Paint, oil, or VAHnish?

[Pernicious Atavist]

Well, seeing as I am awaiting delivery of the cypress planks for my skiff project, and seeing as I'll not know if the 1x8x16's will be too stout for the sides, and may need to be sent for thinning to 1/2", I figure we might discuss the finish for the interior.

The sides and bottom (recall this is traditional build--cross-planked)will be top-grade cypress, frame, chine log, etc, will be syp. Stern sheets, thwarts and other horizontal surfaces inside will also be cypress.

And...if it works...the breasthook and those "reinforcement pieces that go at the transon/side juncture," (hell are they called ) may just turn out to be made of old, well cured grapefruit from my tree lost to last year's hurricane (depends on how the cutting goes this week).

I see lots of boats are painted inside, but this would be a shame to do to cypress. Thus, I intend on varnishing the inside, OR, should I just oil? Or, both? Which works better? Worser?

Inquiring minds want to know....

[Bruce Hooke]

Walter Simmons' book Finishing has a good section on oil finishes (as well as lots of good information on painting and varnishing boats), so you might find it useful. The prep work for an oil finish and a varnish finish are about the same -- i.e., a lot more work than it would be if you were painting! However, it is probably true that when the time comes to renew the finish it will be less work if you use oil. Another reason to go with oil is because you will, of course, be walking and standing on some of the area in question (unless you paint the inside bottom or put in painted floor boards) and I think oil will stand up to this treatment better than varnish, as well as be better for traction.

[Venchka]

Cypress...drool.



Only way to do it! For what it's worth, the brightwork on Elisabeth Grace is either Epifanes Rapid-Clear over C.P.E.S. or Norwegian Varnishing Oil applied to bare cedar or spruce. Covey Island Boatworks in Nova Scotia sold me the Norwegian Varnishing Oil.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[ 06-08-2005, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: Venchka ]

[Jay Greer]

Oil is easier to apply to an interior as it is more forgiving to laps. But, after several seasons it will tend to have collected dirt and grime (especially if you live near an airport flight path). Eventuallly it will show signs of UV damage and then the scraping begins.

Varnish, thought more tricky to apply, will offer greater longevity if maintained. It is a pain to sand around frames, knees and stringers and apply more coats.

In the end, I would choose varnish for my own boat. But then I don't mind the maintanence.

[Venchka]

Ah yes, the Florida sun. Brutal on a good day.

Anyone who has ever been to Po-Boy's Riverside Inn in Lafayette, LA will understand when I say that painting cypress is a sin. However, I fully understand the difference between interior woodwork and a boat in the Florida sun.

Perhaps there is a middle ground...



...and let some of the cypress show.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[Pernicious Atavist]

when i look at all those nordic-type boats, many hulls seem to be finished bright, and i can't believe varnish will stand up to constant immersion. my experience with biled linseed oil is very good--i used it on my flintlock gun i carried in all conditions, all weather, for years, and to this day it's never need more than just a reoiling, 'course, it ain't a boat.....

wayne, the cypress will show! trust me!

[Venchka]

Originally posted by Pernicious Atavist:
...
wayne, the cypress will show! trust me!

I knew that.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[Pernicious Atavist]

uhhhhhhhhhh...that's BOILED linseed oil....sheesh

[pipefitter]

There is a bunch of houses in Florida still with their old growth cypress siding and even framing.I gues the "old" growth being the key to it's ability to hold finish well. I got a few boards of it from a demolition job and it was hard to get the old oil based paint off and this was from the sunny side of the house.Real pretty stuff tho in it's natural state. Real dense and heavy kind of like yellow pine and the grain is exceptionally tight.I almost bought reclaimed cypress for my skiff but H.Mahogany was about half the price so thats what I used.

[Pernicious Atavist]

mike! don't leave me hanging...what kind of trouble--cracking at the seams? woman trouble? irs?

[pipefitter]

I didnt have any info for varnish. I never saw the outside of a house varnished either. Just oil paint or stain. My comparison was how well the boards weathered to the outdoors. Seems varnish on any wood in a boat needs to be maintained.Seems the finish on cypress trimmed hot tubs holds up pretty well.Alot of the cypress clad houses are right on the waterfront and get blasted by spray off the seawalls. Seemed that there was room in this discussion for varnish on just some parts of the boat left bright as well.If the boat is trailered/covered,I bet it may not have as much exposure as one of those waterfront homes no matter how comparable the construction methods.
The look of natural cypress almost seems worth the trouble of maintaining it.

[ 06-08-2005, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: pipefitter ]

[Kermit]

Every year I paint more and varnish less. I think I'm getting smarter.

Paint, oil, and pine tar are for boats; varnish is for furniture and yachts.

And I'm with Mike.

[Pernicious Atavist]

i have experience with oil and vahnish, and the oil's never let me down, while the vahnish....as this IS a fishing boat and it WILL catch its fair share of H*LL, i reckon the oil is the way to go....

[Pernicious Atavist]

and the high grade cypress i have SHOULD be seen, eh, wayne?

[Venchka]

Aye. I'm jealous. I want some.

I would protect it with the N.V.O. from Covey Island Boatworks. You said yourself that Viking boats looked good with oil. The application is 2 stage: a 50-50 mix with turps applied hot to saturation. Wipe down the excess and let it sit in the sun for a week. Follow up with as many full strength coats as you like. Might be a bit of bother importing it. Sure does look and smell good. It has held up well under sandy foot traffic on the floorboards. Alas, the boat hasn't seen enough sunshine to know how it holds up in strong sunlight. My 2 Loonies worth.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[Pernicious Atavist]

update! (venchka, you here?)

i now have 10, 1x8x16, "select & better" cypress boards on my shop floor. tomorrow, i'll plane four of them (2 per side) down to 1/2". the remaining will stay at 3/4" for bottom, thwarts, stern sheets and transom. oh, it's pretty wood!

[Venchka]

Stop it!

I'm curious. The BF cost? For comparison shopping purposes only.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[Pernicious Atavist]

well, i'll let you do the math, but it was 29.48 16' piece (1x8)

[Pernicious Atavist]

about 2.45/bf?

[Pernicious Atavist]

the shame is that i have to plane the side planks to 1/2" to keep the weight reasonable...can i ship you a bag of shavings? top grade!

[Venchka]

Thanks. About the same here.

Wayne
In the Swamp.

[Pernicious Atavist]

ah, the problem is that the wood is a bit too thick--it's 16' and i think 3/4 thick sides will be too heavy, even if they are cypress...board width is the problem!

[Pernicious Atavist]

geez....board width is NOT the problem...really gotta learn to pay more attention when typing....

[Pernicious Atavist]

ah! i understand! no, this was 3/4" thick, cypress. NOW, it's 1/2" thick cypress, but only that for the sides. bottom, thwarts, etc. will be 3/4"

plywood? i'd rather avoid it in the future.