Polyurethane on toe rails?

CalypsoP35 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Has anybody used polyurethane on their toe rails? A guy in the boat yard used it on his boat last year and loves it. He got the idea from longtime boaters that have been using it for years. One of my concerns was that it's not a good UV protector, but he claims it is.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Maine Sail · #2 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

If you're talking home center polyurethanes, definitely not a good choice for exterior finishing as it has either no or very minimal UV protection.

CalypsoP35 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

After I posted, I did a little research and there appear to be new polyurethanes with UV protection that are for outdoor use.

deniseO30 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Might be better on toenails!

RichH · #5 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by CalypsoP35

Has anybody used polyurethane on their toe rails? A guy in the boat yard used it on his boat last year and loves it. He got the idea from longtime boaters that have been using it for years. One of my concerns was that it's not a good UV protector, but he claims it is.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Urethane is good IF it has the proper UV blockers such as 'ferrous oxide' added. Many of the 'longest lasting & extremely expensive' boat wood finishes are urethane-acrylic or urethane-epoxide copolymers .... and the 'base coats' have the ferrous oxide UV blockers. The urethane for a watertight/vapor seal, the acrylic for the 'gloss'.

The 'problem' with straight polyurethane is that is a royal PITA to remove/repair, usually requiring deep sanding/scraping.

My previous (now abandoned) method including urethanes on brightwork was to use an oil based varnish loaded with UV inhibiters as the (thick) base coat, then urethane over top of that to 'seal' the coating from vapor (and sometimes 2 part clear urethane over all that. The 'modern' coating systems are faster and longer lasting.

:-)

wwilson · #6 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by deniseO30

Might be better on toenails!

Perfect - Very good d!

ROSA · #7 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Bristol Finish is a two part Poly with plenty of UV. We use it and get about 2 1/2 years service. We put it over three coats of West with 207 hardner. It is a very hard finish and tends to crack, at seams, yellow and lift.

bljones · #8 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Urethane doesn't like hard edges and corners.

Freesail99 · #9 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

Varnish can be repaired, Urethane can not.

tager · #10 (**permalink**) 05-03-2010

This whole thing has been solved for so long. Heat gun, scraper, 120 grit, 220 grit, varnish, brush, mineral spirits, respirator, and time time time.

Varnish is great at what it does. People search for a clear invincible wood finish that is easy to repair, cheap, and easy to apply with no maintenance.

It will never be found. Give up.