Wood Finishes

[jpaulroberts]

I'm looking for opinions on wood finishes for three projects: outside trim, cockpit grating and cabin sole.

I know the original finish for the external wood was teak oil. They guy who had my boat before I bought it last year got tired of oiling and just slopped cheap polyurethane over it and let the drips run down the cabin sides. What  a mess, but it saved me about 10k because no one else wanted the boat. So I am about to strip it down. Should I go back to oil, or should I varnish, and with what product. I'm leaning toward oil because it seams easier to maintain.  

Next, I have a wooden grating in the cockpit. Same deal on the crappy varnish. Are these normally varnished or oiled?

Lastly, the cabin sole is in good shape but needs some protection. I know it is just a ply vainer and I will just lightly sand it. What is the best stuff to use on it? Some sore of spar varnish?

Thanks for any advice. Jerry

[RON SCHERER]

Jerry---I just finished the boards in the cockpit. After getting opinions from other people on this site I used Cetol. Had a guy sand the wood all the way to the grain and I did the fun part. Put 4 coats of Cetol Marine Light on the boards and they are gorgeous. Highly recommend Cetol for this job. When we bought our boat a yr. and a half ago I had all the exterior wood sanded down and varnished. I am doing the maintenance on the varnish since then. I like the varnished look. The broker we went through to buy the boat did the cabin sole. It looks great also. Dont know what his man used but it come out looking like new. You will love the end result I guarantee it.

[SteveLyle]

I would not recommend using oil on external teak.  Maintenance would involve recleaning and reoiling every 2-3 months or so, which rapidly wears down the wood.  Oil is ok for wood protected from UV and weather, but satisfaction will be short lived on exterior wood.

Your best bets are Cetol if you're lazy and not too picky about looks, or a good spar varnish if you're pure of heart and the final look is more important than the time that goes into it.  Guess what I have on my boat.

Seriouisly, your location plays into this.  If you're up north, varnish can last a long time, especially if you cover your boat in the winter.  In the tropics you'll probably need to put on a new coat or two every 6 months or so.

If you go with varnish, the key is surface prep, since you'll see the wood under the varnish (it's kind of the whole point).  So clean it and brighten it and sand down the high ridges.  Then thin out the first couple of coats significantly so the varnish acts as a sealer.  Then lay on 7-10 coats, and you'll be good for a couple of years.  Another coat or two/year and it'll look great.

Or use Cetol and just don't look too closely.  Anyone who doesn't know what well varnished wood looks like will think Cetoll looks wonderful.  

Steve

[Stu Jackson]

Jerry

For the cabin sole, I've heard, but never used, the following:  http://www.ultimatesole.com/

Many have simply used urethane covering after sanding, although it can get slippery when wet, which is why so many of us have rugs / runners.  Just sand lightly with fine paper first.

A search here on Cetol and varnish will give you all you'll ever need to know of what's been written here before without repeating it all.  I agree with Steve on oiling - one of my earlier posts, which may pop up on your search, described our two year search for what we liked on our C25 in 1987-8.  Cleaned teak, oiled, worked on more and more oil to keep up, turned black, ended up hating its look and the work.  Cleaned again, tried some varnish on the hatch boards - too much work.  Cetol was the winner.  But it's your boat and only you can distinguish what looks good to you and how much work you want to put into it.  Now there are other "colors" of Cetol, which is a whole 'nother discussion.  A dock-mate has used a Cetol-like product called Armada, similar stuff, maybe a slightly better look.

[Jim Price]

Another FYI.  I have used Cetol on exterior and used combination of Cetol light stain followed by multiple coats of Cetol Clear Gloss.  This kept the teak from getting too "muddy" in color and allows annual maintenance coats of only clear gloss.  Does not get darker in color that way with  repeated layers.

Just another opinion.  

[Ed Shankle]

I've used Interlux varnish (Schooner) for the topsides and cockpit sole, with good results. I'm in the Northeast and get a full season from it. I haven't tested to see how long I can go between redoing it. Every spring I lightly sand and put on one fresh coat. Doesn't take long, can do it all in one day, including sanding.
Interlux also makes a nice interior varnish that leaves a "hand rubbed" look.
Two years ago I did the cabin sole; light sand and 2 coats of varnish. Unfortunately I don't recall the brand, but I can check. I do know it was marine grade floor varnish, with a satin finish.
As stated previously, depends on your location, condition of the wood and your tastes.

Ed

[John Gardner]

I like good old-fashioned brightwork.  I've started using Bristol Finish, and am very pleased so far.  It has been on the boat for one year so far, with no signs of failure except where it has been damaged.  What I like about it is that it is very tolerant of unskilled application, and because you can add another coat as soon as the previous one is tacky, you can build coats very quickly.  (However, I have seen a comment somewhere that the user thought it difficult to use - though it appeared to be a case of use in damp conditions, which is a no-no for this stuff.)  Details at www.bristolfinish.com.

For the cabin sole I successfully used a standard domestic polyurethane floor varnish.  It's designed to be hard wearing, and does not need UV protection.