Oil finishes for marine use?

[David Bewick]

Dear All,

I am allowing myself to think well ahead with my Aber build.  I intend to use an oil finish for as much of the "bright" bits as I can get away with.  I was thinking of using a genuine marine oil for this, rather than B&Q's finest, but I am not sure which one to go for.  I know of three serious contenders: Varnol, Deks Olje and Endeavor and there might be some others that I am not aware of.  Does anyone have any recommendations?

Many thanks,

David.

[momist]

I can't recommend, as I've only ever used one of these.  Many years ago I used Deks Olje on the (teak?) cockpit seats of a Westerly 22.  The finish proved very durable, but not very attractive as there was a heavy rain shower soon after the final coat and the ring marks left by the rain drops stayed visible forever (or at least as long as I kept the boat, some years).  The finish was dark, non-slip, not oily to the touch once finally dry, and did not seem to suffer from the constant UV and weather exposure and the tread of deck shoes on and off when getting in and out of the cockpit.   I never could get rid of the ring marks though.

Ian

[Timmo]

I've tried Deks Olje and Varnol. Of the two Varnol seemed better value and more flexibility. one product offering Matt or gloss finish (well, semi gloss.) First thinned coat in each case seemed to sink well in and despite hard use I never seem to have got through to the wood. Varnished over Varnol on one boat. It does make a great primer, but I wish now I'd just stayed with the Varnol finish. I find it hard to get varnish right and with oil it is so much easier to get a decent finish in the first place and to top it up every now and again.

Not sure what you class 'Sikkens' as. It behaves more like an oil than a varnish. I'm just trying some on a tiller arm. Goes on very nicely.

Tim.


> I know of three serious contenders: Varnol, Deks Olje and Endeavor and there might be some others that I am not aware of.  Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Forthsailoar]

I've only used varnol and find it good. I've used it on my tiller and oars. Everything else is painted. It's lasting well. It's a pleasure to use, but does need good weather to dry reasonably fast. 

I've also used it with success on our wooden drainingboard and kitchen worktops of reclaimed timber. We've had a cool damp summer, it took ages to dry fully, but is standing up well to abuse. 

Osbert

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On 23 Oct 2011, at 14:32, "David Bewick [via UK HBBR Forum]"<[hidden email]> wrote:

Dear All,

I am allowing myself to think well ahead with my Aber build.  I intend to use an oil finish for as much of the "bright" bits as I can get away with.  I was thinking of using a genuine marine oil for this, rather than B&Q's finest, but I am not sure which one to go for.  I know of three serious contenders: Varnol, Deks Olje and Endeavor and there might be some others that I am not aware of.  Does anyone have any recommendations?

Many thanks,

David.

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[David Bewick]

I have been doing a bit more research on these products.  In the process, I uncovered some pretty poor online reviews of the Endeavor products but there seems to be a good level of support for Varnol and Deks Olje.  Neither of these seem to offer any UV protection, though, so I am left wondering if they are really much better than Danish Oil.  I suppose the only way forward is to give one of them a go.  The good thing about all these kinds of finishes is that even if they don't work too well on their own, they will probably provide a good base coat for something else, like varnish.

David.