winter lifting carpal varnish

[rpackard]

For many years, during the winter I have kept a trawler on the hard in SE Alaska. Each year the varnish or Cetol in the vicinity of stanchion bases and cleats is undermined by moisture and lifts off in sheets. Obviously water gets into the finish and then lifts it when that moisture freezes and expands. Other than shrink wrapping or inside storage, I am wondering how boaters in the northeast, which experiences even colder weather prevents the varnish or Cetol from lifting from the teak.

I have tried using an undercoat of Smith penetrating epoxy but that does little good. I am wondering if an undercoat of WEST epoxy might adhere better. The varnish or Cetol might lift off the epoxy but at least I wouldn't have to strip down to bare wood to refinish.

So what do you north easterners do?

 

[Choices]

I have the other extreme. Currently 104-107. I have used Awlwood and it has lasted five years+.

Many use chaulk around bases. Cetol is too soft for me, it just lifts as you describe. Good thing it is easy to remove.

 

[tiltrider1]

Any water penetration will lift Awlwood. I would not try Awlwood until you figure out how to stop the water penetration.

It appears that the stanchion needs to be removed so that you can properly apply and seal the varnish.

 

[DDW]

The stanchion base is interrupting the seal. Varnish almost always fails at the edge because water can wick down the grain and under the finish, which is the beginning of the end. It will also happen at sharp corners on teak (because at the sharp corner the finish thickness is far less), or at joints in teak (because the joints tend to move a little, stressing the varnish). I agree you will need to remove all the stanchion bases and varnish underneath. If you must have teak, large uninterrupted expanses with nothing mounted on them are best - easy to sand and recoat, and no edges to fail.

 

[GoneFarrell]

Agree with tilt.
I pulled all the screws, raised the rails, clean/sand/clean. Then the usual Cetol process. Bedded the rails with Life Caulk. That was 4 years ago, still looks good.

 

[Nomad Willy]

One needs to be careful where to use epoxy.
Many/most applications seal too much and any moisture/water that gets in under the cap-wood will be permanent. The moisture will travel under imperfect coatings causing separations and coating failures.

But one is stuck w one or the other for the most part. An old and assumed to be true saying is to never FG a wood boat. Moisture will get in under the FG coating and ruin the adhesion and all will come apart.

If I was to build a new boat it could be multipart coatings outside … and oil inside. But I’d probably use high quality oil based paint or varnish. Peter Culler always heavily coated (slobbered kerosene everywhere) inside and throught the bilge areas. Followed w oil but primaryly w kero. I would prolly use a nix of 20% oil 80% kero. This can be up dated many times as the years go by. You can and should keep applying oil and kero. Not covering it up and thereby preventing drying out. Trapped moisture is not good. But if you do cover it up … do it w paint or varnish that can (more or less) be easily removed) for recoating.

Read “Skiffs and Schooners” by P Culler.

Richard I always used oil in SE. Raw Linseed Oil. My only complaint is the requirement of frequent (every 30 to 45 days) re-coating. Just applying - not sanding. If you use boiled Linseed Oil build will soon happen. Avoid build. It’s too much like sealing.

 

[rpackard]

It is not realistic that all pinholes that permit water intrusion can be eliminated. So removing and rebidding stuff is not a cure although maybe delays the inevitable. I was looking for repsinces for people from the northeast or midwest that her a cold winter. It is the freezing of the intruding water that leads to the creeping of the water. surely someone in a cold climate has been able maintain bright finished teak rails.

One labor intensive solution might be to tape of a bare strip of teak around all metal fittings. then the finish near meets the metal to wood joint.

But what about applying WEST system epoxy as a base coat? Not fiberglass, just good quality epoxy. The finish coats will go over the epoxy and , if the finish coat lifts, the epoxy finish below may continue to adhere.