Staining under epoxy

[Doug Cameron]

I like the way the bright-finished wood on Graham's former Green Heron (CS 17) was dark.  Does anyone have any experience and opinion about staining wood before applying epoxy?  The Gugeon Brothers book is silent on the subject.

Thanks

[PAR]

If you check out the West System site, they've run tests on different stains under epoxy, since the last revision of their book.

The best ones seem to be water based or very well dried pigmented oils. I say pigmented because most stains currently are a lot more then just a stain. They seal, stain and also have some hardening agents in them too, which can screw with a good bond.

I make mine own and usually add dry pigments to the epoxy rather then wet ones to the wood. This insures the best bond and penetration. Dry pigments can be had at the local paint supplier (Sherman Williams, Benjamin Moore, etc.). Of course, you'll want to test on a scarp piece of similar stock before committing to the boat, to get the color right.

[Designer]

Doug,

I have never bothered with stain under epoxy. Green Heron was natural okume. Okume darkens in the sun, try leaving a scrap out in the sun for a few hours with a stick on top and you will see a stripe across the scrap. That said some okume can be bland but if you select nicest sheets for the deck I think that by the time it gets coated with epoxy and varnished and used for a while it will look good.

[Doug Cameron]

Thanks Graham and PAR

I was thinking more about the trim and thwart/seat.  See photo below;

[Dale Niemann]

Doug,

Here is my Lively.  The decks are Okume and thwart, toe rails and rub rails are mahogany.

Dale

[Dale Niemann]

Sorry, I forgot to mention in previous post that decks and mahogany have three coats epoxy and 7 coats Captains varnish.

Dale

[Doug Cameron]

Boy, is she handsome Dale.  I just hope that Dillen Leigh looks half as good.

I also notice that you have a mast tube for the middle mast step.  And I like the bronze on the rubrail.

I hope you will be beside us on the beach at Mullet Key in March.

Doug

[Designer]

Like Dales boat the toe rails are mahogany and the bunk cleats are wallnut.