Varnish or paint in the world of high fashion

BCC Forum
1

In reading Jeremy’s responce to “boomkin problems” or lack there of
I started to ponder the Paint or Varnish question. A sailing friend
sugests to paint as much exterior wood as posible. Seems reasonable.
But. The sight of the B.C.C, with her classic line, cry out for the rich,
warm glow of water sprayed varnish. With the beauty of a Super Model, long
elegant lines.
The question: would I really want to be married to a super model. Face it,
she’s gonna be high maintanace…WELL OF COURSE I WOULD. But I could
say no to varnish…couldn’t I…

Jeff

P.S. thanks for all the responce to “motor pan”

Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

2

Hi Jeff,

I agree that she looks better varnished. So how much maintenance are you
willing to live with? Consider the following factors:

UV: If you live in Florida, you’ll have to revarnish at least twice a year.
If you live in Rhode Island, you’ll probably get away with once a year.

Wear and tear: weekender duty versus full time cruiser; big difference in
abrasion. LPU is a more durable surface.

Sailing conditions: varnish doesn’t like being immersed. I’ve heard of (but
not witnessed) varnish failing and coming off in sheets after heeled
passages. If you sail in light air, it’s not a concern. LPU doesn’t like
long term immersion either; scrutinize the waterline of LPUed boats and
you’ll find paint blisters, especially if the yard made the mistake of
painting below the waterline and then putting bottom paint over the LPU.
But I’m pretty sure LPU more resistant than varnish.

And of course there are even more alternatives:

  1. Cetol & Armada. Tom Walker’s Aloha is done in Cetol and looks
    great.
  2. Clear LPU. John & Gail Mcwilliams’ Maggie was originally done in
    clear LPU. They’ve just started maintaining by overcoating with varnish.

Jeremy Waters
Analysis Programmer
(804) 963-7532

-----Original Message-----
From: jeffrood@prodigy.net [SMTP:jeffrood@prodigy.net ]
Sent: Friday, January 15, 1999 1:21 PM
To: bcc@egroups.com
Subject: [bcc] Varnish or paint in the world of high fashion

In reading Jeremy’s responce to “boomkin problems” or lack there of

I started to ponder the Paint or Varnish question. A sailing friend

sugests to paint as much exterior wood as posible. Seems reasonable.

But. The sight of the B.C.C, with her classic line, cry out for the
rich,

warm glow of water sprayed varnish. With the beauty of a Super
Model, long

elegant lines.

The question: would I really want to be married to a super model.
Face it,

she’s gonna be high maintanace…WELL OF COURSE I WOULD. But I could

say no to varnish…couldn’t I…

Jeff

P.S. thanks for all the responce to “motor pan”

NextCard - the First, True Internet VISA: Get online account info,
transfer balances and rates as low as 2.9% APR with no annual fee!
Learn more at: http://offers.egroups.com/click/204/0

Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

3

Message text written by INTERNET:bcc@egroups.com

I started to ponder the Paint or Varnish question.<

If you’ve seen Roger’s promotional video, then you know that Mike, his
office mate originally opted for all varnished bulwarks onboard Metaphoria.
When I was in Newport Beach on my first photo shoot you can see the signs
of a big job run away from a busy man. Then a year later when I was out for
my second trip he had the port bulwark in pieces, getting it prepped for a
two part polyurethane. From one extreme to the other in a very short time
period. There’s a lesson in there somewhere…

I’m personally gunshy of the tpp as wonderful as they are with their eight
year lifespan and all. The thought of what it will take to strip the stuff
off when the time comes is enough for me. So I’m going with an alkyd enamel
in a flat white with the center strake varnished. Then I’ll paint it once a
year whether it needs it or not. The other thing that bothers me about the
longevity of the tpp is the possibility of rot getting started with me
thinking I’ve got three years to go before I need to do anything. That
annual once over is an excellent opportunity to catch small things before
they become big things. This IS a marriage, after all and one must be
attentive…

IMHO

dlk

Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

4

Jeff, as Jeremy replied there are several approaches you can take with
the exterior woodwork. I think it depends on how much time you have
available to work on the boat and also one’s attitude about doing it.
Personally, I find working on our Channel Cutter to be satisfying. I
enjoy maintaining the beauty of a craft that was designed and built with
such great care. When we took delivery of our boat in 1991, we
carefully prepared the wood and put down six coats of varnish on all of
the exterior woodwork except for the bulwarks and the boomkin. Our
upkeep on the woodwork consists of one maintenance coat each year. To
this day, the varish still looks as beautiful as ever. One of the
secrets to keeping brightwork in good shape is to keep it covered as
much as possible. At dock, we have hatch covers and an awning that
covers basically the entire deck of the boat. This not only protects
the brightwork but the deck as well. The awning also provides great
shade when we are anchored out. As for the bulwarks and boomkin, I
still use the same oil that Sam Morse put on the boats. It use to be
called Callahan’s but now is marketed by Davis under the name of Davis
Teak Oil II. It’s a dark oil, but does a good job of protecting the
wood. I put a light coat on every four to five weeks, and about every
six months I scrub the wood with a one part teak cleaner. This probably
sounds like lots of work, but I can coat the bulwarks and boomkin in a
little over two hours. It looks good, and I get lots of inquiries about
how I do it. Eventually, I may consider painting the bulwarks and
boomkin. I saw Jeremy’s boat a few years ago when they were in Texas,
and it was very beautiful with painted bulawarks.

Take Care,

Geary Smith (Caylin #94)

Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com