Really interesting film (as always). You do ask for tips, sooo... I've done very little varnishing indeed, so when we recently got a new (to us) boat that needed some TLC, I did what I usually do when I need to learn something new - I bought a book. I got "Brightwork, The Art of Finishing Wood" by Rebecca J Wittman, secondhand for just a few quid. It provides dizzying levels of detail, but enabled me to get stuck in with confidence. Whole sections on choosing abrasive papers, the pros and cons of different masking tapes, how to use tack rags, heat guns, and scrapers effectively, how to manage morning dew (!) and so much more. As a result I'm getting surprisingly good finishes. Even the best, most detailed TH-cam how-to can't compete with a whole book written by a lifelong specialist - even your (superb) films, I'm afraid!
Being fellow HC owners, I can appreciate how pristine you keep your sailboat. When we watch your videos, I normally start to drool every time there’s a shot of your HC but my wife rather than enjoy the video and the beauty of your boat......nags me and complaints to me as to why our boat doesn’t look like yours!! 😂.........thanks!!
You wouldn't be varnishing the truth I hope. 😉 Lovely brush work. The water spots are always a shock when experienced for the first time. Inspired me to get on with some furniture refinishing.
I dont miss the days spent keeping a varnished boat looking like that! The Med sunshine will keep you busy for years! I found using a foam roller works fine if you dont use to much thinner as it eats the foam. As you say it's all about preparation. I would mask round the windows when your doing the prep as you can easily scratch the glass with sand paper. The varnish is easy to remove from glass, obviously. Lovely boat though and well worth the effort.
Beautiful boat and great varnish work. My boat is aluminium with a nice internal timber fit out. That is enough work for me, I have difficulty even doing my cabin top timber handrails! Cheers, Rob.
Hi guys nice video of your beautiful boat. I personally gave up on any kind of varnish. I have been using oil to finish the wood work on my boat and i find if done properly it will last me two years and its so much easier to redo and it really looks great . Cheers nice video.
Wonderful. On my boat's teak coamings I have had good results with several applications of Deks Olje D1 followed by several coats of D2. Gives a beautiful varnish-like finish that is fairly durable (mind you, I'm in Canada, and not in the sunny latitudes).
First off, you have a beautiful boat, well taken care of. You do take pride in your boat's appearance, absolutely lovely. When you sand between coats have you tried using grade xxxx steel wool in stead of say 600 grit sandpaper? I use it for wood working projects, don't have a boat yet, and I like the results of the steel wool. I rub it in the direction of grain a few light strokes, then wipe down to get any 'dust' off. Then do the next coat. I don't rub it with steel wool after putting on the last coat. The varnish comes out smooth.
Yes I have used steel wool for that before and I agree it's good. However I would never use it on the boat as you get tiny pieces coming off and embedding themselves in the gellcoat then rusting. It produces tiny spots you cant get out. Bronze wool might be an option though.
Use one of the very smooth, dense foam rollers, the very small 4 inch long ones that are about an inch in diameter. I would tip it with a good Jen foam brush afterwards just to make sure to not get the tiny little bubbles .
You have a beautiful boat, but as soon as I saw it on youtube my mind said 'varnishing nightmare!' I wish you the best and I am sure you will stay on top of it. I have been there and done it! I hope that you can escape your quarantine in the Mar Menare soon.
Jeeze...The more I watch these excellent videos the more I wonder why I want to buy a boat. The work, the work (and all the tins of this, that and the other...where do you store all this stuff and how do you find it then? Further to the comment directly below I notice on other HC boats the exterior teak has been completely left to weather....now that's my kind of teak! I've been looking online at a HC33T which is pretty much the baby sister of yours and it is so flippin' gorgeous inside (and out) that I am almost tempted to go for it as a work of art....never mind sailing her. Thank you for these videos and all the others, I love them.
The 33's are lovely boats. Perhaps not the boat to own if you only intend to visit on a couple of weekends in the summer as you will spend them working not sailing. But once you're on top of it the maintenance is perfectly do-able, and as you say you can leave the teak grey. Just be careful how you clean it though, raw teak can get dirty and stained and regular cleaning will wear it away.
@@svfairisle Thanks for that....one more thing: I noticed on one of your videos you mentioned about the disadvantage of a couple of metres of extra LOA with the beautiful but lengthy bowsprit....I have seen one HC with a folding bowsprit which would certainly save a few crispitoes if spending any length of time in a marina.
I got used to unvarnished teak on my boat and just scrub it once or twice a year with oxalic acid cleaner from Owatrol. Its like learning to live without ironed shirts.
Excellent video....I really enjoy the Tech videos. Several questions: 1. Have you ever tried Le Tonkinois No#1? I recently purchased a boat off a Brit, he did the toe rails (and other high wear areas) in Le Tonkinois and swears by it. 2. He used Epifanes Rapid Clear on the other cockpit teak. Do you every use Easy-Flow with the Epifanes?
I haven’t tried Le Tonkinois but I’ve heard very good things about it. And no I haven’t tried easy flow either, I find Epifanes goes on well if you do it in the right temperature ( not too hot) but maybe it would be good on vertical surfaces as you can get sag if you’re not careful
I'm not really a boat guy, but I do have a passion for varnish. When this is clearly a maintenance issue, why the epoxy, urethane etc. type finishes and not and not an actual oil varnish, or I suppose even some sort of spirit varnish? Great video btw!
The main thing is a product called Semco, have a look at the General Winter Jobs video, I cover it in there... th-cam.com/video/5ilBfoeveHI/w-d-xo.html
Great video. I love the Epifanes for outdoor stuff, I don't find it hard to work with and I do like that you should thin it first, it's just easier to work with for the first layers and it feels as if though the wood accepts it easier. I did learn the hard and stupid way about the dew though so rather than 10 layers on my hatch I ended up with 20. On the other hand, it was in a terrible shape after the previous owner, as was the wheel so they both need as much as they can get. /Rasmus
Yes the more coats the better. And it's not that I find Epifanes difficult to work with exactly, it's just a whole different level to Woodskin. I know some people don't varnish because of the time and complexity with Epifanes and polyurethane type varnish's so it's good to know there's a much easier product that gives similar results.
Interesting and good information. Have you ever assessed the approximate time you spend yearly on this boat maintenance Easy to see this is a labour of love but with that much wood must be very time consuming? Thanks for the video
I admit I purposefully haven't! But doing things as you go it's really no problem. This isn't a boat you could just have to go sail at the weekend and forget about though!
varnishing is my eternal punishment. luckily i dont have that much but the guides restraining the sliding hatch over the companionway with nadrails screwed and dowelled on top are intricate enough to discourage a hearty start. I only used epifhanes paint on deck fibreglass it was a thin no-viscous paint which stretched nicelt to a thin smooth coating and held the non slip areas maintaining their rough finish. Bu then again Im in Malta and the weather is more forgiving. I will try epiphanes varnish though. thank you very much for the demonstration. Keep safe.
Very nice work, and impressive that you take on so much woodwork with varnish, both inside and out! What are you using for the inside? This winter we did the cabin floor of our 37ft boat, with 2-component Double Coat cabin varnish from the IJssel. It has a nice finish, but it does not have any 'filling' properties, which meant that brush marks became worse with every coat. We ended up machine sanding it down and smooth again, doing one layer of 2 component Karaat paint, and then a final layer of cabin varnish. It now looks smooth and matte, and I am curious how it holds.
Yes that's the problem with most of the 2 part varnish's mine was the same, difficult to get brush marks out. I'm not sure of the brand to be honest it was something I bought in Amsterdam when we were there. It had an unpronounceable name (to me, probably not to you!). Haven't got the can now that was the last of it.
I have a similar amount of teak as you and had used International Compass, 6 coats. Whilst the colour and finish were great, the sun in Portugal would completely destroy it in 6 months. I have become quite disheartened with varnish, but would be very interested in your experiences with sun verses life. Many thanks Martin
Hiya. Just been watching both your most recent updates. Did you decide to go to Gibraltar? If so you will pass by Mojacar which is where we are living just now. If so will keep an eye out for you. Safe travels. Tony
We're still stuck in the Mar Menor as the bridge is down and anyway the authorities don't want people sailing right now. We're hoping sailing to Gib won't be necessary. We will see!
To be honest I don’t remember the name, it was a Dutch varnish, but I wouldn’t recommend it anyway I just found it impossible to get it to flow nicely without brush marks. Strange as it was as thin as water!
Interesting. I am due to do my sole and trying to figure out what to use. I use epifanes on exterior as well but just discovered epifanes rapid clear and really liking for build coats then top with there high gloss varnish. Thank you for all the great tips!
Use the white silicone carbide sandpaper for best results. Do not shake the varnish can prior to use and stir only very slowly and gently if necessary, so as not to introduce tiny air bubbles into the varnish. There is a skill to be learned in varnishing. Varnishing is not like painting. You do not "brush" varnish, back and forth you do paint. The varnish brush is loaded with just the right amount of varnish, by gently dipping the brush without introducing air bubbles into the can ( the skill ) and laid on in one direction only ( the skill ) in such a way so as to have it all flow out in a coating and not have runs and sags. JIM
This is true, like lacquer, it's end to end, one direction with dipped brush, ending each stroke on a slightly feathered edge. Keep a piece of wood handy to test the spread (viscosity) and practice as conditions vary.
Could you tell me a little about your hard dodger? We have a H48 and ours needs replacing. Would like something a bit more protective like yours :) (we're UK based)
Is that a HC48T that you have? I did do some pictures and measurements for another HC owner some time ago I can see if I still have them. The hard dodger is without doubt in my opinion the most surprisingly brilliant thing I've ever had on a boat. I admit when we bought Fair Isle I was ambivalent about it. but after having one I would now say I would not consider owning a boat without one. And that goes doubly for Judy! It needs to come back far enough that it comes past anyone sitting at the front of the cockpit. That way you can sit outside without any wind buffeting. Ours is made of Teak with toughened glass and wipers on the middle three panels. Its very strong, you can stand on it, jump up and down if you want! we have a flexible solar panel on there which you can walk on. Not great output though with the boom shadow. And we have two windows positioned to see the sail trim from the seating positions.
@@svfairisle Hi Steve, thanks for your reply. I've just sent you an email response. It looks great. I think we could almost manage a few drinks outside on a chilly evening back home with such a setup :)
Thank you so much, this is exactly what i needed. I too have some lighter coloured trims in some panels, and i didn't knew how to tackle that, just paint over it. Maybe i missed it in the video, but how often do you need to varnish the outsidewood?
It depends on how much sun you get really. In UK type latitudes you might get away with two years but more than likely it would be best to have a light rubdown of Epifanes of polyurethane type varnish's an add a coat or two. The breathable woodskin type the same but dont need to rub down, just wash. Here in the Med. things definitely need attention after a year...in the tropics, well we will see!
It should be cleaned across the grain as you dont want to lift out the soft wood, use a really soft brush as well. But for sanding it really doesn't matter, you're just sanding the ridges flat & it works either way. Best way is with a belt sander, just be careful they can be vicious, you only want to take off the ridges. Small areas an orbital will do. White spirit is okay to clean off teaks natural oils, but it does leave a slight residue of its own. Varnish manufactures recommend denatured alcohol (meths) for prep for varnishing so probably best to use that.
It’s a monotonous but necessary chore, a bit like painting, but there’s something curiously satisfying about admiring the end result and it’s always strange how closely one analyses the quality of the finish but then never looks at the finished work again till next time around!
Sponge rollers / brushes is all about the application. You could prolly get it to work with enough practice, but you seem to do an ok job w/out so likely not worth the effort of practice for as few times you do it. Now if you did it all the time or every mo than I would highly recommend taking the time.
Take a look at Awlwood from Awlgrip. Really easy to achieve stunning , long lasting results. Follow the directions explicitly, and the rewards are worth it. It flows out like magic. No brush marks. You can apply up to 3 coats in a day. Sanding between coats is not required, but a quick go over every 3 coats or so will improve the final smoothness and gloss. No worries about dew, or humidity as the finish is actually moisture cured. Only down side is it’s very aromatic, so a mask is recommended, especially if inside.
Very disappointed in Awlwood. Having stripped teak cockpit locker lids completely and followed the instructions quite carefully, I was looking forward to years of good looking wood requiring only a light sanding and two light maintenance coats annually. Unfortunately, Awlwood fails when the wood expands and contracts. The Awlwood coating cracks at the expansion and begins to peel. The result is wonderfully adhered and good looking finish away from the joints and cracking, peeling finish at the joints.
Also tried Awlwood on our teak gunnels after using Altex Timbercote successfully on exterior teak for nearly 20 years on out 42 ft yacht. The Awlwood was recommended by a shipwright so thought we would give it a try. After stripping the teak gunnels back to wood, applying Awlwood special low viscosity primer and about 8 - 10 top coats, it began to break down in less than a year. It could not be fixed with a light sand and additional top coat as the underlying wood was already marked in the areas of breakdown. So we've have had to strip it all back to the wood again. Not impressed! We used to get up to 2 years with Timbercote before a light sand and re-coat was required. The applied Awlwood was also a lot darker in colour compared to Timbercote, so I would have expected better UV qualities. To add insult to injury the Awlwood has been very difficult to remove because the special 'low viscosity' primer does penetrate very well and seems very 'hard'. So this time around we going to try a sealer rather than varnish on the gunnels. The Woodskin product looks interesting but is not readily available where we are, so I'm thinking of giving the Semco sealer a try. Thanks for your videos Steve, the 'how to' videos are always well researched, informative and well presented.
I saw a video of a boat wood worker who said he used urethane for the first few coats and then finished with varnish. I knew that was possible. Ever heard of it ?
Well yes. Actually most varnishes are 'poly' urethane, poly meaning multi in Latin. so they are a mixture of urethanes. Usually the mixture is done to make urethan harder as it's quite flexible. So using pure urethane might be good where there's lots of movement but little wear. The technique I go with is thinned down epoxy on raw teak after cleaning with meths because your main problem is getting the varnish to stick on what is an oily wood.
No I haven't heard of that. But I have no doubt the Norwegians produce good varnishes, all the best ones seem to come from Scandinavian countries not sure why that is when it's how they survive the sun thats most important!
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Great, video.. really handy, thank you very much! About to varnish some new cockpit seating that I've made. Appreciate the guidance.
Really interesting film (as always). You do ask for tips, sooo...
I've done very little varnishing indeed, so when we recently got a new (to us) boat that needed some TLC, I did what I usually do when I need to learn something new - I bought a book.
I got "Brightwork, The Art of Finishing Wood" by Rebecca J Wittman, secondhand for just a few quid. It provides dizzying levels of detail, but enabled me to get stuck in with confidence. Whole sections on choosing abrasive papers, the pros and cons of different masking tapes, how to use tack rags, heat guns, and scrapers effectively, how to manage morning dew (!) and so much more. As a result I'm getting surprisingly good finishes.
Even the best, most detailed TH-cam how-to can't compete with a whole book written by a lifelong specialist - even your (superb) films, I'm afraid!
Being fellow HC owners, I can appreciate how pristine you keep your sailboat. When we watch your videos, I normally start to drool every time there’s a shot of your HC but my wife rather than enjoy the video and the beauty of your boat......nags me and complaints to me as to why our boat doesn’t look like yours!! 😂.........thanks!!
You wouldn't be varnishing the truth I hope. 😉 Lovely brush work. The water spots are always a shock when experienced for the first time. Inspired me to get on with some furniture refinishing.
I dont miss the days spent keeping a varnished boat looking like that! The Med sunshine will keep you busy for years! I found using a foam roller works fine if you dont use to much thinner as it eats the foam. As you say it's all about preparation. I would mask round the windows when your doing the prep as you can easily scratch the glass with sand paper. The varnish is easy to remove from glass, obviously. Lovely boat though and well worth the effort.
Beautiful work !
Beautiful wood work and lovely finishing
Beautiful boat and great varnish work. My boat is aluminium with a nice internal timber fit out. That is enough work for me, I have difficulty even doing my cabin top timber handrails! Cheers, Rob.
Hi guys nice video of your beautiful boat. I personally gave up on any kind of varnish. I have been using oil to finish the wood work on my boat and i find if done properly it will last me two years and its so much easier to redo and it really looks great . Cheers nice video.
Wonderful. On my boat's teak coamings I have had good results with several applications of Deks Olje D1 followed by several coats of D2. Gives a beautiful varnish-like finish that is fairly durable (mind you, I'm in Canada, and not in the sunny latitudes).
First off, you have a beautiful boat, well taken care of. You do take pride in your boat's appearance, absolutely lovely. When you sand between coats have you tried using grade xxxx steel wool in stead of say 600 grit sandpaper? I use it for wood working projects, don't have a boat yet, and I like the results of the steel wool. I rub it in the direction of grain a few light strokes, then wipe down to get any 'dust' off. Then do the next coat. I don't rub it with steel wool after putting on the last coat. The varnish comes out smooth.
Yes I have used steel wool for that before and I agree it's good. However I would never use it on the boat as you get tiny pieces coming off and embedding themselves in the gellcoat then rusting. It produces tiny spots you cant get out. Bronze wool might be an option though.
Such a lot of work, the sight of the finished article does make it worth it tho'.
Use one of the very smooth, dense foam rollers, the very small 4 inch long ones that are about an inch in diameter. I would tip it with a good Jen foam brush afterwards just to make sure to not get the tiny little bubbles .
You have a beautiful boat, but as soon as I saw it on youtube my mind said 'varnishing nightmare!' I wish you the best and I am sure you will stay on top of it. I have been there and done it! I hope that you can escape your quarantine in the Mar Menare soon.
Thanks Derek, I truly think varnishing keeps you sane. I'm slightly miffed mines all done!
@@svfairisle I am sure that this will keep you sane, chin up my riends.
Jeeze...The more I watch these excellent videos the more I wonder why I want to buy a boat. The work, the work (and all the tins of this, that and the other...where do you store all this stuff and how do you find it then?
Further to the comment directly below I notice on other HC boats the exterior teak has been completely left to weather....now that's my kind of teak!
I've been looking online at a HC33T which is pretty much the baby sister of yours and it is so flippin' gorgeous inside (and out) that I am almost tempted to go for it as a work of art....never mind sailing her.
Thank you for these videos and all the others, I love them.
The 33's are lovely boats. Perhaps not the boat to own if you only intend to visit on a couple of weekends in the summer as you will spend them working not sailing. But once you're on top of it the maintenance is perfectly do-able, and as you say you can leave the teak grey. Just be careful how you clean it though, raw teak can get dirty and stained and regular cleaning will wear it away.
@@svfairisle Thanks for that....one more thing: I noticed on one of your videos you mentioned about the disadvantage of a couple of metres of extra LOA with the beautiful but lengthy bowsprit....I have seen one HC with a folding bowsprit which would certainly save a few crispitoes if spending any length of time in a marina.
I got used to unvarnished teak on my boat and just scrub it once or twice a year with oxalic acid cleaner from Owatrol. Its like learning to live without ironed shirts.
Excellent video....I really enjoy the Tech videos. Several questions:
1. Have you ever tried Le Tonkinois No#1? I recently purchased a boat off a Brit, he did the toe rails (and other high wear areas) in Le Tonkinois and swears by it.
2. He used Epifanes Rapid Clear on the other cockpit teak. Do you every use Easy-Flow with the Epifanes?
I haven’t tried Le Tonkinois but I’ve heard very good things about it. And no I haven’t tried easy flow either, I find Epifanes goes on well if you do it in the right temperature ( not too hot) but maybe it would be good on vertical surfaces as you can get sag if you’re not careful
I'm not really a boat guy, but I do have a passion for varnish. When this is clearly a maintenance issue, why the epoxy, urethane etc. type finishes and not and not an actual oil varnish, or I suppose even some sort of spirit varnish? Great video btw!
Different varnishes for different conditions. I would only use polyurethane varnish’s inside, I like breathable varnishs
merci geaucoup
If you use a sponge roller, you should avoid any roller marks with the varnish
You gave me a lot of practical information as I am just starting to restore the woodwork on my boat
What do you use to clean and maintain your teak decking, it always looks immaculate?
The main thing is a product called Semco, have a look at the General Winter Jobs video, I cover it in there... th-cam.com/video/5ilBfoeveHI/w-d-xo.html
Have you tried using a sponge roller, might just do the trick and it is a lot quicker.
If you're starting from scratch for the early thinned coats I find it works, but not the later ones.
Great video. I love the Epifanes for outdoor stuff, I don't find it hard to work with and I do like that you should thin it first, it's just easier to work with for the first layers and it feels as if though the wood accepts it easier. I did learn the hard and stupid way about the dew though so rather than 10 layers on my hatch I ended up with 20. On the other hand, it was in a terrible shape after the previous owner, as was the wheel so they both need as much as they can get.
/Rasmus
Yes the more coats the better. And it's not that I find Epifanes difficult to work with exactly, it's just a whole different level to Woodskin. I know some people don't varnish because of the time and complexity with Epifanes and polyurethane type varnish's so it's good to know there's a much easier product that gives similar results.
Interesting and good information.
Have you ever assessed the approximate time you spend yearly on this boat maintenance
Easy to see this is a labour of love but with that much wood must be very time consuming?
Thanks for the video
I admit I purposefully haven't! But doing things as you go it's really no problem. This isn't a boat you could just have to go sail at the weekend and forget about though!
varnishing is my eternal punishment. luckily i dont have that much but the guides restraining the sliding hatch over the companionway with nadrails screwed and dowelled on top are intricate enough to discourage a hearty start. I only used epifhanes paint on deck fibreglass it was a thin no-viscous paint which stretched nicelt to a thin smooth coating and held the non slip areas maintaining their rough finish. Bu then again Im in Malta and the weather is more forgiving. I will try epiphanes varnish though. thank you very much for the demonstration. Keep safe.
Very nice work, and impressive that you take on so much woodwork with varnish, both inside and out! What are you using for the inside? This winter we did the cabin floor of our 37ft boat, with 2-component Double Coat cabin varnish from the IJssel. It has a nice finish, but it does not have any 'filling' properties, which meant that brush marks became worse with every coat. We ended up machine sanding it down and smooth again, doing one layer of 2 component Karaat paint, and then a final layer of cabin varnish. It now looks smooth and matte, and I am curious how it holds.
Yes that's the problem with most of the 2 part varnish's mine was the same, difficult to get brush marks out. I'm not sure of the brand to be honest it was something I bought in Amsterdam when we were there. It had an unpronounceable name (to me, probably not to you!). Haven't got the can now that was the last of it.
I have a similar amount of teak as you and had used International Compass, 6 coats. Whilst the colour and finish were great, the sun in Portugal would completely destroy it in 6 months. I have become quite disheartened with varnish, but would be very interested in your experiences with sun verses life. Many thanks Martin
Well the Epifanes & woodskin stood up well to the first year in the Med.I will keep you posted from here-on-in.
Sailing Fair Isle thanks for the response. M
Hiya. Just been watching both your most recent updates. Did you decide to go to Gibraltar? If so you will pass by Mojacar which is where we are living just now. If so will keep an eye out for you. Safe travels. Tony
We're still stuck in the Mar Menor as the bridge is down and anyway the authorities don't want people sailing right now. We're hoping sailing to Gib won't be necessary. We will see!
Sailing Fair Isle hopefully. Saw a sailboat out yesterday heading West. Good luck. At least the weather is better today
As someone who has a ton of varnish work on our boat (ct54) I appreciate the video!
What two part varnish or poly are you using on your cabin sole?
To be honest I don’t remember the name, it was a Dutch varnish, but I wouldn’t recommend it anyway I just found it impossible to get it to flow nicely without brush marks. Strange as it was as thin as water!
Interesting. I am due to do my sole and trying to figure out what to use.
I use epifanes on exterior as well but just discovered epifanes rapid clear and really liking for build coats then top with there high gloss varnish.
Thank you for all the great tips!
Use the white silicone carbide sandpaper for best results. Do not shake the varnish can prior to use and stir only very slowly and gently if necessary, so as not to introduce tiny air bubbles into the varnish. There is a skill to be learned in varnishing. Varnishing is not like painting. You do not "brush" varnish, back and forth you do paint. The varnish brush is loaded with just the right amount of varnish, by gently dipping the brush without introducing air bubbles into the can ( the skill ) and laid on in one direction only ( the skill ) in such a way so as to have it all flow out in a coating and not have runs and sags.
JIM
This is true, like lacquer, it's end to end, one direction with dipped brush, ending each stroke on a slightly feathered edge. Keep a piece of wood handy to test the spread (viscosity) and practice as conditions vary.
Could you tell me a little about your hard dodger? We have a H48 and ours needs replacing. Would like something a bit more protective like yours :) (we're UK based)
Is that a HC48T that you have? I did do some pictures and measurements for another HC owner some time ago I can see if I still have them. The hard dodger is without doubt in my opinion the most surprisingly brilliant thing I've ever had on a boat. I admit when we bought Fair Isle I was ambivalent about it. but after having one I would now say I would not consider owning a boat without one. And that goes doubly for Judy! It needs to come back far enough that it comes past anyone sitting at the front of the cockpit. That way you can sit outside without any wind buffeting.
Ours is made of Teak with toughened glass and wipers on the middle three panels. Its very strong, you can stand on it, jump up and down if you want! we have a flexible solar panel on there which you can walk on. Not great output though with the boom shadow. And we have two windows positioned to see the sail trim from the seating positions.
@@svfairisle Hi Steve, thanks for your reply. I've just sent you an email response. It looks great. I think we could almost manage a few drinks outside on a chilly evening back home with such a setup :)
Thank you so much, this is exactly what i needed. I too have some lighter coloured trims in some panels, and i didn't knew how to tackle that, just paint over it.
Maybe i missed it in the video, but how often do you need to varnish the outsidewood?
It depends on how much sun you get really. In UK type latitudes you might get away with two years but more than likely it would be best to have a light rubdown of Epifanes of polyurethane type varnish's an add a coat or two. The breathable woodskin type the same but dont need to rub down, just wash. Here in the Med. things definitely need attention after a year...in the tropics, well we will see!
@@svfairisle Thanks a lot!
Should teak decking be rubbed down cross grain, to avoid lifting it ? Also a little white spirit acts as a excellerant in the drying.
It should be cleaned across the grain as you dont want to lift out the soft wood, use a really soft brush as well. But for sanding it really doesn't matter, you're just sanding the ridges flat & it works either way. Best way is with a belt sander, just be careful they can be vicious, you only want to take off the ridges. Small areas an orbital will do. White spirit is okay to clean off teaks natural oils, but it does leave a slight residue of its own. Varnish manufactures recommend denatured alcohol (meths) for prep for varnishing so probably best to use that.
It’s a monotonous but necessary chore, a bit like painting, but there’s something curiously satisfying about admiring the end result and it’s always strange how closely one analyses the quality of the finish but then never looks at the finished work again till next time around!
Oh I don't know about that... there's a run I noticed on the doghouse that's REALLY annoying me, gonna have to sand it!
Sailing Fair Isle 🔬😁
my jeanneau cruiser wud be made in cathlic biscay bay vendee
Sponge rollers / brushes is all about the application. You could prolly get it to work with enough practice, but you seem to do an ok job w/out so likely not worth the effort of practice for as few times you do it. Now if you did it all the time or every mo than I would highly recommend taking the time.
Labour of love....
👍
Beautiful boat, but all that wood makes me wince....and I have never even stepped foot on a sail boat...
sails i m planning yachting ther in med on a maybe jeanneau 54 ds
Take a look at Awlwood from Awlgrip. Really easy to achieve stunning , long lasting results. Follow the directions explicitly, and the rewards are worth it. It flows out like magic. No brush marks. You can apply up to 3 coats in a day. Sanding between coats is not required, but a quick go over every 3 coats or so will improve the final smoothness and gloss. No worries about dew, or humidity as the finish is actually moisture cured. Only down side is it’s very aromatic, so a mask is recommended, especially if inside.
Very disappointed in Awlwood. Having stripped teak cockpit locker lids completely and followed the instructions quite carefully, I was looking forward to years of good looking wood requiring only a light sanding and two light maintenance coats annually. Unfortunately, Awlwood fails when the wood expands and contracts. The Awlwood coating cracks at the expansion and begins to peel. The result is wonderfully adhered and good looking finish away from the joints and cracking, peeling finish at the joints.
Also tried Awlwood on our teak gunnels after using Altex Timbercote successfully on exterior teak for nearly 20 years on out 42 ft yacht. The Awlwood was recommended by a shipwright so thought we would give it a try. After stripping the teak gunnels back to wood, applying Awlwood special low viscosity primer and about 8 - 10 top coats, it began to break down in less than a year. It could not be fixed with a light sand and additional top coat as the underlying wood was already marked in the areas of breakdown. So we've have had to strip it all back to the wood again. Not impressed! We used to get up to 2 years with Timbercote before a light sand and re-coat was required. The applied Awlwood was also a lot darker in colour compared to Timbercote, so I would have expected better UV qualities. To add insult to injury the Awlwood has been very difficult to remove because the special 'low viscosity' primer does penetrate very well and seems very 'hard'. So this time around we going to try a sealer rather than varnish on the gunnels. The Woodskin product looks interesting but is not readily available where we are, so I'm thinking of giving the Semco sealer a try. Thanks for your videos Steve, the 'how to' videos are always well researched, informative and well presented.
I saw a video of a boat wood worker who said he used urethane for the first few coats and then finished with varnish. I knew that was possible. Ever heard of it ?
Well yes. Actually most varnishes are 'poly' urethane, poly meaning multi in Latin. so they are a mixture of urethanes. Usually the mixture is done to make urethan harder as it's quite flexible. So using pure urethane might be good where there's lots of movement but little wear. The technique I go with is thinned down epoxy on raw teak after cleaning with meths because your main problem is getting the varnish to stick on what is an oily wood.
Use a sponge roller
So you're spending £200 to £300 per season on Varnishing and sundries?
Oh don't be telling Judy that, I'm in enough trouble as it is!
Damn! I only have Siberian yak hair brushes.......
taiwan chinese made a nice hans chreistian
She was made in Thailand
Ooff! I think the moral of the story for me is stay away from Woden boats. Way too much work.
HAve you ever tried the norwegian product Owatrol, www owatrol.com.
No I haven't heard of that. But I have no doubt the Norwegians produce good varnishes, all the best ones seem to come from Scandinavian countries not sure why that is when it's how they survive the sun thats most important!