Vietnamese Varnish

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Xsbank said:

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!

Click to expand...

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

geoleo said:

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?

Click to expand...

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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/

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.

And a very cool looking can when finished

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.

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.

Readily available online and in one of my favourite supply houses: https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/products/varnish-le-tonkinois-original-1-litre-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/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/ The mixture sold by Le Tonkinois can be bought for $45/qt.

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.

Xsbank said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

geoleo said:

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.

Click to expand...

To get a better paint than Brightside you’re going to need to go to a two part paint like Perfection or Awlgrip. Unfortunately if you put two part paints on varnish it will lift the varnish like paint remover. It might be possible to put an epoxy barrier coat between them but that’s beyond my pay grade. Give the paint manufacturer a call and ask them.

I prefer Vietnamese food to Vietnamese Varnish.

Been a decades since I for years often applied varnish on various boats... both interior and exterior.

In NY, during 1960's, I did multi layers of Valspar varnish over mahogany wood.

We'd take the wood down to bear; being well sanded smooth and bleached when/where necessary. Then we'd work it back up with coat after coat of Valspar varnish. We sanded between each coat with very fine sand paper. Ten [10] coats varnish was not unusual on exterior. Interior was usually held to four coats. End result was mirror finish.

We found by many careful varnish coat applications the interior would last for many years without need for a mild sand and single refresher varnish coat. Exterior would go one and sometimes two years before the mild sand and single coat refresher.

I love the look of well varnished fine wood... who wouldn't!! However... being that I am no longer paid to varnish my boat... I now own a boat with NO exterior varnish and practically no exterior painted wood.

Worth reading: https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/difference-between-spar-varnish-and-regular-varnish/

"Simple is as simple does!"

geoleo said:

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.

Click to expand...

geoleo,
I suspect your prep for the Brightside was poor or lacking in some way. Sanding and cleaning is the drill. You need a solvent that won't harm the undercoat and will remove all oily like contaminants including body oil. Then sanding the whole surface (not just the high spots).
Interlux makes a primer I always use called "PrimeCoat". Medium grey in color. It's fun to brush on as it's smooth and oily feeling.
I have a link downloaded telling all about the Interlux products. What is good for what surface and compatibility with other coatings (Interlux).
It's brand specific but a great guide.
Parks is right per my experience. Brightside is about the best single "pack" coating. Spend a bit of money on your brushes too.

geoleo said:

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.

Click to expand...

When one of the big hardware chains went belly up here I bought 8 litres of their "Sherman Williams" self priming exterior gloss acrylic paint and had it tinted to a shade of brown we liked for our rails.
Sanded what was left of the varnish off with 60 grit and rolled in two coats.
Still looks fine after 18mths.
Have 20 litres of white for the cabin that I'll get out soon.

Will still use industrial enamel on the hull.

We have been using Brightsides for years. We’ve painted the eye brow and exterior pilot house doors. Eric has it dialed in. Even the touch up is easy if you have a nick. A two part paint is a pia for touch up plus it’s harder than a 1 part and can crack over teak as the wood contracts or expands.

"I'm going to paint every square inch of exterior teak wood."

Great , but first put a bunch of coats of ANY varnish over the wood.

The next owner may love varnishing , so making the paint easy to strip will be a positive at sales time.

Same concept ,if you want to liven up the usual TT teak coffin style below.