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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Varnish

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jbruno
Deckhand

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14 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/06/2002 : 08:29:32

Quick varnish question. Why would one not varnish the back side of say hatchdoors or slatted teak cockpit seats? Is this to save $$$, or what? I ask this because I'm going to be sanding (lightly) and varnishing my uncle's 35 yr old sailboat which has these wood amenities. When I removed the seats, I noticed that only the tops/sides were varnished. After 35 years the wood is in great shape but would putting a coat of varnish protect the bottom of the wood or something? Thank you.

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Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 08:51:35

Can't answer your question. But, while helping my brother restore his 1940 vintage 30 foot wooden sloop, we finished all surfaces inside and out. Some with paint, some with varnish.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

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MattL
Admiral

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990 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 08:55:15

J.
It use to be in old funiture that you would only varnish, paint the exterior and leave the other side sans finish. This would cause problems with cupping not to mention the possibility of decay from non protection. Cupping is caused by moisture entering into the non protected side. It is generally good practice to finish all sides of boards.

Matt/Brigitte Loeffler
E.C. Rider
Cat 25 86'
FK/SR _/)

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jbruno
Deckhand

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Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 10:07:36

Thanks for the input. I guess my concern is, if it's been OK for 35 years should I mess with it now?

Does leaving the bottoms unvarnished allow moisture to escape the boards and would varnishing trap that moisture in?

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 11:42:05

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Thanks for the input. I guess my concern is, if it's been OK for 35 years should I mess with it now?
Or, as Red Green would put it, "if it ain't broke, you're not trying hard enough!"

Does leaving the bottoms unvarnished allow moisture to escape the boards and would varnishing trap that moisture in?
J, I think that depends on design, i.e., does the water get trapped (like it does on the C25 hatch boards) or does it run off freely?

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>

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John Mason
Admiral

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USA
687 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 12:35:11

My two cents worth - if there is moisture in the wood, varnish would, of course, trap it in. I'd make sure the pieces are dry, then varnish it all, top and bottom.

John Mason - Ali Paroosa
1982 - FK/SR #3290

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jbruno
Deckhand

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14 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 12:48:48

Thanks for the great comments. I think I'm going to varnish the tops/sides only, as after 35 years this must be OK. The seats do not sit in water and show no signs of any damage. I guess I would be concerned about locking moisture in if they were not completely dry. Once again, Thank you for the great suggestions.

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osmepneo
Past Commodore

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1420 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2002 : 19:20:16

My two cents worth . . .:

If varnishing traps the water in the piece, then it stands to reason that varnishing a dry piece would keep water out. My action, I think, would be to ensure that the wood is dry, dry, dry and then varnish it to keep out any water from accumulating in the future.

That said, a 35 year sailboat might qualify as an antique, and you might not want to do things like I would, and the restoration might be like it was done originally.

But again this is not furniture or a building it is boat . . .. <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Don Peet
c25, 1665, osmepneo, sr/wk
The Great Sacandaga Lake, NY

Edited by - osmepneo on 11/06/2002 19:21:45

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2002 : 01:11:45

Don,
Your right it is not funiture nor building, it's a boat. Because of this I would finish all sides, nooks, and crannies. Unlike funiture and buildings, boats are constantly in the water and in a moist environment. Look in a wooden boat magazine. The internal parts are coated with red lead paint all around and then put together.
I will say that when I did my boat last summer I just did the outside parts, weather boards all around. The inside looked good and since it does not have the sunlight constantly hitting it the UV rays have minimal damage and these parts can last longer.
I did use Cetol for the first time and it still looks good to me. Varnish would have had to put on a vew coats during the summer.
OK, I'm done <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Matt/Brigitte Loeffler
E.C. Rider
Cat 25 86'
FK/SR _/)

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