WOOD
Unvarnished truths
FINISHES
Can exterior woodstain really take the place of traditional varnish? Boat-owners who have used it talk to Richard Hare about their experiences
E 82 CLASSIC BOAT MARCH 2012
xterior woodstain technology has come a long way since the yachting press began experimenting with these products in the mid-90s. At the time, their technical advantages over varnish were already apparent but their appearance fell well short of what we needed. In plain terms, the finish they provided was too muddy. At best they could only be used on traditional workboats. Today, it’s hard to tell the difference between advanced technology exterior woodstains and varnish, and two products have particularly caught our attention of late – the standard-solids Sikkens Cetol Marine (now rebranded as International Woodskin, see p87) and the high-solids Sadolin Ultra – a direct competitor for Sikkens Novatech, though our test programme has yet to
reveal whether it achieves the same technical excellence. It is, nonetheless, already a CB 2-Star Pass product, and it fits easily within the annual maintenance cycle. Cetol Marine and Ultra share the highest level of gloss that we’ve come across to date – roughly equivalent to a high-gloss varnish after about four months of weathering – and they retain it too. Of the two, Ultra (pine tint, the lightest shade in the range) appears to have the gloss advantage, but it is a good shade darker than varnish. For colour tone, though, Cetol Marine (natural) takes the lead, but on translucence the two are neck and neck. Both are superior in appearance to Novatech as they don’t seem to darken with age nearly as much. We’ll be reporting on the progress of our rig tests soon. Meanwhile, how have real boats and owners been finding the switch to woodstain working out for them?
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