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A friend has recently applied Cetol Marine Natural Teak to several pieces of new teak on his refurbished sailboat (sadly not a Cape Dory). He is now thinking of applying Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane as a protective sealant.
Advise him it doesn't work out well. I use Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane on my spruce booms and sometimes on my teak when a down and dirty job is needed. It will go over varnishes that have cured and the surface sanded to gain adhesion. In this respect it is like all other varnishes.
I have seen the affect of trying to use it over oil type finishes and to be polite lifts off fairly quickly, perhaps about 4 to 6 weeks. Since he has already done the Cetol thing, you have what is probably the best answer for him. If he waits a month or so, then sands the Cetol and does all they prep as if he were re coating varnish, it should work.
I have yet to see a urethane that stands up outdoors, it's a waste of time.
Moisture/uv will rapidly degrade it. Helmsman spar is a good product inside.
After stripping and sanding the interior of my boat I used it exclusively on all wood surfaces below deck.......that was 8 yrs. back and it looks fresh. I prefer the 'satin'. A nice finish with some depth is to apply 2-3 coats of gloss, followed with a couple of coats of satin.
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Last edited by Ron M. on Aug 14th, '11, 08:06, edited 1 time in total.
Ron M. wrote:I have yet to see a urethane that stands up outdoors, it's a waste of time.
Moisture/uv will rapidly degrade it. Helmsman spar is a good product inside.
After stripping and sanding the interior of my boat I used it exclusively on all wood surfaces below deck.......that was 8 yrs. back and it looks fresh. I prefer the 'satin'. A nice finish with some depth is to apply 2-3 coats of gloss, followed with a couple of coats of satin.
I respectfully disagree. I applied Minwax Helmsman to our teak name plate. After 4 years on the transom it's got one small peeling corner. Rest is looking good..
I have used Minwax Helsman and agree it acts like all urethane products in that it will yellow and eventually crack. I would suggest usng Cabots Spar Varnish, it is available at Lowes and at a great price point vs. some of the elite varnishes. It gives a very gold deep finish and seems to last as long as the high priced brands.
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."
Sea Hunt-- We have three base coats of cetol natural teak with about two coats of interlux 95 poly varnish followed by one coat of poly 95 every year for the last 5 years . It has worked fairly well as long as we touch up chafed spots that show up during the season. These are usually caused when lines chafe the finish.
I need to apply a top coat of gloss this year and never considered anything but Cetol over Cetol. I don't doubt that all sorts of materials would adhere. I just don't think many of them would last as long.
That was the reason I used Cetol in the first place. If I wanted ultimate beauty I would have used Real varnish, Steve.
I agree with others - I have done it - but not on the exterior - only on interior trim. I had a bunch of color discoloration to the teak plywood on the interior due to water spots. I sanded but couldn't get them all out. So - since I had some laying around - I put a coat of Cetol Natural Teak on everything first - to try and balance out the color. It actually worked quite well - hid a lot of the water spots - but of course had a semi gloss finish.
After a light sand - I top coated everything with the Helmsman Spar Urethane Satin Finish.
It has been about 6 months - and it seems to be holding up well - but NO exposure to direct sunlight. So as far as some kind of chemical interaction - there doesn't seem to be a problem. However - I don't think it would be the best product for the exterior.
Actually - I found it pretty useful for the interior - since you can get it in spray cans. I removed most of the trim from the boat. It was very easy to apply to small pieces of trim with tight corners that might otherwise be difficult to varnish.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. They are much appreciated.
So far, I have only used Cetol products and have been very happy with them. I am sure Minwax Helmsman Spar is a good product and has its usefulness in certain places on a sailboat.
There were Star class races at the sailing club last week. There was one Star sailboat that had an unbelievably beautiful wood foredeck. I asked the owner about it. He said it was a type of Brazilian wood and then told me what he applied to it to make it so beautiful and shiny and very slippery.
As is usual with me and memory loss I do not now remember the name of the stuff but I do remember he said it was some type of urethane product used on cars, etc. Dick, I am guessing it is the stuff referenced in your post.
This deck was gorgeous. The most beautiful I have seen. Everyone at the club was commenting about it. I overheard the owner say he was from Canada and that he and his father work on sailboats for a living. Very nice guy. Beautiful Star sailboat. Not sure where they placed in the regatta.
I do not now remember the name of the stuff but I do remember he said it was some type of urethane product used on cars, etc. Dick, I am guessing it is the stuff referenced in your post.
