I'm in the process of refinishing all of the exterior teak on my C-30. For things like hand rails that are mounted directly to the deck, should I varnish the surface that is in contact with the deck? I'm using polysulfide sealant to re-bed the hand rails, etc. Bob Boller
Varnishing deck brightwork
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J
John
Perhaps
You should consider something other than "varnish. My wife amd i bought a 1977 Catalina 30 late last season. It of course has teak hatchboards, handrais, "eyebrows" and other teak on the deck. The PO decided to varnish all of this. Then he let it go to pot. We wound up removing all the varnish as it was peeling, chipped, and just really miserable looking. I can send you some pictures of it if you like. We spent considerable time removing the mess. Then we asked for some advice on what to treat the teak with. Unfortunately, this marine supplier sold us a bottle of teak conditioner. At first(20 days) it looked great. Then it started to fade so I recoated several times. Well, it wasnt really working and became another pain. So meanwhile i read all the postings on the subject I could find, asked advice, and read printed material. We finally concluded that the CETROL product was the way to go. Since then, folks in the marina have commented on how good the teak looks. Yep, u have to coat at least 3 times initialy and then follow up perhaps in the next year, but it looks great and does not "build up " and peel like varnish would. so, ny 2 cents is to use Cetrol or equivilant. I also do not see any reason to coat the bottom of the rails where they fasten to the deck.Hope this helps. John
You should consider something other than "varnish. My wife amd i bought a 1977 Catalina 30 late last season. It of course has teak hatchboards, handrais, "eyebrows" and other teak on the deck. The PO decided to varnish all of this. Then he let it go to pot. We wound up removing all the varnish as it was peeling, chipped, and just really miserable looking. I can send you some pictures of it if you like. We spent considerable time removing the mess. Then we asked for some advice on what to treat the teak with. Unfortunately, this marine supplier sold us a bottle of teak conditioner. At first(20 days) it looked great. Then it started to fade so I recoated several times. Well, it wasnt really working and became another pain. So meanwhile i read all the postings on the subject I could find, asked advice, and read printed material. We finally concluded that the CETROL product was the way to go. Since then, folks in the marina have commented on how good the teak looks. Yep, u have to coat at least 3 times initialy and then follow up perhaps in the next year, but it looks great and does not "build up " and peel like varnish would. so, ny 2 cents is to use Cetrol or equivilant. I also do not see any reason to coat the bottom of the rails where they fasten to the deck.Hope this helps. John
About Cetol
Thanks for the input, guys. I have heard mixed reports about Cetol. I have talked with several people here in the marina and the consensus seems to be that Cetol is certainly easier to apply, but doesn't look as good or last as long as well-applied and maintained varnish. I'm committed now, I've finished the handrails and several trim pieces with varnish. Am now working on the traveler mounting blocks. Bob
Thanks for the input, guys. I have heard mixed reports about Cetol. I have talked with several people here in the marina and the consensus seems to be that Cetol is certainly easier to apply, but doesn't look as good or last as long as well-applied and maintained varnish. I'm committed now, I've finished the handrails and several trim pieces with varnish. Am now working on the traveler mounting blocks. Bob
R
robert taylor
varnish the bottom
i had a 1991 c-30. i removed all of the wood from the boat. i was able to strip it and sand it in a comfortable waist high position. i then put 13 coats of varnish on it. after thirteen days, it started to rain. i began with 15% varnish and the remainder thinner. i coated the first coat for several hours until the wood quit soaking up the solution.Connection: close after it dried, i began to thicken up the varnish without a lot of concern for drips and runs. on the 10th coat or so, i payed more attention to drips and runs and by coat 13, it was beautiful. it still looked wet 2 years later. what coating the bottom does is this. it keeps water and moisture from getting a foot hold under the finish. it also allows you to coat quick and dirty so you do not have to worry about spills and drips on the boat. my slip neighbor found a 2 part varnish substitute that is beautiful, and last
i had a 1991 c-30. i removed all of the wood from the boat. i was able to strip it and sand it in a comfortable waist high position. i then put 13 coats of varnish on it. after thirteen days, it started to rain. i began with 15% varnish and the remainder thinner. i coated the first coat for several hours until the wood quit soaking up the solution.Connection: close after it dried, i began to thicken up the varnish without a lot of concern for drips and runs. on the 10th coat or so, i payed more attention to drips and runs and by coat 13, it was beautiful. it still looked wet 2 years later. what coating the bottom does is this. it keeps water and moisture from getting a foot hold under the finish. it also allows you to coat quick and dirty so you do not have to worry about spills and drips on the boat. my slip neighbor found a 2 part varnish substitute that is beautiful, and last
J
Jim on Whiskey Girl, 1973 C-27
Well, tradition, you know?
I have to agree with Bob about coating the bottom as a water sealer. But since (my refinished brightwork) has only been on the boat for about a month now, I can't really prove that it helps. On the otherhand, it is a very small incremental increase in work compared to removing and stripping wood. #M4200 shicks to it just fine. Speaking of stripping varnish, the first mate used a heat gun and scraper to good effect, and all I had to do was a little sanding to prep the wood. We didn't bleach out anything, and the finished job looks pretty good. We used Epifanes varnish, not Cetol, but that is really a judgement call on how dark or yellow shaded you want the wood. West marine really rips you off for Epifanes, so I suggest looking at Jamestown or Hamilton Marine as a supply source. Dan Casey's book on refinishing is very good, it does a good description of the process of flowing on varnish and then tipping it back to level it out. One thing he didn't mention is using very light brush pressure on the final coats, pressing too hard forces air bubbles and foam out of the brush onto the varish surface. Rebecca Whitmann's Brightwork Companion has a real good description of the pro's and cons of oiling teak vs. varnish, as well as many suggestions for those who are just getting started. We used her book to get a good idea of what varnishing was all about (she has very good advice on materials), and Don Casey's book for some down to earth suggestions about technique.
I have to agree with Bob about coating the bottom as a water sealer. But since (my refinished brightwork) has only been on the boat for about a month now, I can't really prove that it helps. On the otherhand, it is a very small incremental increase in work compared to removing and stripping wood. #M4200 shicks to it just fine. Speaking of stripping varnish, the first mate used a heat gun and scraper to good effect, and all I had to do was a little sanding to prep the wood. We didn't bleach out anything, and the finished job looks pretty good. We used Epifanes varnish, not Cetol, but that is really a judgement call on how dark or yellow shaded you want the wood. West marine really rips you off for Epifanes, so I suggest looking at Jamestown or Hamilton Marine as a supply source. Dan Casey's book on refinishing is very good, it does a good description of the process of flowing on varnish and then tipping it back to level it out. One thing he didn't mention is using very light brush pressure on the final coats, pressing too hard forces air bubbles and foam out of the brush onto the varish surface. Rebecca Whitmann's Brightwork Companion has a real good description of the pro's and cons of oiling teak vs. varnish, as well as many suggestions for those who are just getting started. We used her book to get a good idea of what varnishing was all about (she has very good advice on materials), and Don Casey's book for some down to earth suggestions about technique.
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