Thread: Finishing Timber on Boats

Welcome to the forum.

Most clear finishes will change the color of raw wood. There are some quite costly LPU's that will not, but these on raw wood tend to be too hard and crack with movement, unless stabilized with epoxy first, which will also color the wood to a degree.

All of the single part products that are effective, in the marine environment will add, to varying degrees, an amber look to the wood (UV inhibitors). If the wood is stained prior, this isn't as objectionable, though some experimentation will be necessary to get the color and look you want.

I suspect the oil/wax mixture your friend uses, also changes the color of the wood, but these types of finishes don't last and usually contaminate the surface (wax) so that other types of coatings can't be used later, unless wholesale removal (lots of sanding) is employed to remove the waxes.

There are several books on the subject, each dependent on what they like. The key to your choices should be what you want. Obviously color is a concern to you, but durability, gloss retention, ease of application, maintenance, etc. are other things to consider. Find some examples of the species your working with, that have been finished to your liking and ask how they did it. Conversely, maybe being more specific about what you want might help us guide you too.

Cheers PAR - thanks for the welcome and the advice. I have suspected that waxes are not a great alternative. Colour is imperative to me. I love the natural colours of the maples and the yellowing is certainly not an acceptable option, I'd probably look for another timber if I cannot solve this but also durability and maintenance is - of course - a fundamental requirement for a boat. At this stage I'm still in two minds about the finish - gloss or satin. I need to do a lot more testing before I commit, my limited understanding is that the process for the satin is the same in that you use the gloss for the high builds then finish off with a coat or two of satin, but I guess that you could also achieve a satin finish with the level of cut & buff. The finishes that I like appear on the high end stink boats you know the "did they just drop a pain a glass over that table" look, and it's hard to get any sense out of the sales reps as to the finishing format. Ease of application would probably be the least important as - to me - it's all about the finish. So I came here to see what advice I could get.

Cheers
Rod

Greetings BBV,
enough choices here to fill an encyclopaedia. I can only offer an opinion from my personal experiences maintaining boats from classic to new superyachts. I assume you want advice relevant to interior fitout. Basically I've found modern 2-pac finishes VERY unhealthy & difficult for the amatuer to apply. The "sheet of glass look" appears great but will scratch easily. Most 2-pacs sit on the surface & will crack with age - trapping moisture underneath. You will find all finishes in a marine environment are high maintenance - so pik one you can easily restore. I would not be too quick to dismiss waxes. They have the least effect on colour, are healthy & easy to apply. Talk to local wooden boat makers, clubs & restorers about what is available in your area. You have chosen your woods well & do not underestimate the wood's ability(natural oils) to protect itself. An old mate of mine used to grab the wax & a rag once a day when having a cuppa or a beer & would simply polish the area where he was sitting - chosing a different spot each day. Thus turning a large , daunting task into a small, relaxing one.
Oils: I have found Deks Olje (Scandinavian?) to be o.k. The sealer oil soaks in to the wood then a different topcoat with u.v. inhibitors applied(the more coats the better).
To find a product get advice from local end users. Once found seek advice from reps on application & maintenance(3M are good for this). Good luck,
Kiwi