willjackson Posted May 3, 2004 Posted May 3, 2004 Just wanted to say hello to everyone and let you know my wife and I have begun work on our weekender. We started last week and will hopefully be attaching the hull bottom to our keel this week. I had a question regarding bright work as I am new to boatbuilding and pretty new to sailing and boating as well: We got a good deal on mohogany so we have built the keel out of it and will be building lots of other parts out of it too. Lots of brightwork is tempting...what are the considerations I should keep in mind if I were to finish the keel bright? maybe just the stem? [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
willjackson Posted May 3, 2004 Author Posted May 3, 2004 My picture didnt work, I'll try again. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
adla Posted May 3, 2004 Posted May 3, 2004 sounds like it would be beautiful...but i can't get the picture to appear... a. Quote
Mark Hughes Posted May 3, 2004 Posted May 3, 2004 Nice start, and welcome aboard! Your keel looks beautiful, and I can see why you would want to finish it bright. Certainly not a problem to do so, as long as you don't mind the extra maintenance typical of any brightwork. But then that's part of what makes a wooden boat so special in my opinion. A little time, attention, and elbow grease and they are the most beautiful things you could want to see on the water! Quote
Kudzu Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 i have to second that. Varnish is for above the water line. Much easier to keep it up. Besides once it's in the water no one will see anything below the water line. Quote
Guest Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 NIce wood and wood surfaces has a lot of advantages even with paint on it. Paint stays better, the finish is easier to obtain on good woods, and longivity of good quality materials makes the boat last longer. So varnish in this case, just takes away from time in the water. Few sand dollars will be say AHHHH, isn't she pretty. :wink: Nice woods will just make you feel better about your time spent putting the boat together, sometimes kowing that you may not need to do it again in the not so distant future. Quote
Frank Hagan Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 Great looking keel! It is hidden, for the most part, except for the stem portion. Once the bottom goes on, only the fishes will see your keel! I would figure on painting the keel under the bottom of the boat, and finishing the stem bright from the water line up. Then in a year or so, you can paint it if it gets to be too much trouble. The water line on this boat is just a few inches up from the bottom, so after you get the bottom on, you can make that decision. Quote
Mark Gudschinsky Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 I built using Okumee plywood (Mahogany) but also used bondo so I'm forced to paint. In retrospect even though I'm one of the worst for doing maintanace, I wish The wood was showing through. It seams much more of a boat some how. Think of all of those Christ Crafts on the magazine covers. On the other hand to get a boat like that might take so long you'll never get to sail it! Quote
Greg Luckett Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 Mark, How and where did you use Bondo? Thanks. Quote
willjackson Posted May 4, 2004 Author Posted May 4, 2004 Thanks for all the tips-I had figured the maintenance would be prohibitive and will probably go for a bright finish on the stem only-like the Aloha. Whats everyones favorite Varnish? Quote
Sailor3356 Posted May 4, 2004 Posted May 4, 2004 Greg, do you really want to use Bondo. I have seen it powder after a season of use around water. Has any one else had this happen? Quote
Barry Pyeatt Posted May 5, 2004 Posted May 5, 2004 Welcome Will, This has been a frequent topic for discussion and you can find a number of discussions about it by using the "Search" function above. Without question, my favorite varnish is Varathane Classic Spar Varnish, oil based. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to apply, holds up extremely well to UV exposure and with our usage will probably last for 4-6 years before removal and recoating will be necessary. There are more expensive traditional varnishes available, but I haven't found any of them to hold up any better than the Varathane or been as easy to use. I'm not into redoing bright work every year or two. But I do like the traditional warm golden hue that varnish gives to wood. I've been using the Varathane products on boats for about 40 years with excellent results. So that is why I recommend it so highly. Quote
Greg Luckett Posted May 5, 2004 Posted May 5, 2004 Greg' date=' do you really want to use Bondo. I have seen it powder after a season of use around water. Has any one else had this happen?[/quote']Where did I say I wanted to use it? I am curious as to where and how Mark has used it as I respect his opinion and know of some of his accomplishments. Quote
tdrown Posted May 5, 2004 Posted May 5, 2004 I fnished the stem part of my keel bright and haven't regretted it. Quote
willjackson Posted May 5, 2004 Author Posted May 5, 2004 thanks for all the advice-I am hopefully attaching the hull bottom to the keel today. Quote
Knut Posted May 7, 2004 Posted May 7, 2004 Hi, Signature Finish has an excellent synthetic varnish called HoneyTeak. It is very easy to work with and you will find external tes reports proving its excellent durability on their website: www.fabulainc.com In my experience, you also get the best customer support per phone that I have found so far. (Their 2-component paint is also fantastic to work with. I have just finished restoring the deck on my 1972 Balboa and I am very pleased with the result, non-skid and smooth). Good Luck Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.