CRAFTSMANSHIP
SMACK QUIZ
Low-maintenance mast
The 37ft (11.3m) LOD smack Quiz had her mast stripped of all varnish to be refinished in Sadolin Ultra. Her owner Paul Webster used the same ‘Heritage Oak’ tint as on the Ultra specimens on our test rig, enabling us to compare its appearance on something other than the test-rig iroko. Paul was attracted to the idea of low maintenance and
a traditional appearance. The conversion was done in April 2009 and it still looked very impressive in November when she was laid up for the winter (below, far left). He was understandably sceptical about the darker tint but on reflection he’s been very pleased with it. “I would never have chosen ‘Heritage Oak’ if I’d had a
choice”, he told us (we gave him the test rig tin to play around with), “but I have to say I’m very happy with the result – it looks very traditional and in keeping with an historic workboat. I was worried that it would be much darker. The last thing I wanted was for Quiz to look like she’d had a Jacobean makeover.” Well, plainly she doesn’t. Three coats of Ultra woodstain
were applied, but no base coat, as on our test piece. In fact the Ultra looked better at the end of the first season than it did at the beginning. Some slightly darker blotches immediately after application evened out during the season. The likely explanation is temporary variations in moisture content resulting from the previous frail (impervious) varnish. With exterior woodstain being vapour-permeable (breathable), these patches evened out and disappeared by mid-season. At the end of the first season based on her mooring off Pin Mill on the Orwell, the Ultra had retained good colour and a respectable level of sheen, and apart from some touching in where the gaff jaws had graunched the top of the mast no work was needed. By the end of the second summer it was the same situation; no further treatment was needed, and on inspection in March 2011 (below) Paul decided it was fine for a third season.
Opposite: Exterior woodstain goes on easily Right: On Norfolk Gypsy Sophie build-up of woodstain had led to inability to ‘breathe’, hence this flaking; the affected area was sanded back to bright wood and given three fresh coats that will enable it to work as it’s designed to
NORFOLK GYPSY SOPHIE Supplier-specified
When retired advertising photographer Graham Ford decided to move up from dinghies he chose a 20ft (6.1m) Norfolk Gypsy, a small, quality ‘plastic classic’ that looked distinguished yet that he could sail solo while still having a large enough cockpit for when the family visit. Sophie, built by Charlie Ward, was 11 years old when
Below, from left: Sadolin Ultra’s Heritage Oak tint on Quiz’s softwood mast after it first summer season, and again, two years after the application. Right: Quiz on the River Orwell
he bought her. Graham didn’t really have to make a decision on what wood finish to use as it had already been made for him. Neil Thompson, who took over Charlie’s business, specifies Sikkens Cetol Marine for the spars that are not protected from UV by the sail cover. Graham’s had no thoughts on changing to anything else because he likes to keep boat maintenance low and fuss-free. “I always found varnish a pain,” he told me. “Cetol tins last a long time; I’ve got one on the go which is three years old.” He added that he’s even using it to touch in the degraded varnish on the gaff and boom. In autumn 2009 he gave the mast a light sanding and took worn patches back to bare wood. These were given three coats, with one additional coat over the whole mast.
CLASSIC BOAT MARCH 2012
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