Thread: Bunch of Classic boats - not in OZ but wow.

MIK , how would a varnished hull stand up to a Sthn Australian sun ?.
Regards Rob J.

These are all in Canada ...

You do need lots of coats of varnish to prevent the timber from deteriorating.

People usually have a wrong idea about how varnish breaks down and flakes off. The normal thinking (mine too) was that the varnish breaks down and then the wood starts breaking down. Wood fails first and then the varnish starts cracking up.

But what really happens it the UV light breaks the wood surface down and the varnish breaks off. UV filters wear out - ie get used up - over time.

So you need to recoat fairly frequently to keep the boat in good condition and lots of coats to start with.

Epoxy under can help too by stabilising the surface.

But it is way more maintenance than a painted finish.

In the smaller racing yachts such as Dragon, 5.5metre and some of the other timber racing yachts such as Tumlaren and 30 square metres had clear finished hulls - but it can be a lot of maintenance if you don't know the methods and put in the effort to stop them from deteriorating in the first place.

Best wishes
Michael

Thank you Michael , much appreciated.
Regards Rob J.

I woke up thinking this ... we have a much higher UV index than in the northern hemisphere - Ozone holes and the rest ... so varnish doesn't last as well here as in Europe and Nth America because the UV filters get used up much faster.

So you tend to see more varnished boats in the other hemisphere.

It is not uncommon here for people to have a varnished boat for a few seasons and plan to paint it when the work gets too much.

Having a couple of coats of varnish or to epoxy coat the boat means the paint doesn't get into the wood grain so it is possible to go back to varnish.

I once repainted a beaten up sharpie belonging the the uni of NSW. We removed the army green drab paint to find a varnished boat underneath in perfect condition apart from some plywood patches from repairs.

MIK

Mik, any thoughts on clear water-based acrylic? I know it doesn't give the "wet look" to timber, but wondering how it shapes up weather-wise.
Water-based acrylic paints have virtually totally replaced oil-based paints for exterior timber in housing, and are renowned for UV stability.

Covering the boat should help too , shouldn't it ?.
A lot of the boats here , particularly those on swing moorings seem to be attractive to birds , and quickly get covered in bird poop.
Covering would protect them from bird poop , and if varnished , from UV rays , when not in use.
Regards Rob J.

Yes ... covering is the best thing you can do.

Without covers you are looking at a revarnish every year - probably 3 coats ... - with covers much less - but you have to be careful the covers dont' chafe the varnish.