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hey guys trying to finish up the wood i stripped it down and sanded just curious as to what i can use to varnish without spending a fortune, something somewhat cheap but will do the job, my boat is a 1964 13 sport with the original mahogany wood, would minwax be ok, not looking to spend $100 for varnish @ west marine Thanks in advance, i'll post pics when i have everything done. also how much would i need to put a couple coats on. thanks

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I used this on my 9' and 13'.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/...nish+V-975

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Kevin. That's the same stuff I used when I rebuilt my steering console.

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Epflynn, that would work but don't forget you get what you pay for. Multiple coats, at least 5 is what is called for. Sanding in between coats. Thin at least the first coat so it will soak into the wood. Will the boat be covered? That would help with the longevity of varnish.

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A qt. of varnish will do it. the difference between cheap exterior varnish at Home Depot and the good stuff may be $15. The good stuff brand is debatable. but I use Captains varnish. by Pettitt, about $27-35 per qt. Don`t buy mail order, shipping is expensive and unnecessary. Any Marine store has it. Stay away from West marine though.

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thanks alot guys. so basically stick with petit or something similar, and i assume that means stay away from west marine stuff, i was checking out there captains satan varnish but i guess thats not that good either. Thanks again for all the help

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Epflyn, it's not the stuff at West marine isn't good, it's just to expensive there. Jamestown distributors provides the same products as West Marine but not as expensive.

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I have used Jamestown distributors many times. Make sure you check the shipping. Sometimes it's not worth it to just buy one thing.

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As an experiment I refinished my anchor hatch cover last spring with Minwax products. Sanded to bare wood finishing with 220 grit. Mineral spirit cleanded and stained with off the shelf minwax stain. Top coated with minwax spar varnish. Sanded and M/S washed between coats & tac-raged. First coat was thinned about 5% with following coats (8) about 1 - 2 % just to improve leveling in late spring air.(Michigan) Med to wet coat. After final coat let it age 5 days and placed into service. The boat is tarped (not water proof) when not in use and over the course of summer it did see plenty of water on my dock. Boat was stored in a unheated building over the winter and looks as good this spring as when completed a year ago.

Also have used this product on the new flooring I made for my Achilles and it is doing the job with some pretty rough service. I.E outdrive lube, grease. tools and rough shoe traffic.

Have not fully decided yet on longevity, but at this point it is holding up very well.

My Two Cents

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Sorry for the hijacking, FYI about West Marine, I've purchased a few items at the local store and the Mgr stated they have a price match guarantee. I was told if you bring them any competitors price (if internet, they include shipping costs) they will match it. I picked up a Baystar hyd steering for the 13' for $450, tax included. They matched the lowest price I found online + the shipping.

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I used Epifanes and applied 12 coats..........The main ingredient is lots of sanding, a tack cloth and thin coats. Make sure each coat is throrughly dried before sanding and applying the next

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thanks again for all the help guys. Het Tom did a quart give you 12 coats or did you need 2 quarts i am not going with 12 coats just don't have the time i figure between 6 and 8 should be ok

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6-8 coats is fine.

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No doubt I did overkill................more than likely 4 or 5 will be plenty. 1 quart will easily do the job for you. I can't stress enough making sure each coat is absolutely dry prior to sanding and adding the next coat. Also, I think others will agree, that the higher the gloss, the more difficult it is to get a good even finish. I used a Matte finish which is a very low sheen and it still provides plenty of shine in my opinion

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I agree with Tom. 5 coats is about all you need to apply. I applied 5 coats on mine and have a fantastic deep shine. It turned out very nice.

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I used Epiphanes Captains vernish (7 coats) last season on my montauk's rps, anchor locker and console lockers etc. It has held up beautifully even with the excessive foot traffic and various fish slamming around w/ plugs in their mouth up on the anchor locker hatch.

The one thing I wanted to stress however is the importance of thinning your first coat w/ turpentine so that it absorbs into the wood, as well as on later coats. Under the advisement of an old salt who use to do the bright work on my parent's sailboat, I thinned the 1st coat 30%, followed by 20% 15% then 10% for the rest of the coats. I was specifically instructed to do so with the epiphanes captains varnish. I dont know about those ratios for other varnish products, however I can say with confience that with this combo, thinning it to this extent makes the varnish considerably easier to work with. The 3 things you must not do are 1) sand before the previous coat is completely dry, 2) apply the varnish too heavilly (per coat), and 3) overwork the varnish once you have applied it. (for the last two, having your varnish thinned in this manor makes it much easier to not overwork the varnish while still applying a nicely uniform thin coat.

-Sean

P.S. You'll be amazed how far 1qt will go, and given how much work it is, no sense in not doing it w/ the right stuff the 1st time as it will make for greater longevity and easier maintinece in the future.

Good luck! as laborsome as it can be, the final result makes it all worth while :)

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thanks guys great help sorry i'm a novice @this what is the proper procedure for thinning the vanish do you basically just add thinner and varnish in a mixing cup and apply and is it easier to use foam brushes or a regular paint brush. thanks for all the help trying to get it back together so i can get my son on the water.

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Foam brushes will work. Typically varnish is thinned with mineral spirits. Go by the manufactures recomendation on thinning.

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I apply with a foam roller then tip out with a foam brush. Fewer air bubbles & zero brush strokes. Last 3 (of 8) coats rubbed out with bronze wool. Flagship varnish costs $5-6 more than Captain's and provides better UV protection.

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I take it back, it was flagship varnish that I used. idk y captains was in my head.
i used foam brushes and just guestimated in a tupperware container for the proportions. youl have to stir it up until you get one uniform consistency. Just avoid stirring too quickly and getting a bunch of air bubbles in the varnish. Not the end of the world if it happens but its just alot easier during application if they arent there.
I like the roller idea I want to try that. you are using a foam roller correct?

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Yes, foam roller. Works really well to apply a nice thin, uniform coat. Tip it out with a dry foam brush afterwards.

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cool. i look forward to trying that

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ok guys got the varnish mixing cups. i messed up i think let me know if this is ok my 1st coat i thinned to much i know it says 50% first coat but i put in a 1/4 cup varnish and 1/4 cup thinner thats not 50% thats 100%. it looks good so i assume it will soak in the wood a little better, hopefully i didn't screw things up, know should i do 50% then 25% then 10% then the remaining coats around 5% again hopefully i didnt mess anything up

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You did right. 50% ie equal parts varnish & thinner. Some people thin the 1st coat as much as 75%.

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but would'nt that be 100% thinned. so now if i put 1/4 cup varnish i should only put 1/8th cup thinner to make it 50% correct. sorry for the stupid questions but trying to get this thing done so i can on the water.

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epflynn, I think what they are trying to explain is that a 50/50 mix is like a 1/2 cup of varnish mixed in with a 1/2 cup of thinner. Think of 50/50 as two equal parts. One squirt of varnish to one squirt of thinner.

A 75% thinner to 25% varnish would be like 3/4 cup of thinner to 1/4 cup of varnish.

I hope this helps.

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Your right that is 1-1 not 2-1 but your ok.

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Just received my mahogany interior from Nautical Lumber. I will be finishing it with Interlux Schooner varnish.

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I have four varnished Outrages, that most people think look pretty good, expecially the varnish work.

I STRONGLY recommend against Interlux Schooner varnish. I don't like it and think it is one of the poorer products on the market. It quickly loses it's gloss, and does not hold up well or brush out well. I have had bad luck with it and will never use it again. MY boating territory icludes both the Great Lakes and South Florida.

I use Z-Spar FLAGSHIP varnish exclusively for it's darker tone and superior UV resistance. I don't like Epifanes either. It looks glossy at first, but dulls out quickly.

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The reason I was going to use Interlux Schooner is because I talked to Mike at Nautical Lumber and that's what he has on some of the finished parts I got from him. I wanted it to look the same. Have you tried the Schooner Gold? I was also planning on spraying not brushing.

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If you ask 10 people " whats the best Varnish?", you'll get 7 different answers. Schooner #96 & Schooner Gold (made by Interlux) both have EXCELLENT UV protection. The Schooner Gold is a higher solids and a little more difficult to use and i find best for spraying. It lays down like glass.

If you're on a budget Z-Spar can be purchased for about 25% less the price of Schooner.

regards,
Mike

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(If you're on a budget Z-Spar can be purchased for about 25% less the price of Schooner.)

I agree with Larry. When it comes to varnish I`m not on a budget, but I always have and always will use Z-Spar varnish. Why mess with a good thing, BTW people who varnish boats and get paid to do it mostly use Z-Spar varnish. Its easy to use, and lasts as long or longer than anything else. I`m not a vain person but I like to see my face in my varnish work.

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Here's a link to a response I did on 5/9 regarding teak, sanding, etc. You can then look at my personal page for the results.

http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...post_61331

Good Luck