Spar varnish or epoxy encapsulation
 

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 12:23:19 -0600, Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Epoxy!
My boat is 18+ years old now with no rot problems as far as I know.
The last then years it has been outdoor 356 day / year at N 59+.
Please explo http://hem.bredband.net/b262106/

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?

You don't need brand name epoxy. I have used a local (Swedish) make.
A little more research is needed if you go down that route rather
than the brand name route.

Good luck,

--
================================================== ==================
Martin Schöön * * * * * * * * * *"Problems worthy of attack
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * prove their worth by hitting back"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Piet Hein
================================================== ==================

Be aware that epoxy will deteriorate under sunlight
and needs a UV (exterior varnish or other) coating.

"Donnie Gilliland" wrote in message
...
I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish
to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice?
(I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:37:27 -0500, "ddinc"
wrote:

Be aware that epoxy will deteriorate under sunlight
and needs a UV (exterior varnish or other) coating.

"Donnie Gilliland" wrote in message
...
I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish
to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice?
(I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don



I've used epoxy with good success. However, in a recent set of plans I
purchased for a small boat, the designer suggested an oil finish
inside the boat because it is much easier to maintain since it is
usually difficult to refinish inside a boat. A good compromise might
be to epoxy encapsulate any hidden or inaccessable areas and use a
marine oil finish on interior exposed areas. In any case, varnish
would be a bad idea because maintenance would be high. West Epoxy has
never let me down.

Dick R.
Wilmington,NC

I'd argue that the coating systems on both sides of a panel should be of
similar permeability. So, don't glass one side of a panel and coat the other
side with oil or you'll get some very odd (potato chip) contours .
Epoxy sticks tenaciously, but can't stand sunlight for long and doesn't level
out as well as paints or varnishes. So don't think of it as a finish, except
in private places where it will not receive sunlight. . As a binder under a
varnish or paint finish, it's excellent. Two coats are enough. Take the care
to roll & brush it out a smoothly as you can, 'cuz it's a lot of work to sand
flat.
The brand of epoxy will provoke a long religious argument, as will brands of
varnish.
Do use a true marine varnish. If it isn't at least $20/qt, it isn't the good
stuff. The paint store stuff doesn't have either the resilience or the UV
filters.

Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

The boat's next owner may not be able to store it indoors. All the wood
boats I've owned have had linseed oil interiors but people prefer
epoxy encapsulation because it requires lasts a long time without any
maintenance. The first boat I bought already had and oiled interior and
the small ones I build since are made cheap, not expected to last a long
time, and so small maintneance is not time consuming.


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On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 12:23:19 -0600, Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

I would not cover wood with epoxy without putting something on top of the
epoxy, because epoxy clouds slowly over time. You could, perhaps, use two
coats of epoxy with a varnish on top of that. Be sure to do a test panel
to make sure that the varnish will cure properly over the epoxy.

I have done this before. It especially works well for flat horizontal
surfaces where you can really build up the epoxy. Sometimes a blow-dryer
or hot air gun can help the epoxy flow, and help get rid of tiny bubbles.

--Mac

The epoxy will only cloud if it's in the sun. It's difficult to get it to lay
smooth, so for interior areas where a decent finish is wanted, additional finish
is needed. For lockers, bilges, etc. where appearance isn't important and the
sun don't shine, you can stop after a decent cooating has been achieved.
For some interior joinery, i'll sometimes pre-coat sheets of plywood before
cutting parts out. Makes finishing easier.

Mac wrote:

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 12:23:19 -0600, Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

I would not cover wood with epoxy without putting something on top of the
epoxy, because epoxy clouds slowly over time. You could, perhaps, use two
coats of epoxy with a varnish on top of that. Be sure to do a test panel
to make sure that the varnish will cure properly over the epoxy.

I have done this before. It especially works well for flat horizontal
surfaces where you can really build up the epoxy. Sometimes a blow-dryer
or hot air gun can help the epoxy flow, and help get rid of tiny bubbles.

--Mac

Solvent thin the first coat or two of epoxy for better penetration and bonding -
especially along edges, etc. Just about any solvent will work. Thin 15 - 25 % or so.
A little bit of solvent will greatly lower the viscosity.

you could also use an epoxy paint instead of an raw epoxy resin - would gain color,
less sag, more film thickness, possibly more flex. Priced about the same as the
resin to double the price.

I would even do the thinning thing if using varnish. - picked that tip up from a
custom wooden kayak maker......


regards
paul oman
progressive epoxy polymers
---------


Jim Conlin wrote:

The epoxy will only cloud if it's in the sun. It's difficult to get it to lay
smooth, so for interior areas where a decent finish is wanted, additional finish
is needed. For lockers, bilges, etc. where appearance isn't important and the
sun don't shine, you can stop after a decent cooating has been achieved.
For some interior joinery, i'll sometimes pre-coat sheets of plywood before
cutting parts out. Makes finishing easier.

Mac wrote:

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 12:23:19 -0600, Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

I would not cover wood with epoxy without putting something on top of the
epoxy, because epoxy clouds slowly over time. You could, perhaps, use two
coats of epoxy with a varnish on top of that. Be sure to do a test panel
to make sure that the varnish will cure properly over the epoxy.

I have done this before. It especially works well for flat horizontal
surfaces where you can really build up the epoxy. Sometimes a blow-dryer
or hot air gun can help the epoxy flow, and help get rid of tiny bubbles.

--Mac




--


"Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include
a free trip around the Sun every year."


============================================
PAUL OMAN Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.
Frog Pond Hollow - 48 Wildwood Dr
Pittsfield NH 03263
10-4 Monday-Thur EST 603-435-7199
VISA/MC/Discover/Paypal

http://www.epoxyproducts.com
sign-up for free email newsletter!
============================================

I'm not sure whether thinning epoxy is such a good idea until I see lab test data on how
perneable the resultant finish id. It's certainly true that thinned epoxy is measurably
degraded in strength. You can drastically improve the spreadability of epoxy with heat-
a heat lamp or a heat gun.

Paul Oman wrote:

Solvent thin the first coat or two of epoxy for better penetration and bonding -
especially along edges, etc. Just about any solvent will work. Thin 15 - 25 % or so.
A little bit of solvent will greatly lower the viscosity.

you could also use an epoxy paint instead of an raw epoxy resin - would gain color,
less sag, more film thickness, possibly more flex. Priced about the same as the
resin to double the price.

I would even do the thinning thing if using varnish. - picked that tip up from a
custom wooden kayak maker......

regards
paul oman
progressive epoxy polymers
---------

Jim Conlin wrote:

The epoxy will only cloud if it's in the sun. It's difficult to get it to lay
smooth, so for interior areas where a decent finish is wanted, additional finish
is needed. For lockers, bilges, etc. where appearance isn't important and the
sun don't shine, you can stop after a decent cooating has been achieved.
For some interior joinery, i'll sometimes pre-coat sheets of plywood before
cutting parts out. Makes finishing easier.

Mac wrote:

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 12:23:19 -0600, Donnie Gilliland wrote:

I'm constructing a 10" tunnel hull and am at the point where I need to
seal/finish the interior of the hull before putting the decking on. The
boat is not going to be left out in the elements or used in sal****er but
will be stored indoors when not used.
My question to the group is this, can I use a good grade of spar varnish to
seal the interior or would the epoxy encapsulation be the better choice? (I
plan on using epoxy and fiberglass on the hull exterior).

Any brands of varnish or epoxy to suggest?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Don

I would not cover wood with epoxy without putting something on top of the
epoxy, because epoxy clouds slowly over time. You could, perhaps, use two
coats of epoxy with a varnish on top of that. Be sure to do a test panel
to make sure that the varnish will cure properly over the epoxy.

I have done this before. It especially works well for flat horizontal
surfaces where you can really build up the epoxy. Sometimes a blow-dryer
or hot air gun can help the epoxy flow, and help get rid of tiny bubbles.

--Mac

--

"Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include
a free trip around the Sun every year."

============================================
PAUL OMAN Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.
Frog Pond Hollow - 48 Wildwood Dr
Pittsfield NH 03263
10-4 Monday-Thur EST 603-435-7199
VISA/MC/Discover/Paypal

http://www.epoxyproducts.com
sign-up for free email newsletter!
============================================