Interlux Perfection Plus versus Bristol for brightwork

I've had good luck with Bristol 2-part urethane "varnish" on the cap rail...ten years without only a few touch ups (Great Lakes). Last Fall I decided to strip it...a fairly easy task using a heat gun and scraper. Interlux and a couple of others now offer 2 part synthetic products similar to Bristol. I wonder if anyone has tried Interlux Perfection Plus or any of the others?

My boat was done with Awk Wood (vs Awk Bright Clear)

So far, it has lasted more than a year in Florida and stayed looking good, except where bits damaged by ropes, etc. I only recently touched those up and added a coat to everything. So far. So good. But, time will tell.

I have used Honey Teak by Signature Finnish. Very happy after four years there is just now some spots to touch up. Not very temperature or humidy sensitive to easy to apply in various weather's. Best of all can apply another coat every twenty minutes without any sanding. Easy to do four to six coats in a day.

Rufus said:

I've had good luck with Bristol 2-part urethane "varnish" on the cap rail...ten years without only a few touch ups (Great Lakes). Last Fall I decided to strip it...a fairly easy task using a heat gun and scraper. Interlux and a couple of others now offer 2 part synthetic products similar to Bristol. I wonder if anyone has tried Interlux Perfection Plus or any of the others?

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If you got 10 years out of the Bristol why would you change? That’s pretty respectable. Even up here with a 6 month season.

It's too early to give a report, unfortunately, but I've got some Perfection Plus sitting here waiting to go on my pulpit teak this spring. From everything I've read including a test from Practical Sailor, it should last a lot longer before looking dull or failing than the Cetol I've been using. In the "after 2 years" ratings on that test, Perfection Plus did better than Bristol, so it might be worth a try. I don't know if it'll last more than the 10 years you got from Bristol, but it'll probably do just as well and maybe it'll look better or require less touch up.

Which I reminds me I forgot Honey Teak was rated number one by Practical Sailor.

The pro's I know in Florida use Awlgrip's Awlwood.

Thanks for the input. I checked out the products mentioned. Looks like Alwood is a "conventional" primer/topcoat mix...not a two part acrylic urethane (UV protection). The Signature tech rep explained the process for their Honey Teak product line. The first step is to apply the "Honey Teak"...about three coats of a yellowish tinted 2 part acrylic urethane. Then they recommend a couple coats of 2-part clear coat urethane for added protection. Curiously, the top clear coat has lower UV blocking properties than the base Honey Coat product. They recommend reapplying the clear coat every 2-3 years depending on exposure. Sounds complicated (but fast).

I don't care for an artificially tinted look like Cetol. The one step Bristol also had a very slight "honey" tinge, by the way. Think I'm going to try the Perfection and add a slight amount of flattener to the top layer for a satin look. From what I've read, the micro bubble issue during application is about the same as with Bristol. Thanks for the suggestions...helped me get oriented.

Perfection got some of the highest marks in a recent Practical Sailor long term test.

Ken

Is this something you would use on a swim step? Or just stick with the standard Compass Clear Varnish?

How much harder is it to apply then standard Varnish?

Its just as easy to apply as any varnish, but you cannot apply it over NON 2 part varnish.

Ken

The Interlux Perfection site has a user comments section. One or two users mention micro bubbles appearing during the application stage. I know for a fact that Bristol tends to bubble a bit unless the application method and tool are used "just so". Very technique sensitive. I figured it out for the Bristol ten years ago (can't remember exactly what I did though). Regardless, I'm confident I can overcome the bubble "issue" with Perfection.

I will say that I have very recent experience with the Perfection urethane 2-part white deck paint on the raised diamond pattern non-skid, and am extremely happy with the leveling characteristics and the toughness of that product. It took some experimentation with the amount of thinner to get the flow out/leveling correct (brush application), but it is hard as stone and looks simply stunning.

The only concern/unknown I have with the Perfection Plus for wood is whether it might be too brittle around the corner joints on our cap rail. I know that the cured Bristol has a slight plastic quality that might more readily endure flexure. But I just don't know if the Interlux white paint characteristics are the same as for their wood product. I seriously doubt it, but I'm going to contact the Interlux tech people about this one point before making a decision.

One aside...from my reading, I have the sense that the base coat Signature Honey Teak product is very similar to Bristol ...both with the yellowish tinge....both with the flex type consistency when cured...both with good UV protection.

Anyway, I'm going with Perfection unless the Interlux tech folks tell me it's too brittle around to absorb minute flexure at the corners of our cap rail. I'd use it on a ladder or swim platform in a New York minute.

Feedback from Interlux tech rep...

1. Not surprisingly, the 2-part acrylic urethane formulation for wood is indeed more flexible than the one used for deck paint.

2. The Perfection Plus is clear...no yellow/honey tint.

3. It can be flattened to satin with their standard flattening agent (top coat only). No impact on clarity of the coating.

4. Use roll and tip to avoid the micro bubble issue. "Red Tree" sells rollers that are compatible with the 2-part urethane. (I've seen them on the boating supply sites).

5. Plan on three days for three coats. Sanding should be avoidable if recoat windows are followed and it lays down OK with roll and tip. (The Interlux deck paint I used flowed out very well).

I'm going the Interlux route (no affiliation). Here are photos (after and before) of the stripped cap rail (Bristol)....heat gun and metal scrapers. Be careful not to burn the wood. About four hours. Still needs to be sanded and cleaned up...pre-launch project in Spring. Planning on a week.

We screwed around with a whole variety of products for this purpose, and once we tried Epifanes Wood Finish never looked back.

caltexflanc said:

We screwed around with a whole variety of products for this purpose, and once we tried Epifanes Wood Finish never looked back.

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What was better about it? Where did you use it? Cap/rail/trim?
How long have you had it?

We tried a few out so far, with Interlux Compass clear the winner for a match to what is on the boat and what is easy to use. I still need to do the swim step and cap. They will need to be stripped and sanded. Looking for something a bit stronger and longer lasting than Compass. The Compass looks great, but for how much work/time it takes I would like it last years not months!

Very easy to apply (see their hype, it's actually true, long lasting, very easy to maintain, looks great. Used on cap railings, aft deck floor, where it was exposed to heavy foor traffic and furniture moving around and water exposure and a fair amount of sun exposure. Also double teak doors leading to aft deck, and a wood stairway that led to the flying bridge.

Also interior stairway with a whole bunch of foot traffic. Boat was lived on and cruised full time for 6+ years.

https://www.epifanes.com/page/wood-finish-gloss

Read the application conditions required for Perfection. Really not possible unless you are inside a controlled temp space. Then you have to deal with ventilation issues.

On the way home from the purchase in Green Bay, I ran accross a couple in Port Washington, WI that had used Bristol Finish on all their teak... It was beautiful. They even did the cockpit sole! While it seemed a little smooth, they used mats to wipe feet and were happy with it. I'm not so bold to try covering the decking with it... but I did the nameplates and they came out wonderful! I found it great to work with, and coated very well. I am going to use it for all the trim and rails. The deck... well it's going to go. Not waiting for a leak to start before I remove and put down non-skid. I'll miss the teak deck look. but I just don't have faith in this or anything else to truly seal it.

Follow up. I refinished the cap rail with Perfection Plus last week. (Previously Bristol). The color is now a rich reddish brown of the bare wood, versus honey tint in Bristol. Quite stunning, although I did encounter the dreaded micro bubble issue. Debating whether to sand and try a roller on a fourth top coat. Will add a photo later

I found with the bubble issue on mine that I noticed it at certain angles (but not others) while the boat was in the storage shed. Once it was out in the sun, I haven't been able to see the bubbles at all.

caltexflanc said:

Very easy to apply (see their hype, it's actually true, long lasting, very easy to maintain, looks great. Used on cap railings, aft deck floor, where it was exposed to heavy foor traffic and furniture moving around and water exposure and a fair amount of sun exposure. Also double teak doors leading to aft deck, and a wood stairway that led to the flying bridge.

Also interior stairway with a whole bunch of foot traffic. Boat was lived on and cruised full time for 6+ years.

https://www.epifanes.com/page/wood-finish-gloss

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Use perfection plus and a few coats of compass clear. Thank you for the tips, I am happy with it.