Hi There,
Just to chime in.
For an interior application, I have been told that soles are often done using a
polyurethane, and that this is what is done on most new
boats, and that in fact almost all the interior
wood is often done this way. I am not sure if they use a 2 pack poly or not, but I suspect that is what they would use for the sole since that gets a beating. Reasons given are that
Polyurethane is much harder for abrasion resistance and thereofore more durable than varnish in an interior application.
Fine internal joinery on the schooner was always done in polyurethane, and all exterior
work was done with varnish. That is, until a new crewmember redid them in varnish over the poly (to the captains yelling dismay). I have to say, they looked like furniture before, and not quite as nice after, and thats not because of holidays, it was just the look of the
wood. it looked like layers of varnish, instead of furniture, if that makes any sense. The poly we used went on much thinner than varnish out of the pot, so it might just be a thickness thing.
The only real issue (allegedly) with poly is that your wood has to be completely dry, as if it is not, moisture will get under it and it will
lift off in
sheets. Varnish is supposed to "breathe" where poly is supposedly a solid layer that
seals everything out (or in). I saw the poly used on the exterior decking on a schooner. The decks were obviously always wet (and needed to be washed down daily with saltwater to keep them tight), and the stuff came off in
sheets and looked like hell. but that is a really bad example of what not to do. Made the decks hot as hell too cause they were darker.
I dont think the reddish colour of cetol would be to my liking down below. Even the cetol "light" version is very reddish orange when you use enough coats. I know the little chunk of wood that they use to show what it will look like in the store looks nice and brown and almost like a varnish, but in the real world the second you build up more than 2 coats, it's orange city.