Evan's right on. Z-Spar Captains is my usual choice, and it has worked on
WEST and System Three for me (no special prep other than sanding). There
are other choices that are good too. I think the original boats were just
plain varnish, probably 12 coats or so, but the idea of using 3 coats of
epoxy first then about 6 coats of varnish (lightly sanded between each coat
....working down to 320 grit before the last) is good ...but only if the boat
is truly epoxy encapsulated. If it's a traditional construction boat as per
original, then your only choice is varnish by itself or you risk trapping
moisture at the wood/epoxy interface ...foggy at best, rotten at worst.
Spar varnish breathes and flexes, and it's softer (for these reasons) than
furniture varnish. That also implies that a light sanding and recoating
every now and is a good idea, e.g. yearly if the boat is used a lot,
otherwise go as-needed. Just be glad that you're doing this on the outside
of the boat. Beats the heck out of trying to get perfect finishes on
everything INSIDE the boat.

Let us know what you decide and be sure to post pix online somewhere so we
can have a gander...

Brian


"Evan Gatehouse" wrote in message
...
Teak wrote:
I am close to finishing a 50's style runabout and considering what is
the
best finish to put on the teak decking. It has to stand up over the years
and retain that classic runabout gloss look with as little maintenance as
can be reasonably expected. I am considering 3 coats of epoxy followed by
3
coats of spar varnish for the uv protection. Anyone satisfied with other
glossy sealants that have stood the test of time ?

...Ken


Sounds good but I'd think about 6 coats of varnish for the first year.
Nothing about varnish is "as little maintenance" unless you keep it
covered a.k.a. "the elephant man boat".

Evan Gatehouse