Vietnamese Varnish

[geoleo]

I'm looking at a boat that has exterior teak done in Vietnamese Varnish. It looks fine but I am concerned it will not hold up in year round Florida Sun (and rain). Anyone here know about this?

[Lepke]

It's possible coming from a country with heat and humidity might have discovered something, but then the western major varnish makers would copy the formula. I think a cheap product made from water buffalo urine is more likely.
VN vet

[Sabre602]

So it looks fine now...how long has it been exposed to the weather? If it was done in Viet Nam and it's still looking good here in the states, it's probably amazingly good varnish.

Whether it was done overseas or has been re-done here, it's very likely that the varnish will hold up as well as any other in the hot Florida sun...that is, you can count on having to maintain it regularly.

[psneeld]

Nothing holds up, even top of the line, bristol varnish jobs need constant attention.

The better it looks, the more it drives you crazy when you ding it.

Then again if you leave it under a shed and never use the boat, a lot of things last....or you wind up covering it with sunbrella which a lot of people think looks tacky. Again, if you are not ever using your boat or dont mind being a slave to putting it on and off...then again anything will last.

[aboatman]

Is "Vietnamese Varnish" different from American varnish?

There are many different brands of American varnish. Some are better than others. Perhaps it's the same with Vietnamese Varnish.

Varnished teak is a maintenance issue regardless.

[Xsbank]

For heaven’s sake it’s “Le Tonkinoise” which is French. It is made from lindseed oil and tung oil and has no solvents to flash off. It builds quickly and looks beautiful, is ideal for interior work because it is non-toxic. The French navy used it and so did I, all over my Grand Banks and it works fine, especially if you don’t like toxic solvents. There is more than one version depending upon what requirements you have. Great product.

I think the guy that sells it is in Portland? Anyway, look it up!

[Obx]

Originally Posted by Xsbank

For heaven’s sake it’s “Le Tonkinoise” which is French. It is made from lindseed oil and tung oil and has no solvents to flash off. It builds quickly and looks beautiful, is ideal for interior work because it is non-toxic. The French navy used it and so did I, all over my Grand Banks and it works fine, especially if you don’t like toxic solvents. There is more than one version depending upon what requirements you have. Great product.

I think the guy that sells it is in Portland? Anyway, look it up!

Is it only a inside varnish or can it be used on the teak decks on my GB

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I'm looking at a boat that has exterior teak done in Vietnamese Varnish. It looks fine but I am concerned it will not hold up in year round Florida Sun (and rain). Anyone here know about this?

Even the best varnishes with need to be sanded and recoated at least once a year in South Florida. Save yourself a lot of work or money and paint it.

[Xsbank]

"...all over my Grand Banks..."

[psneeld]

It was recommended to me to use pure tung oil in my end of the world. It still needed constant naintenance to keep it clean and touched up.

otherwise it turned very dark and never lasted 6 months without redoing ....pure tung was not supposed to mildew like linseed....but it seemed to.

it may work fine if you have experience or years to play around with the right formulation and application.

[Xsbank]

Here it is: http://www.tarsmell.com/letonkinois_original.htm

I recommend you buy some and use it, its also good for the environment. Also, American Rope and Tar has other interesting products that work well too.

Also read the Wooden Boat review, it is rated very highly.

[Xsbank]

Partial list of satisified customers

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Bruce Fowler, Emily Marshall, Brookin, ME
Wethersfield Historical Society, CT
Allen Hedges Woodworking, Greenwich, NJ
Jose Hernandez-Juvial
Berkeley Marine Center
Dawn Light BoatWorks Co., Pasadena, MD
The Ocean Institute, Dana Point, CA
Barbara Merry, Marlinespike Artist, RI
Marblehead Dory and Schooner Museum, MA
S/V Californian, San Diego, CA
20th Century Fox, The Far Side of the World
Roy Chapman, Knot Artist
Captain Rod Phillips, S/V Nehemiah
Captain Dan Goodman, H2O Charters
WoodenBoat Foundation, Port Townsend, WA
Boats ReNewed, Alton Bay, NH
Kingfisher Construction, Veneta, OR
1st Mate Productions, Pirates of the Caribbean
Hawaiian Chieftan
Port Hudson Boat Shop, Pt. Townsend, WA
Curt Neilsen's Boat Shop, Puget Sound, WA
Lower Cape Canvas & Sail, Orleans, MA
Mike & Sue proudfoot, Farida
Ed Witt, Regulas
Dick Wrenn, Little Packet
Robert Briscoe, Bullfrog
The Historic Sloop Witchcraft, Maryland Y.C.
Schooner Anitra's Dance, Princeton, NJ
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
Don Brink Services, Riverhead, NY
Blind Bay Boat Works, Shaw Island, WA
Carolina Aquatic Service, West Columbia, SC
Richard Ruddick, Nomad

[dhmeissner]

I picked up a can of #1 at Admiralty Supply last week in Port Townsend. Looks good so far.

American Rope & Tar LLC :: Letonkinois - Number One

http://admiralshipsupply.com/the-store/

[Xsbank]

Let us know how you like it - it has a very pleasant scent and when it dries it looks lovely and deep. Don't try and thin it for the first coat and after the first layer, sand lightly, then don't sand for subsequent layers, just wipe with a wet rag. It has a lovely gloss.

[Simi 60]

And a very cool looking can when finished

[HopCar]

The Tonkinois varnish sounds like old fashioned tung oil varnish without any UV blockers. I doubt it will hold up as well as modern exterior varnish. It should be very pretty.

Dave thanks for the link to American Rope and Tar. I may order something from them that smells of pine tar. It’s a smell from my youth when I played in our old store. Literally tons of tarred marline and oakum passed through that store. The smell was wonderful. It permeated the whole store. I once went into the chandlery at Mystic Sea Port. I was so disappointed, it didn’t smell like a chandlery.

[Nomad Willy]

Parks,
Your point about UV is well taken.

We had a thread on the “LeTonkinois” years ago on TF.
My take on it is that there must be a reason most all other varnish makers put lots of other things into the parent oil. Seems to me there must be some very valid reasons “everybodie’s do’in it” except Le Tonkinous. There’s got to be driers, vehicles, UV additives and others. Oil brushed onto a hard surface would just run off depending on how thick it was. Makes sense to me.

[DHeckrotte]

Readily available online and in one of my favourite supply houses: https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/prod...itre-1311.html

I would not hold out any hope for superior performance.

Linseed oil can be bought at The Despot for $8/qt. Tung oil can be bought for $10/qt. https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/o...ung-chinawood/ The mixture sold by Le Tonkinois can be bought for $45/qt.

[geoleo]

I'm going to paint every square inch of exterior teak wood. I may use some of the viet stuff inside. Anyone here know what is a good paint for outside teak over varnish ??? I have had it with Brightside, I used it on my 42 sailboat and birdshit made it peel. Plus it dulled out in 18 months.

[dhmeissner]

Originally Posted by Xsbank

Let us know how you like it - it has a very pleasant scent and when it dries it looks lovely and deep. Don't try and thin it for the first coat and after the first layer, sand lightly, then don't sand for subsequent layers, just wipe with a wet rag. It has a lovely gloss.

I’m using it in the head on a project where I’m replaced the original mini head sink bowl. Under the old Formica is mahogany plywood, then faced with teak. I routed the teak face and will apply multiple layers of the varnish. I have 3 coats so far and it’s really starting to pop. I’m sold on the stuff.

The pic below is before the varnish. I will update later in the week when the project is complete.