fir deck.

0ED98CE7-388C-46EA-935C-D1C1CD82BC04.jpg

Yep. The orange of yesteryear is nearly gone and the application is simple. Tougher than varnish if you want to use your boat rather than take it to a boat in a bottle contest.

I think cetol out performs varnish on my cabin top where sheets and lines rub and beat against the sides and sun scorches and weathers on it between the 12 months with a 1 day application.

CF1CC90E-2E8D-4CA9-B391-47008525E460.jpg

[Lew Barrett]

I did a dumb thing and French polished an Indonesian monkey wood table. It was the worst finishing experience of my life but it was gorgeous for about three days. I was quite proud of the achievement but I learned something. I will never do a dining table in shellac again. I knew when I was doing it that it was going to be something of a mandala but it took on a strange progression. I originally planned just to seal the wood with shellac and lay on a few coats of varnish but somehow I fell into thinking that I should French polish the whole thing and it would be OK. If I had to do the table again, I'd oil it. We found it on Craig's List and it was so much cheaper than the wood. I like it!

At some future point I may hit it with some Epifanes or Flagship or maybe even cheap poly. Which bring me to my vote. I think it's easier to work with Flagship than Epifanes which can be fussy but I have more experience with Epifanes so I tend to use it habitually. But tables are easy so I will probably use Epifanes. But I do believe Flagship is a beautiful, fast building product and is less fussy about temperature and possibly substrates too. I think they're equal in quality and that Flagship can lay out really flat rather easily but I cast a vote for Epifanes anyway. Here's the table stripped, and second photo shows it in process as you can see. I sometimes miss having a boat but I no longer miss working on one.

For Yeadon: Fancy. Fine Paints of Europe. Is that a new you?

IMG_1229.jpg

IMG_1239.jpg