Which varnis

[boatman]

Can I get some ideas from you guys as for as which varnish to buy. I was thinking about Epiphanes but it seems to be the most expensive. Any other ideas? Are you satisfied. I would like to have a clear a finish as possible.

Thanks

[mtpocket]

Take a look at these:http://newfound.com/varnish.htm

[Glen Smith]

If you want clear, a body shop can spray on a few coats of "Clear Coat" but it is pricey. There are also two part polyurethanes that you can apply and they are clear.

I use Epifanes for the ease of application and the high gloss. It is more expensive than some of the other spar varnishes but you get what you pay for. Higher gloss, easy application, more UV protection.

The varnish that "mtpocket" referred to seems to do a very nice job also.

[boatman]

Glen- Can you tell me which one of the epiphanes varnishes you buy and where you have found the cheapest price. Thanks

[Glen Smith]

I use Epifanes "Bootlak" traditional clear gloss varnish. I buy it from BL Yacht in Quebec City for $25.55 Canadian. Noah's Marine sell it for $19.95 in the USA and for $34.65 in Canada.

[Chris]

Interessting that you have good results with the 1K Bootlak of epifanes. I´m using Epifanes DD Polyurethan 2-K Varnish, because my dealer (he is the general dealer for Epifanes Germany, the company is located very close to us in the netherlands) told me, that the tradtitional Bootlak won`t be adhere directly on Epoxy. In the official guide of Epifanes Paint systems they strongly recommend to varnish Epoxy with DD Polyurethane Varnish. If a tradtional varnish like you use Glen is wanted, they recommend to varnish 1 or 2 layers of DD Polyurethane Varnish, wait for 48 hours, sand well and than apply the tradtitional ! K bootlak.

I´m not sure which is the right way to go, but I can tell you two things: Epifanes DD Polyurethan is really expensive. I paid for 750g about 34 €, I guess that´s more than 40 $! Botlak is much cheaper, about 17 € or so. The DD Polyurthane is the most bad smelling varnish I ever used, I went instantly after the first coat which I applied with a good inhalation protection to a specialized dealer and bought and much more expensive protection kit. :shocked My cellularphone, which I had in my pocket well under 2 layers of clothes makes my livingroom smell ugly at home - it took a while for me to get clear, why it smells like in the shop....

The applikation of the first coat was o.k., the second coat was much more differnet, because the solvent in the varnish is very aggressive, so it softens the first coat, which makes it more difficult to paint. epifanes says that it is not necessary the sand between the coats, if you lay them up in 48 hours between. I use the traditional bootlak for the hardwood trim, it`s much nicer to work with. It has a very brownish colour (which I like for traditional looking boats!) , the DD Lak is totally clear. I think, if the surfaces is not smooth enough, I will maybe apply two or three coats of the traditional varnish over the DD Polyurethan, which should work.

Good luck

Chris

[Chuck in Pa]

I went with a real nice 2 part poly, as much because i wanted to try it out as anything else.
It is not an easy product to apply. not so much the actualy rolling/brushing/tipping out as much as mixing correct ratios and adding the right amount of thinner. You also need to be careful about using equipment that won't get dissolved by the thinner and the varnish itself. It's also pretty toxic (well, REALLY toxic).
All that said, I liked it, but it's pretty expensive for the rather small gain in durability you get.

I'm sure what Newfound sells is good. Everything they have told me so far has been right on. I would go with the cheaper/supposedly easier to apply varnish, Coma Berenice as i think it's better to apply it more often than rely on the varnishes better UV inhibitors.

When looking at prices, remember to factor in shipping and the cost of thinner. these can add up.

That's all for now. Good luck!!

-Chuck

[Nachako]

My two cents is . Was to use something that is easily available since over the next few years you will probably want to build up the number of coats . ( to protect the glass and make those inevitable scrathes go away ) So I went with Behr Super Spar Clear Gloss from Home Hardware . It has a UV of 45 is very easy to work with and has a very light co-co tint to it and not yellow . I just fininshed putting my 7th coat on to get ready for this summer.

[Dave]

I've used the varnish from Newfound Woodworks for 2 canoes. Its called Coma Berenice. It applied nicely and gave an excellent gloss. I'm out of that stuff now. I revarnished a canoe on Sat and used Flagship UV. Its available here locally and cheaper than Coma Berenice but isn't as glossy. Ya gety what ya pay for.
Dave

[Chris]

In the last days I got some more experience using the DD Polyurethane Bootlack of Epifanes - maybe it`s interessting for some guys: At the first coats I thinned it with the special paintbrush thinner of Epifanes - worked not good. The last two coat I used it without any thinner and now I used the West System foamroller - and it worked quite well. The greatest problem so far is the VERY short time you can work with the varnish when applied. About 1 Minute after application it is not possible to eliminate patterns from the brush/ roller -so ypu have to work quick.... I´m working in a shop andit`s a real handicap that I haven`t daylight for varnishing, so it take from time to time a few minutes to recognize areas which haven´t got enouh varnish - to late to recvover.





The look of the varnish is nice, very clear, no tinting at all - so maybe a good choice if someone do not like the yellow/ browninsh tone of the traditional boat varnishes.

Good luck

Chris