mahogany hull finish

[Michael Muller]

Hi group,

First time poster here; I've morphed from r/c airplanes to a sailboat: a
Dumas Star, 30"

Question: How should I finish the outside of the mahogany hull?

Options I can think of are:
1. Varnish: Using spar varnish, give it plenty of coats (8-10) to make a
beautiful hull.
2. Epoxy: Probably less attractive than varnish, but more durable.

Any other ideas? I'm building with aesthetics taking priority over speed,
and would rather not paint the wood (either above or below the waterline).
Also, weight is a lesser concern (although I do realize its importance).

Thanks for any advice,
mike

[Tachikaze]

Mike,
If the hull is finished and you have the nice mahogony appearnace that you want, then the most important thing is to protect that finish. If you are planning on running this boat, then it WILL get dinged and dented from stuff that happens in daily running and moving of the boat.
The varnish will not protect your boat. It is fine if you place it on a shelf and never touch it, but that is no fun
:(
I would finish this with an epoxy resin. You may even consider placing some fiberglass under the resin for extra support. If you have never worked with resin before you MUST practice before you try it on your boat.
The resin, applied evenly and polished out will give you a clear protective coat over the boat. You will need to try it on a piece of wood that has been finished the same way as you boat to make sure that you do not get an unwanted reaction from a finish that may not respond well to the resin. Some paints and laquers will bubble with the resin.
If you use glass on the hull, under the resin then make sure you use a thin fine mesh glass so that you can bend it nicely around the hull. YOU MUST practice this before you begin. And do not goop the resin onto the glass, a little bit goes a long way.
I have a Dumas Typhoon that I have yet to start, but the plan will be to finish off the hull with the resin over the entire hull with a thin glass beneath it. Since I tend to be a little rough on my boats it is the only way to go to keep it from getting too banged up.:p

[Bill Price]

Do both.

An initial coat of epoxy is required to make your hull watertight and strong
enough to withstand the wear and tear of normal sailing.

West System makes an epoxy that is formulated to be used under varnish. Use
that first, sand it smooth (miserable job, sorry), then apply 3-4 coats of
marine varnish.

"Michael Muller" <Michael_Muller@brown.edu> wrote in message
news:bdcheg$2b9$1@saturn.services.brown.edu...
> Hi group,
>
> First time poster here; I've morphed from r/c airplanes to a sailboat: a
> Dumas Star, 30"
>
> Question: How should I finish the outside of the mahogany hull?
>
> Options I can think of are:
> 1. Varnish: Using spar varnish, give it plenty of coats (8-10) to make a
> beautiful hull.
> 2. Epoxy: Probably less attractive than varnish, but more durable.
>
> Any other ideas? I'm building with aesthetics taking priority over speed,
> and would rather not paint the wood (either above or below the waterline).
> Also, weight is a lesser concern (although I do realize its importance).
>
> Thanks for any advice,
> mike
>
>

[Lohring]

I finish boats frequently with West epoxy. A good way to avoid sanding is
to apply the epoxy and then scrape it off with a playing card or similar
disposable scraper. Two or three coats applied like this will result in a
surface that needs minimal sanding and adds little weight. A coat of
automotive clear sprayed on gives a beautiful finish.

Lohring Miller




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