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 Post subject: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 05 Jun 2007 10:57 
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Tactictian

Joined: 16 Mar 2007 16:10
Posts: 143
Can anybody recommend a good Varnish/ procedure for bringing back the luster to toe rail/ exterior wood? Recommend how many coats, % thinning, any varnish brand preferances, pros & cons, etc. Toe rail is down to bare wood, and is rough/ weathered shape.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Regards,


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 05 Jun 2007 15:36 
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Grinder

Joined: 23 Dec 2006 17:26
Posts: 75
Mustangs,

You will open a BIG can of worms with that question? Snicker

There are very strong opinions on all sides about all sorts of wood finishes, oils and varnishes. A lot will depend on what look YOU like and the time and effort you are willing to put in yourself or dollars to pay someone else to do it for you. There are also many resources, techniques and tips available to help the DIYer.

My personal experience; I tried Interlux Schooner varnish on the stern cap rail and teak dorade boxes covers. I took all the previous stuff off down to bare wood and followed the instructions to the letter and applied 7 coats in controlled indoor conditions. After 2 years it started to fail.

My toe rails were in very bad shape (over 8 years of no nothing) and I needed something to at least stabilize and protect them from further damage. After much thought and discussion with others I scraped and sanded to bare wood, then applied 3 coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine Light followed by 2 coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine Gloss. No sanding between coats! I have no regrets and most anyone (except those with a professional eye and experience) probably will not be able to tell the difference between varnish and Cetol light with gloss over it from 30ft+.

There is a new Sikkens product available this year: Cetol Marine Natural Teak, but I have not seen or tried it.

For varnish, I am using Epifanes wood finish gloss and Epifanes Wood Finish Matte. Again it is easy to use, builds fast and most important - no sanding between coats!


Attachments:
File comment: Starboard toe rail before.
1 Cutting in.jpg
1 Cutting in.jpg [ 24.45 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
File comment: Port toe rail after.
9 The port side.jpg
9 The port side.jpg [ 20.37 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 05 Jun 2007 15:49 
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Midshipman

Joined: 22 Oct 2006 19:25
Posts: 61
I also am reasonably pleased with Sikkens Cetol Marine products on exterior teak. On the other hand, if I went to the effort to strip, sand, bleach, clean, etc., the teak to "new" condition, I would probably opt for TeakGuard, rather than Cetol. Jay.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 06 Jun 2007 17:47 
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Midshipman

Joined: 14 Dec 2006 22:13
Posts: 59
Yes, this opens up a can of worms and you will get many opinions. I am from the other school and prefer a natural look, after having varish on two boats with wooden toe rails and finally scaping them both off.

I ran into a boat that I thought had new teak applied and stopped to talk with the owner. What I learned was that it was not new teak but a product called Semco (sold at West Marine). I cleaned and bleached the wood with the regular products like Teak Wonder and then applied two coats (one right after the other before moving to a new section) of Semco as was recommended by the other boat owner. Within a week, two old and crusty mariners (who should have known new teak when they saw it) stopped to complement me on the new teak on my T37. When I told them it was Semco, they were quite surprised. I've had this happen 3 times since switching to Semco. I heard one boater in a chat room refer to it as ugly tan paint and I'm assuming he did not clean and bleach the wood first.

I am very particular about how my boat looks and I'm happy with this product. Using a small foam brush, you apply it only once (the 2 coats) the first year and then one coat each following spring. It lasts about 3-5 years before you have to clean it back off with Teak Wonder and start over. It is not glossy and there is a bit of mineral spirits smell for 24 hours. But if you are interested in a non-glossy finish, I suggest trying this on your stern tow rail, let it set for 24 hours and if you don't like it, just clean it back off and go with varnish.

Last, make sure you use the "Gold Tone" if you want the "new teak" look. It takes me about 4-6 hours to clean and bleach all the teak on my boat, and about 4 hours to apply the Semco.

Mark

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Mark
T37 #315, Celtic Lady
Muskegon, MI


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 06 Jun 2007 20:09 
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Skipper

Joined: 20 Oct 2006 16:10
Posts: 687
Location: Out of Waukegan, IL
Good info guys. We're going to bare this year so the input will help in making the plan.

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SMMO/First Mate aboard High Flight #299
1981 - Full Keel - Furling Main (A boat for the lazy crew...)


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 06 Jun 2007 20:25 
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Skipper

Joined: 05 Nov 2006 11:10
Posts: 321
Location: Chesapeake Bay
doing this right now and will be using the new natural teak from Cetol...no question!

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Hull #358 "Windgeist"
Chesapeake Bay


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 07 Jun 2007 11:30 
Offline
Tactictian

Joined: 16 Mar 2007 16:10
Posts: 143
Thanks for al the feedback.
I'm new to all this and I apprecaite all the advice/ help I can get.
I want the professional look but I want to DIY. I didn't intend to open a can of worms but since I did ,I'll throw more fuel to the fire.



I have had a yard tell me that you they would use 5-6 coats of Eriphanes, having the first coat thinned 50%, second coat thinned about 25%, etc. And the estimate cost was $3k!
Unfortunatly, being 200 miles away, I couldn't do it all in one season and still find time to sail.

I have read the articles- adds for Bristol.

Any comments?

I thank you all for your comments.

Regards,


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 07 Jun 2007 11:31 
Offline
Tactictian

Joined: 16 Mar 2007 16:10
Posts: 143
Thanks for al the feedback.
I'm new to all this and I apprecaite all the advice/ help I can get.
I want the professional look but I want to DIY. I didn't intend to open a can of worms but since I did ,I'll throw more fuel to the fire.



I have had a yard tell me that you they would use 5-6 coats of Eriphanes, having the first coat thinned 50%, second coat thinned about 25%, etc. And the estimate cost was $3k!
Unfortunatly, being 200 miles away, I couldn't do it all in one season and still find time to sail.

I have read the articles- adds for Bristol.

Any comments?

I thank you all for your comments.

Regards,


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 07 Jun 2007 13:43 
Offline
Grinder

Joined: 23 Dec 2006 17:26
Posts: 75
Hi Mustangs,

Wow! I?ll bet there are a lot of other things you could spend your hard earned money on! And the varnish job will last only a couple of years at best with out a lot of maintenance. Expect that the toe rails (everything on deck and on the boat for that matter) will take a beating; scraps, dings, dents from things dropping on them, constant moisture and water, hot sun and UV rays, etc.

Let me start by saying that I really enjoy varnishing and the results of a quality varnish job on my boat other people?s boats. But, I am also a realist and I am saving my varnish work for the interior where the environment is a little more under control and where the job should last a long time. Plus, it will solve the mildew problem on the oiled teak below deck.

I have had to contend with cold, wet weather here in NE for most of the spring and finally have a small window in which to varnish and paint. My problem now is wind blown dust and pollen. Lots and lots of pollen. It is almost impossible to have ideal varnishing and painting conditions when you are at the mercy of mother nature.
I am just finishing my toe rails and am down to the last 2 coats of Cetol gloss and then I will be done. (That is if I can beat the rain predicted for tomorrow night and Saturday).

Why not take a walk around the docks and boat yards talk with a bunch of people. Find what you like that you feel comfortable doing yourself and start small doing it in your own time. You may find you end up with a variety of products best suited to a variety of applications. It can be a work in progress as you combine working on the boat and sailing.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Toe Rail Varnish Options
PostPosted: 07 Jun 2007 20:11 
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Skipper

Joined: 05 Nov 2006 11:10
Posts: 321
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Since we have opened the can of worms....

Has anyone applied epoxy over their teak...west system has info on doing this here http://www.westsystem.com/

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Hull #358 "Windgeist"
Chesapeake Bay


 
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