Varnish, first time...

[rgano]

I have tried sanding and buffing the Awlwood. But I can never get the same shine as when its first put down. I start with 300 and work my way up to 1000 and then cut and buff with a 9" buffer followed by a 4" slow speed buffer. It looks ok, but not great. So this time I just rolled/back brushed and left it. There are some little bumps, but I just left them and put the table in the boat and called it done. It looks 1000 time better than when I started. Time will tell if I should have just re-oiled it or if this was the right thing to do.
As soon as I finish up my new fastback cover I will start in on the new swim step. I have a pile of teak sitting in the garage ready to go!

I have never tried to shine up a coat of varnish or paint because I simply do not have the skills or gear, but I did watch a professional use 3000-grit disks to polish the Awlcraft patch he painted onto my hull. He finished off with Finesse on a buffer wheel. PERFECT match and sparkles like a diamond.

 

[RonR]

I have never tried to shine up a coat of varnish or paint because I simply do not have the skills or gear, but I did watch a professional use 3000-grit disks to polish the Awlcraft patch he painted onto my hull. He finished off with Finesse on a buffer wheel. PERFECT match and sparkles like a diamond.

Yes a skilled person can work magic!
I will be changing back to perfection plus for the Port side tow rails next year. Its not as clear as the Awlwood, nor as scratch resistant. But it is easy to put down, and I can sand/buff to a good gloss. I do plan on using the Awlwood for my swim step. As I think it will last much longer than the perfection plus in the very wet environment it will live in.

 

[rgano]

Yes a skilled person can work magic!
I will be changing back to perfection plus for the Port side tow rails next year. Its not as clear as the Awlwood, nor as scratch resistant. But it is easy to put down, and I can sand/buff to a good gloss. I do plan on using the Awlwood for my swim step. As I think it will last much longer than the perfection plus in the very wet environment it will live in.

Varnishing the swim step reminds me of the time I found myself on the slippery swimstep of a 60-foot ChrisCraft Roamer off the coast of California in 12-14 foot seas trying to lasso the 13-foot Boston Whaler which had come loose from its stowage on the cabin top. Truly a "sea story" in the finest nautical tradition...

 

[RonR]

Well: I re-varnished about 1/2 of the boat last summer. I swapped to interlux Perfection Plus. It looked good, was nice and hard (no dog/people scratches) over the summer. But a good portion lifted. I am not sure how or why it happend. Everything was done the same, but one section on the forward tow board lifted, and two sections on my cover boards lifted. I am a little upset, I worked hard on getting everything just right. And now I need to start over again.

I did re-varnish ok its not really varnish but Awlwood a small hi-low table last year. It looks good, and has held up well. I am thinking of striping everything and swapping to Awlwood. I have done a small step/locker with it this winter in the garage. It looks good.

Thoughts?

Our old 33' Egg Harbor was done with interlux varnish, it looked really good, held up well in the sun and over the winter, but man did it scratch easy.

 

[cbouch]

Should have used epifanes…it was the one most recommended from the very beginning of this thread..

 

[Zoar]

I do like Epiphanes

 

[RonR]

Should have used epifanes…it was the one most recommended from the very beginning of this thread..

You are probably right, only reason I shyed away from it was it scratches easy. Kids, Dogs, and grumpy old men are hard on things. I was thinking one of the two part systems would be thougher, and last two-three years before needing a sanding and another coat to refresh.

 

[Rufus]

Well: I re-varnished about 1/2 of the boat last summer. I swapped to interlux Perfection Plus. It looked good, was nice and hard (no dog/people scratches) over the summer. But a good portion lifted. I am not sure how or why it happend.

Thoughts?

Ron, I had the same experience with the cap rail on our boat....one section was fine, one lifted. I'm thinking the cause was some tint that I laid down on the area that lifted. (stupid idea).

I just stripped and refinished that section yesterday (again with Perfection Plus). Looks great. Switched from brush application to roll and tip with about 20% thinner. Minimal micro bubbles to contend with. If it lifts again, I'm switching back to Bristol, which lasted for ten years (Great Lakes...short boating season).Bristol isn't as pretty, but it's easier to apply.

 

[cbouch]

I don’t think that you can have a hard unscratchsble finish and then expect it to adhere to a surface that is subject to contraction … following is a quote from a very experienced wood finisher.. h. In addition, like all marine exterior finishes, Epifanes is formulated to be soft and flexible so it can remain adhered in big shifts in the temperature and humidity that causes wood movement…

 

[Rufus]

I don’t think that you can have a hard unscratchsble finish and then expect it to adhere to a surface that is subject to contraction … following is a quote from a very experienced wood finisher.. h. In addition, like all marine exterior finishes, Epifanes is formulated to be soft and flexible so it can remain adhered in big shifts in the temperature and humidity that causes wood movement…

There's an owner segment that apply epoxy over bright work and then paint. Interlux Perfection Plus is akin to epoxy. There's some flexibility. As I mentioned earlier, one section of the cap rail had no issues the first time around.

 

[Bmarler]

Well: I re-varnished about 1/2 of the boat last summer. I swapped to interlux Perfection Plus. It looked good, was nice and hard (no dog/people scratches) over the summer. But a good portion lifted. I am not sure how or why it happend. Everything was done the same, but one section on the forward tow board lifted, and two sections on my cover boards lifted. I am a little upset, I worked hard on getting everything just right. And now I need to start over again.

I did re-varnish ok its not really varnish but Awlwood a small hi-low table last year. It looks good, and has held up well. I am thinking of striping everything and swapping to Awlwood. I have done a small step/locker with it this winter in the garage. It looks good.

Thoughts?

Our old 33' Egg Harbor was done with interlux varnish, it looked really good, held up well in the sun and over the winter, but man did it scratch easy.

lifting (wrinkling) is caused by the solvents in the topcoat penetrating into the previous finish. i deal with this in automotive finishes when you try to paint over unknown old finishes.
you have to "trap" the old finish using a variety of methods, with paint it's easy, seal with epoxy. but clears are tougher so you can try:
1. faster reducer
2. applying it drier (if spraying)
3. letting it flash more between coats
4. warming the substrate a little so the next product will flash faster.
i don't use 2k urethane varnish substitutes so i can't advise on the product you're using, but the tds for it should lay out the parameters for successful application. pay particular attention to temperatures and recoat times.
2k products are vastly superior as far as durability goes, but i like the ease of application of 1 part stuff.

 

[RonR]

lifting (wrinkling) is caused by the solvents in the topcoat penetrating into the previous finish. i deal with this in automotive finishes when you try to paint over unknown old finishes.
you have to "trap" the old finish using a variety of methods, with paint it's easy, seal with epoxy. but clears are tougher so you can try:
1. faster reducer
2. applying it drier (if spraying)
3. letting it flash more between coats
4. warming the substrate a little so the next product will flash faster.
i don't use 2k urethane varnish substitutes so i can't advise on the product you're using, but the tds for it should lay out the parameters for successful application. pay particular attention to temperatures and recoat times.
2k products are vastly superior as far as durability goes, but i like the ease of application of 1 part stuff.

Its no so much a wrinkling, just pulling up from the wood itself in just a few areas.

 

[Bmarler]

Its no so much a wrinkling, just pulling up from the wood itself in just a few areas.

i see, my misunderstanding. in my world, lifting is an entirely different thing.
strange you had adhesion problems only in certain areas. that can be frustrating as you don't exactly know what worked, and what didn't.

 

[cfm]

looking back I forgot to put up a picture of the finished swim step.

I used Perfection Plus, its a two part varnish. I had issues with gassing of the wood when I started. But it was my own doing, as I was adding heat to the garage and raised the temp to fast.

But it held up well to a season of fishing/crabbing/kids/dogs/sand.

(this was on the 33' Egg that we sold)

I can’t understand why folk ruin teak platform with varnish!
Now you have no nonskid factor and a maintenance nightmare.
Wake up. Sand it, put some triton cleaner on it then a couple coats of Triton sealer and a quick coat every 4-6 months. Still have non skid and won’t grey out.
I have almost gone into the drink on a couple different boats slipping on varnished platforms.

 

[RonR]

The Awlwood turned out great.

 

[RonR]

I can’t understand why folk ruin teak platform with varnish!
Now you have no nonskid factor and a maintenance nightmare.
Wake up. Sand it, put some triton cleaner on it then a couple coats of Triton sealer and a quick coat every 4-6 months. Still have non skid and won’t grey out.
I have almost gone into the drink on a couple different boats slipping on varnished platforms.

The swim step will have a bit of non-skid tossed in the mix.

 

[Cigatoo]

The Awlwood turned out great.

Looks great! What color did you use?

 

[RonR]

We used yellow, followed by 12 coats.
Here is a picture of most of it done. We’re parked next to a friend’s classic Chris Craft !

 

[hugostan]

Yacht varnish

Hello... What type of varnish did you use? Recently, I finished constructing my canoe and I'm in the process of painting it. Now, I'm looking to protect it by applying a marine varnish, but I'm uncertain about the choice of varnish that would offer maximum protection against the elements.

I came across a marine-varnish online that caught my interest, but I'm unsure about its effectiveness. I would appreciate hearing your opinion on the type of varnish to choose and the criteria to consider.

Furthermore, if you know any tips or products that could extend the lifespan of my canoe while providing optimal protection, I would be delighted to hear them. Thank you in advance for your responses and valuable advice.

 

[Datenight]

Hugostan,

The page you gave the link for says salt water resistant. Almost any urethane will be water resistant. I worry more about UV resistance. There may be more about that on the website. I have to admit I did not look beyond the page the link went to.

Rob

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Freshly varnished brightwork looks fantastic. It is too much work for me. Paint is easier, quicker, looks great and lasts longer.

pete

 

[Hyperion]

I have a Grand Banks so Varnish and I have a very close relationship. I also raced a 1924 40' R-Class sloop so I helped put the Epiphanes employees kid's through college. The best system I have found for redoing varnish from the wood up is:

1st Coat: Thinned out 50% Awlaspar (quick set, multiple coats per day)
Coats 2 - 10: Straight Awlspar (quick set, multiple coats per day)
Coats 11 - 15: Epiphanes Clear Extra UV (best uv)
Final Coat: Awlbright (hard protective shell)

Sand between each coat with 220

Maintain by adding 1 Epifanes the 1 Awlbright with scotchbright scuff up before each coat

https://www.awlgrip.com/region_selection/4?destination=products/varnishes/awlspar

https://www.epifanes.com/page/clear-finishes

https://www.awlgrip.com/products/varnishes/awlbrite-clear-gloss

 

[RonR]

Im taking a new on-line class for varnish.
So far this class would have saved me 100’s of hours of my prior trial & errors.

https://danleeboatbuilding.co.uk/yacht-varnishing-course-to-study-online/

 

[Insequent]

I have finally tried Awlwood, after 2 years of being nervous about it being tricky to use. Pic below shows awlwood on right and Deks Olje on left. The Deks was still holding up OK and when initially applied it was close to the awlwood in colour. But its primer is not tinted and even with 8 coats the wood becomes bleached after a few years. In other places it was chipped and flaking, and repairs are very obvious. So I've stripped it off. Well, at least on the main caprail shown. I have lots of more narrow external teak trim, as well as doors and window frames still with Deks. I'll probably do them in awlwood over time.

The second pic is from 2012 when I was stripping off the varnish applied by the PO. It was literally 1/8" thick in most places, but peeled off in others.....

 

[Hyperion]

Im taking a new on-line class for varnish.
So far this class would have saved me 100’s of hours of my prior trial & errors.

https://danleeboatbuilding.co.uk/yacht-varnishing-course-to-study-online/

Nice resource! thanks