Trojan Boat Forum

Yah baby.

Here is a pic of mine in my shop. Ten coats of Epifane high gloss, just installed on the boat yesterday along with all the rest of the teak that I refinished this winter.

Nice !

Very nice.

Slippery when wet???

Hey Paul,

It is more slippery than just bare teak, but I don't think much more than a satin finish.
Maybe not the best choice, but I love the look of high gloss and don't mind refinishing every few years.

Thanks, Jim

It definitely looks great.

I splash in 2 days. I *think* she looks good but its hard to tell in the storage shed (and she isn't as shiny as the 2006 Cruisers beside me.. but she's also 27 years older....) - gotta see how she looks in the sunlight on Wednesday. If good, I will post a few pics. If not so good... never mind...

I thought the swim platform shouldn't be varnished - just the wood. Should it?

From a safety perspective, you generally want to be more careful what you do to surfaces that people will be walking on, especially those surfaces that are likely to get wet (like foredecks and and platforms). Having said that, there are nice coatings that are low-slip, and also ways of adding non-slip to more glossy finishes (like adding sand or other grit). One example is Cetol - Cetol is usually safe for use in these areas, but Cetol Gloss is less good of a choice (Gloss is slippery when wet, regular Cetol isn't so bad).

Really depends on how you use or don't use your platform. The first boat I had was a '61 CC that came with a highly glossed platform. I scuba dive and I must say that after the first winter haulout, the platform came off for a complete makeover and regular Cetol. No more slipping. But hey, I use my platform a lot. The Trojan is getting another platform that I'm currently working on and will also be using Cetol on. We use it too much (with drinks in hand!!) and taking a bad fall is not an option. But the high gloss does look awsome, just be very carefull.

Here are links to my 'wood finishes' gallery:
Wood Finish examples (part 1)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... f=1&t=3206

Wood Finish examples (part 2)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... =1&t=12738

The platform and 'boarding strips' are Cetol (regular), as are the speaker boxes and box for the VHF. The bow pulpit is Cetol Gloss over Cetol Light. The platform doesn't show as well as it should in these pics... when I get my 2011 launch pics posted they might give you a better idea of the look (have better shots of the platform).

I have been using Cetol on platforms for about 18 years now and never had an incident. And the best part - it only needs maintenance (light sand and add a couple of coats) every 3-4 years if you do it right!

What is the difference between cetol and varnish? Sorry, dumb question but "there's no dumb questions". : )

I am not positive of the difference but cetol does come tinted different colors(not many) and what I used, the cetol light has like a satin finish and when it gets wet it shouldn't be as slippery as a high gloss varnish. But it has the wood sealed and protected. (Plus looks good)

Cetol is kind of like a penetrating stain / sealer that still looks good as a top coat too. The first couple of coats will soak in to a degree until the wood is sealed, then you are building up more protection over top. Varnish pretty much sits on the surface, and you are just building up coats.

Cetol is also easier to work with, and requires less maintenance over time.

A couple of other key differences:

• Varnish being like a hard shell, if wood flexes it could crack. If it does and water gets in behind it, the varnish job can start to look bad really quick, and to 'fix' a messed up varnish job it usually means remove (to bare wood) and start over. Cetol handles flex better, doesn't crack, and since it is penetrating into the wood you don't get water in behind it to lift it.
  
  Ending up with a good varnish job is all about surface prep and keepign the environment clean and dust free. Application of varnish is prepare surface, sand, tack rag to eliminate dust, apply coat. When dry, sand, tack rag to eliminate dust, apply coat. Repeat (for good results 5-7 coats minimum). Application of Cetol is prepare surface, perhaps sand if needed, wipe down to get rid of dust or blow it off (a little 'contamination' doesn't affect finish like it does with varnish), apply coat. When dry, apply second coat. Then apply 3rd and maybe 4th coat depending on saturation levels. Done. No sanding needed.
  
  Maintenance for Varnish - likely every year or two at best. Cetol - I have gone 4 years between maintenance for exterior exposed surfaces (swim platform, steps to the flybridge) and am 9 years and still counting for the areas no typically exposed to the elements, UV, or traffic (speaker boxes and box for the VHF on the fly bridge)
  
  Oh yeah - evening out colour too (if you use 'regular' Cetol that has more pigment in it) ... with varnish you see everything that is underneath it. With Cetol you still see the grain in the wood, but it tends to even our colour variations. Cetol over teak (platform and VHF box) and Cetol over oak (speaker boxes) look very similar in the end. I have done a couple of minor chip repairs in the platform with epoxy, and after a few coats of Cetol the repair area blends in colour-wise