Rubbing Strakes - Varnish, Oil or Go Naked?

[Toby]

The varnish is peeling off the rubbing strakes, like it does every year.

Does anyone have any thoughts about whether it might be better to oil them rather than varnish them? Any recommendations as to what type of oil or varnish works best?

Or should I leave the rubbing strakes bare? I'm told they're made of iroko wood, which has similar properties to teak.

I've seen a couple of shrimpers recently whose rubbing strakes don't appear to have any coating at all.

I appeal to the collective wisdom of the Cape Cutter Association...

Toby
CC31 Ladybird

[seasickwhale]

Hi Toby,

my CC19 is from 2004. As I loathe varnishing, I simply waited for all the varnish to peel off (I loathe sanding as well) and then gave the rubbing strakes - and all other timber - just a few coats of decks olje. Now I use sadolin. Both products seem to do their job very well. I cannot see anythings that would make me worry.

As the appearance of my wood-treatment is somewhat duller than varnish it may not be for the showboat people. I however prefer sailing to servicing, so I probably treat the wood a lot less often than I should. Based on that I chance to say that even without any treatment the hardwood seems to stand up quite well to the elements.

[Chris Wicks]

Kaliope has also given up with varnish on rubbing strakes and grab rails. I removed most of the varnish several seasons ago and use Hemple teak oil. I sometimes give it a wipe over with a teak oiled rag once or twice during the season and it seems fine. I re-varnish the mast, bow sprit and tiller annually and the rest as required. Considering the amount of sunlight and heat here it does remarkably well. For varnish I use a Greek made product by KRAFT 'varnish for the sea' with high UV filter. Great at about €10 per tin...

[Nick Martin]

definately go naked .. I've stripped / scraped / waited to fall off wherever I can on every boat I've had .. hatch bits, samson post, hand rails, strakes .. has to be the way forward .. and I think it looks better .. I'm environmentally awful and use 50:50 teak oil / cuprinol every so often after a jet wash

I use proper old fashioned varnish on the spars .. the 'ends' are painted white with a full dulux weathershield system (easily the best stuff on the planet) .. that makes them easier to deal with as you can support by ends while varnishing the middle and then alternate .. no stress!!

[erbster]

The consensus seems to be to varnish the spars- what type of varnish do you all use? Any particular brand? Does it matter if one uses different brands on different occasions?

[x-man12345]

I have been looking into this and I think I will be using Sikkens Cetol HLS Plus followed by Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus, in Pine.

Down side is you have to remove the existing coatings.
Cornish Crabbers have been using it for the last 10 years.

[Dennis]

The consensus seems to be to varnish the spars- what type of varnish do you all use? Any particular brand? Does it matter if one uses different brands on different occasions?

I asked Bob (Honnor Marine) this very question when I took delivery of Mary Ann when new.

The answer was DuLux exterior varnish.

I have subsequently used Ronseal exterior varnish and see no reason to change. Adhesion is not a problem as long as the old varnish is rubbed down to a matt finish, wet & dry paper (used wet) seems to be the best method.

There is something very soothing about applying varnish.

[erbster]

Interesting: I rang Bob this week to ask him what he recommended and he said he favours Jotun Ravilakk

(I found it online here: http://www.force4.co.uk/9907/Jotun-Ravilakk-Varnish.html)

Does it make much difference which sort is used?

[Dennis]

Bob has obviously revised his recommendations in the four years since I bought Mary Ann.

I like to varnish the mast and bowsprit every year, the bowsprit seems to get more damage to the varnish than any other part of the boat.

I varnished the boom and gaff for the first time last winter (after three seasons use) although they did not really need it. There was some light abrasion on the surface of the gaff where it rubs against the shrouds, but it had not rubbed through the varnish to the wood.

I use Sadalin quick drying woodstain on the rubbing strake, looks horrid (like brown paint), but does the job and is dry in 20 minutes.

[Ru88ell]

My SA boat has very light coloured Iroko strakes, grabrails, samson post and hatch details. She came with a tin of Epiphanes and I've continued with it. It is fairly laborious, but worthwhile to be able to see the wood underneath in my opinion.