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#1
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epoxy/varnish/poly ?
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 |
#2
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On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 +0000, 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 Would you reconsider? Teak decks don't need to be protected. They are more functional bare (natural non-skid) and IMO more beautiful, too. As long as you use the boat from time to time, the bare teak will look nice. If you are NOT going to use the boat, you may have to occasionally scrub the teak. If you must finish it, maybe you could just use oil? If you don't like it bare, you can always finish it later. You won't have lost anything. FWIW, I used epoxy with varnish over it on a mahogany table, below deck, and it worked well for several years, until I sold the boat. --Mac |
#3
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"Mac" wrote in message news On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 +0000, Teak wrote: Would you reconsider? Teak decks don't need to be protected. They are more functional bare (natural non-skid) and IMO more beautiful, too. As long as you use the boat from time to time, the bare teak will look nice. If you are NOT going to use the boat, you may have to occasionally scrub the teak. If you must finish it, maybe you could just use oil? If you don't like it bare, you can always finish it later. You won't have lost anything. FWIW, I used epoxy with varnish over it on a mahogany table, below deck, and it worked well for several years, until I sold the boat. --Mac I am big on reconsidering, but in this case it has to have a gloss coat to reproduce the classic 50's Chriscraft, open cockpit, runabout look. The sole will be fine sanded and oiled but the bow etc. requires the gloss finish. ...Ken |
#4
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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 |
#5
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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 |
#6
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On Tue, 07 Jun 2005 04:14:40 +0000, Teak wrote:
"Mac" wrote in message news On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 +0000, Teak wrote: Would you reconsider? Teak decks don't need to be protected. They are more functional bare (natural non-skid) and IMO more beautiful, too. As long as you use the boat from time to time, the bare teak will look nice. If you are NOT going to use the boat, you may have to occasionally scrub the teak. If you must finish it, maybe you could just use oil? If you don't like it bare, you can always finish it later. You won't have lost anything. FWIW, I used epoxy with varnish over it on a mahogany table, below deck, and it worked well for several years, until I sold the boat. --Mac I am big on reconsidering, but in this case it has to have a gloss coat to reproduce the classic 50's Chriscraft, open cockpit, runabout look. The sole will be fine sanded and oiled but the bow etc. requires the gloss finish. ...Ken Fair enough. Sounds like a beautiful boat. Maybe you could post some pictures somewhere down the road and let us look at them. ;-) --Mac |
#7
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On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 GMT,
Teak wrote: I am close to finishing snip {begin} My two cents worth... As a point of note you should be aware that to epoxy is 100% ok on any (old) wood surface... however (yes there is always a but) The other side of the wood/planking/ply should NOT have any epoxy/poly material applied other than the usual painting to allow the wood "to breath", thereby in most (not all) cases preventing that nasty old boogy called ROT to set its ugly feed in! {end} My two cents worth... John City of Sails Auckland, New Zealand. |
#8
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"John (scuubydu)" wrote in message news On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 GMT, Teak wrote: I am close to finishing snip {begin} My two cents worth... As a point of note you should be aware that to epoxy is 100% ok on any (old) wood surface... however (yes there is always a but) The other side of the wood/planking/ply should NOT have any epoxy/poly material applied other than the usual painting to allow the wood "to breath", thereby in most (not all) cases preventing that nasty old boogy called ROT to set its ugly feed in! Well....in an ideal world, or a laboratory. Any exposed wood will absorb the humidity in the air, so at best the wood will be around 12 % moisture content. Whether you paint,varnish, epoxy or heavily oil on all sides you will (especially on the end grain) be effectively sealing in the moisture content. As long as you are at 12% or less this does not pose a problem. Some species of wood will respond differently of course. Sealing all surfaces stops the uptake of moisture during wet winter weather. I do agree with you that sealing in a high moisture content is excercising poor judgement. ...Ken |
#9
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I know some folks do it that way (seal one side), but it disagrees with what
the epoxy manufactures say, what Gougeon Brothers say, and others. The existing moisture in the wood will get trapped on 'surface states' in between the wood and epoxy. Rot organisms will then have all that they need ....food (wood), oxygen (unsealed wood 'breathes' as you say), and water (trapped at the epoxy/wood boundary). Not on my boat... Brian "John (scuubydu)" wrote in message news On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 GMT, Teak wrote: I am close to finishing snip {begin} My two cents worth... As a point of note you should be aware that to epoxy is 100% ok on any (old) wood surface... however (yes there is always a but) The other side of the wood/planking/ply should NOT have any epoxy/poly material applied other than the usual painting to allow the wood "to breath", thereby in most (not all) cases preventing that nasty old boogy called ROT to set its ugly feed in! {end} My two cents worth... John City of Sails Auckland, New Zealand. |
#10
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On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 22:04:52 +1200, John (scuubydu) wrote:
On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:39 GMT, Teak wrote: I am close to finishing snip {begin} My two cents worth... As a point of note you should be aware that to epoxy is 100% ok on any (old) wood surface... however (yes there is always a but) The other side of the wood/planking/ply should NOT have any epoxy/poly material applied other than the usual painting to allow the wood "to breath", thereby in most (not all) cases preventing that nasty old boogy called ROT to set its ugly feed in! {end} My two cents worth... John City of Sails Auckland, New Zealand. I don't think a teak deck will rot. Period. But I could be wrong, of course. --Mac |