Spar Varnish vs Oil based paint for transom

kawaboy-zx11

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i am getting ready to start this project of replacing my inside transom wood on my 14" aluminum starcraft, i am making my shopping list. i am buying the 3/4" acx plywood, titebond 2 wood glue to glue the 2 pieces together, and need something to seal the wood. is oil based paint or spar varnish better? i know resin epoxy is best but i cant find any locally cheap so its either spar varnish OR oil based paint. Thanks
 
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jbcurt00

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IMO, they are both about the same protection.

Google:

Woodonglass old time sealer iboats

That will pull up a good method for sealing the plywood. Then follow up w paint.
 

DeepBlue2010

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Make sure your titebond glue is water proof one. I know that titebond glue number 3 (III) is.
 

kawaboy-zx11

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i think i am going to go with the titebond 2, it says excellent water resistance, it will never be below the water level. it will only get rained on.
 

GA_Boater

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I like spar varnish like Helmsman. It's been more durable than oil based paint on wood for me. YMMV.
 

imp0ster

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are you B Wallace on there? i only saw 2 pictures.


Yes I am. Brandon Wallace. I did it from my phone and it only let me load two. It came out beautiful. You HAVE to use patience and let it cure a couple weeks before general use. Final sand should be 220.

My father did a 44ft(ish?) Egg Harbor and everything was teak. You should have seen that boat. It was drop dead gorgeous but weighed as much as a small moon.
 
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kawaboy-zx11

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ok, thanks for the info, that is what i will buy, i dont need pretty but i do need sturdiness and longevity, i may need to PM you when i get to that part. as i have never done anything like this before. Thanks
 

Ned L

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What will hold up better varnish or oil based paint??? ------------- Besides providing MUCH better UV protection, paint has a lot more solids. ....... Ask anyone who has had a boat with a lot of brightwork which holds up better.

....... Me, I'd go with an oil based paint, ... Rustoleum is fine.
 

kawaboy-zx11

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geeez, now i am REALLY confused..lol. different opinions. i saw i can get a small can of the rustoleum paint for about $4 vs $12 for the spar varnish. if i go with the paint would you guys suggest white? i dont care how it looks i just want it to last a while.
 
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Ned L

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I know there are a lot of people here who seem to swear by varnish as a sealer, and a durable finish. I don't really get that. ------------ All I can do is point out what I did above, and go by my own experience of owning boats with brightwork. I am certainly not against varnish, I love brighwork on a boat, and live with the upkeep.
 

jbcurt00

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Not that it makes much difference, but spar typically used @ rebuilds @ iboats is actualy spar urethane, not actually spar varnish.

I'd bet Neds brightwork IS done w spar varnish.

Epiphanes is occasionally used, but as its readily available at most big bix stores, this is typical of whats used:
paint_template-1


Or similar
 

bonz_d

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If you really want it to last I too would highly recommend the "Old Timers Formula" mentioned above. I have used it many times and it just plain works. All the ingredients are not that expensive. A pint of spar urethane and a qt. of the linseed oil and a qt. of mineral spirits should be more than enough to cover both sides of that small transom.

A number of years ago I replaced the wood seat tops in a Lund and just coated them with plain polyurethane and after a couple seasons the poly was peeling and the grain in the plywood was already starting to check up. Then I'd purchased an Alumacraft that had the decking painted with deck paint and the plywood grain on that was also starting to raise and check.

Once I started using the Formula all those issues went away. It really would be worth the extra $15.00 you'll spend on materials.

You can see results of what I've done here;
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...hull-repair/9930055-quick-n-easy-repair-maybe
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...lding-and-hull-repair/10034071-sea-nymph-redo pictures start page 4
 

kawaboy-zx11

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well i am glad i didnt go buy that 2'x4' plywood, cuz i just went outside and took the corner pieces off and the top aluminum cover and measured and came up with 55.5" x 9". seems like an odd size to me but thats what i got, 55.5" is at the top but it tapers down as it goes lower into the boat.
 

bonz_d

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Not odd at all. I think next you should measure whether it's 1.5" thick or only 1.25" thick.
 

kawaboy-zx11

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yes it is 1.5" thick, i had to buy a 8' x 2' sheet of acx ($30 at menards) to get the 55.5" length. i cut them out yesterday and let them glue over night. should i paint the board with rustoliem BEFORE i drill the holes or after? Thanks
 
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