Best Varnish?

[Jfelkins]

I just made a new tiller for my Oday 23 out of figured oak I had. What do ya'll think is the best economical varnish to use on it?

I read some other threads about Behr Spar Varnish but they don't make it anymore.

 

[capejt]

I've always had pretty good luck with MinWax Spar Varnish. I use it on my handrails and it usually lasts two, sometimes three years.

 

[woodster]

Olympia spar varnish is good, Cetol is good too, about any spar varnish will work if you prep right and plan on using several coats and also plann on redoing it every 2 or 3 years ....and you may prolong the refinishing if you keep it coverd up when not in use....but one thing for sure what ever you use ...you will at some point in time have to refinish.....and that is a fact of life in the wood world when you are on the water .....

regards

woody

 

[woodster]

oh and a nother thing you have doen a good job on that tiller .....

regards

woody

 

[John Howitt]

Here in British Columbia and I suspect elsewhere ,alyd or oil based product will no longer be available peroid as of mid sept.
My varnish of choice is Bristol Finish, easy to use and beautiful to look at.

 

[J Hunter]

I use the z-spar stuff from this site's store. Oak has a fairly open grain so you'll need a number of thin coats and you need to resurface it more often than teak or mahogany, but it's nice and strong - good for a tiller imo.

 

[Don12364]

Now make a Snood

You will never make any clear wood coating last more than a couple of years.
But if you get a piece of acrylic material such as Sunbrella or similar and sew it to form a long sausage and slip this over tour nice new tiller every time you leave the boat your varnish will last ten years or more.

Mine did.

Re-varnishing will be a thing of the past.

 

[higgs]

if you keep the tiller covered when not in use your finish will last a long time. For a tiller, which can be kept covered I would go Epifanes.

 

[Jfelkins]

Ok, I got ants in my pants. Here are some pics of my progress. I bought the Cabot because of the UV rating and Marine Durability designation. I'll put a cover on it and try something different next time if this doesn't work well. The varnish really brings the figure out in the wood. Thanks again for the input.

(Why do my pics always display sideways?)