Help finding a 2 part varnish

[Flip]

I heard on the dock about a 2 part varnish from Germany...called colon?
Pratical sailer supposed to have rated it very high. Like 5 years in the tropics and it's still looking good??

Anybody heard of this and can pass along any info

thanks
flip

[irwinsailor]

It sounds like some great stuff. I want some too.

[Pblais]

The best looking stuff I've ever seen is from Alwgrip. It's called Awlbrite. I've seen some 4 year old jobs that look better than some a week old. It's not particularly cheap but it's also not bad to work with.

[AnchorageGuy]

Flip, We have had some first hand reports of folks that used that stuff and really regretted it. Had all kinds of issues with it.

[AnchorageGuy]

Interlux makes one called Perfection.

[btrayfors]

The product you're looking for is called Coelan. It is made in Germany and is popular in Europe. The U.S. distributor used to be in N.C.

I used some a few years ago on my teak cockpit trim. Because that teak is in only fair shape, and because it has lots of unremovable obstacles, it was a real bear to apply. Also, you must use the whole jar/can within 2 days. You're supposed to apply 5 coats, allowing it to dry between coats. Even in perfect drying weather, it took nearly 2 days to dry as I recall, so the instructions were batty (how do you apply 5 coats in 2 days when it takes nearly 2 days to dry between coats???

Oops...I mis-remembered :-) Looking back at an earlier post, the drying time was 4 hours between coats, and the recommendation was for 6-8 coats. Also impossible in 2 days!

Anyway, despite the difficult application, it came out pretty good. Almost too good. It still looks good after almost 3 years. One of these days I'll screw up the courage to sand it a bit and apply 3-5 more coats, which it really needs to level out.

I'd not hesitate to use it/recommend it on new teak or on teak where there are no obstructions to go around (like a long rail). But, it's not the easiest stuff to apply and it is costly.

Bill

[AnchorageGuy]

There was a brief discussion here
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...lan-12285.html

[starfish62]

There's a guy in Stuart, Florida that has a two-part called Honey Teak. We applied it about a year ago, and it still looks effectively brand new. It was pretty easy to work with and apply.

[Cheechako]

beware of the work involved if it ever goes bad. 2 part britework coatings are not new and have been real problems in the past.

[irwinsailor]

Is cetol a better choice?

[Tnflakbait]

Bristol is very good.

[Pblais]

Gunner,

There is no better choice mostly because everything has it's ups and downs. I used Cetol a long time and it is a good product and not hideous to work with. Ultimately it too has to be removed back to bare wood as everything eventually does. The longer it takes to get there the harder it will be to remove it.

Ultimately you have to look at the boat more than anyone else. Pick something you like. I've switched to Teaqua since it goes on easier than everything else. It's not a gloss finish and you reapply it a few times per year. It is water based so cleans up very easy. I still use masking tape though. If I apply two coats I start at one end of the boat and go around twice. It dries very quickly. The look does not last a long time but I'm back to wood quickly and the natural color of the wood tends to show through more. Some people hate the Cetol orange cast. I never thought it was bad. So what people like seems to vary. If you had only a little bit of wood then it probably does not matter. My cockpit has a double layer taft rail with 18 turned posts. It took 40 hours to strip it. I didn't enjoy the work.

Of the easier to use gloss finishes I think Cetol and Bristol have been the most popular for a long time. I really like the gloss look of AlwBrite. It is $67 / quart while almost everything is $35 / quart.

[westsail42]

Havent tried that german stuff.

I tested Bristol Finish and did not care for it. For one thing, the shelf life of the components is pretty short. Especially after you open them.

On two part clear coatings in general, I determined that, if you intend to keep the boat for a long time, and wants something that looks good, stay away from them. Reason being that they must be sanded off in order to strip. A heat gun wont work.

We went back to traditional varnish. Epiphanes specifically. But then again we are particular about looks.

[CaptHead]

I use Stoppani from Italy which is a system of 2- two part finishes. I am on my 6th year and people ask if I just did my britework. It is awesome!

It is what Riva Yachts uses and they have a 10 year finish. Look at the Rivas and look at how beautiful the wood finish is. That is how mine is.

I have been finishing my wood for over 28 years and tried lots of product, even doing test boards and leaving them in the sun for years. Yes, you can call me anal. I did my homework.

The most important part of teak finishing is the sealing coat. Teak is an oily wood and the lifting you see after a year is caused by the finish coat not sealing the wood properly. Riva Yachts did extensive testing and determined that only spar varnish thinned to 50% on top of bare teak sanded with 100 grit and cleaned of all surface oils with MEK lasted TEN YEARS in all their testing.

Like I said, I have Britework not dullwork and I am very satisfied with Stoppani. It gets 5 stars!

[Cheechako]

I've often wondered if the average cruiser (not requiring shiny britework) should try oil based stain? 5 years ago I put one heavy coat of Olympic "5year" oil stain on my garage exterior walls (which is cedar shingles) On wall is directly exposed to the sun all summer, and of course up here, the rain drives on it the rest of the year. The stuff looks like new. The big advantage of an oil based stain is you just put it on again when you want without prep and it melds into the old surface. It's the prep thats the hard part in varnishing and stain would eliminate most of that. The "cedar" transparent stain color is very close to teak, but I believe you can buy it untinted also. Downside is that it takes about a week before it stops being sticky. Obviously it's not going to be for those who want shiny yacht brightwork, but for those who want nice teak color from 10ft away..maybe? You would still have to start with bare wood the first time though. Might even be a good base for varnish.