MinWax on a boat

[Finallybuyingaboat]

I keep reading posts about how people hate having to varnish the woods on their boats, both outside and inside. Is there anyone out there who has tried Minwax rather than Varnish?

Minwax makes a variety of finish products that go on really easily. I have used the Polycrylic product on some old furniture I refinished for the house, and it turned out great. They do have a Helmsman spar finish.

The reason for my question is that I have to finish all of the new marine plywood I have put insidemy boat. New bulkheads, bunks, V berth. It is a Shark 24,so not a real expensive cruising boat. I just want it to look more finished and am trying to figure out the easiest way to get a nice finish. Since no one has ever mentioned using this type of product on this forum, I figure there must be a reason for it. The stuff is so much easier to use than varnish...I know, there are no short cuts when it comes to boats,but could this be a viable option?

[christyleigh]

I've used it on the interior wood of a few boats and it looks great and lasts great.

[dieselboy]

I dont know how long it will last but it looks GREAT on the teak on my boat...
I used the prep stuff by them first and it really brings out the color..

[saildork]

I have used Helmsman Spar Urethane on my boat's tiller and it has held up very well. I'm now using it on the salon table. When I get around to redoing all of the teak outside, I will either just use a teak oil, or I will use the urethane finish.

I previously used a 2-part varnish that gave a great result and needed touch-up a couple times a year (Deks Olje), but I can't find it available anymore, so must try something else. Also, the Deks had a tendency to develop black stains beneath the varnish, requiring a sanding down to the wood, and then build the varnish back up over several layers. It became fairly labor intensive. The Helmsman has lasted longer with less ultimate discoloration on the tiller than did the Deks on the handrails, hatch boards, etc.

Brightwork is one of those subjects about which sailors can be very opinionated, taking great pride in the results they get from the products they use. So you will probably get lots of advise (most of it good) on this subject. But at least for interior teak, I think the Helmsman is a good choice.

[canadianseamonkey]

I redid my interior floors last year with Cetol and the results were less than stellar and became dull very quick. This year I used MinWax and the shine is awesome and no sign of dulling so far. I'm extremely happy with the results so far.

[cruisingdream]

I used mimwax urethane on my interior floor ... looks great ... gets wet and you may slide & fall on your a**

[JimsCAL]

Any of the MinWax products should be fine inside. I would only use their spar varnish outside however. A hard polyurethane will crack due the expansion and contraction of sun and temperature changes.