Bright work

[smillinjack]

I am doing some bright work in Florida and would like to know what is the best finish to use. Thanks.

[tdw]

Paint......

Sorry that was uncalled for but Florida has got to be worse for varnish than a Sydney summer.

One time SailNetter Giulietta came up with the wonder product "Nothing".

I vaguely solved the problem by having a Wombet....who is for some inexplicable reason quite content with paintbrush in hand.

[CharlieCobra]

I use varnish m'self. I can't stand the look of Cetol but some folks like the Cetol "Natural".

[tdw]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

I use varnish m'self. I can't stand the look of Cetol but some folks like the Cetol "Natural".

Ha...personal disclosure required Charlie.....you live in Washington....Florida has this thing called sunshine.....

edit...ps...memo to smilinjack....in case you havn't figured this out already....listen to CharlieCobra not to some deranged rodent...

[sailor50]

Cetol, very forgiving, lasts longer than varnish unless you have a Conestoga Wagon you can ride the old girl up into! There ain't no parasol big enough to provide enuf shade to stop the blisterin' sun in Florida. You'll be hankering for the comfort of the air conditioning b4 you even finish the initial sanding!

[CharlieCobra]

The key to varnish is depth of initial application. Most failures occur when folks apply 4-6 coats and call it done. Good Akylid varnish erodes from the surface if done right. Done right means a minimum of 8-10 coats. This protects the base of the varnish from UV and keeps it from lifting and peeling. Once ya have a proper base, two fresh coats per year after a slight scuffing, will keep it nice for years. A well done varnish job will last up to 10 years if maintained properly, even in Florida....

[Faster]

Some of the best varnishers, and the best finishes, can be found in Antigua - where there's no shortage of sunshine either.

While I'm pleased to have no exterior wood on our present boat, when we had wood we tried different things but ended up back with good old varnish.

[Omatako]

Yep, I have to agree.

I use ordinary spar varnish on everything, interior and exterior and it always looks good. In New Zealand we have allegedly got the largest hole in the ozone sort of directly above us and resultantly we have wicked UV.

I try every other year to do a quick rub-down with 220 grit waterpaper and then four or five coats of varnish. But CC has it right, the intitial job needs at least ten coats.

[poopdeckpappy]

Cetol done and maintained correctly will look great for years

[smillinjack]

Thanks for all of the info. It looks like a lot of work ahead. It might be fun though, OR NOT