Typhoon Varnish / Cetol work while on a mooring

[Joe CD MS 300]

Is it crazy to try and apply Cetol to the toe rail and rub rail while on a mooring? Is it a disaster waiting to happen? The Typhoon is in a fairly well protected cove which can be dead still often when the winds are calm except for some wake from an occasional passing boat. I was hopping to get it done while it was still on the hard in the yard but time and tide didn't cooperate. I got all of the easily removed items including the coming boards refinished last season and would like to finish up the toe and rub rails this year. Any tips on masking tape and drop cloths?

[Carl Thunberg]

Hi Joe - Poorhouse Cove (20 minutes by boat from you, 45 minutes by land) is protected from all sides, and is close to a hurricane hole. We still get a seabreeze. My experience with varnish on my mooring is that by the time the varnish starts to skim, the seabreeze kicks in, and I get ripples in the varnish that are nearly impossible to then sand out. I'd like to say I learned my lesson the first time . . . Just one person's experience applying finishes on a mooring. You should be fine with Cetol. You may want to try applying Cetol at the end of the day, after the wind dies. It should be tack-dry before the dew starts to fall. Taping shouldn't be a problem from a dinghy. I find frog tape (green) works better than 3M painters tape for marine finishes. Good luck.

[Jim Walsh]

I removed/sanded and applied three coats of Cetol and two coats of their Gloss while in my slip. I just waited till September after the temps cool down and the humidity is low. I paid little attention to the wind.

[Joe CD MS 300]

My primary concern is just spilling a can of Cetol on the deck from the rocking of some wake. Applying Cetol in the sun has not been a problem for me in the past. I really didn't think about doing it from the dinghy. Maybe that would be a safer option.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Is it crazy to try and apply Cetol to the toe rail and rub rail while on a mooring? Is it a disaster waiting to happen?

Joe:

I have done it twice while on a mooring (once a Typhoon; once my CD 25D). I cannot imagine anyone being more uncoordinated at my age than me. If I can do it anyone can do it.

Both times I thoroughly stirred the Cetol in its original container and then poured an amount into a VERY clean tuna can, keeping the Cetol can lid on the quart of Cetol. In this way, if I had an "accident" I only spilled a small amount, not a quart.

There is a 3M tape on the market that is supposed to be able to be left on for a week at a time and peel off without leaving anything. The person who Awlgripped my CD 25D used it. It is blue and is sort of "shiny" as distinguished from the normal blue tape which is a dull blue. I recommend the more expensive shiny blue 3M tape. It will make your life easier when removing the tape - whether in a day, a week or longer. I think this is the tape but I am not sure:

http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/a ... 387&rt=rud

[Nebe]

there is going to be virtually no airborn dust at your mooring vs the dirt lot of a boat yard

[Joe CD MS 300]

I'm thinking maybe I'll put the Cetol in a small bucket that should catch the drips. If I did get hit with some wake I could just hold the bucket and let it swing. Working from the dinghy (a RIB) should be reasonably stable. At least in theory. Would save the knees and back.

[bottomscraper]

When I'm doing Cetol (and any varnish) I stir the main can and then transfer a working amount to smaller container. I seal up the main can and set it aside. The smaller container is just a clean used food can (my favorite are the shallow crab meat cans) but it has a piece of safety wire across the middle to give a place to wipe the brush on. I then have a small 8x11" corrugated cardboard box lined with about 5 layers of paper towels, this is where the smaller working container stays. Even if the can gets knocked over the varnish will stay in the box.

I never return leftover varnish or Cetol to the original container. I would rather discard a small amount of leftover varnish than ruin the rest of the can for next season. At the end of the day I release a bit of propane from an unlit torch into the can to displace air before I seal it up. Since I started doing these two things I haven't had problems using old varnish or Cetol. There is a commercial product called Bloxygen that can be used to displace air, they say it is inert so I'm guessing Argon. It's expensive, propane is cheap!

When weather permits I now try to do Cetol in the Fall before we cover the boat for the winter. Having the whole winter to harden seems to be a good thing. Nature doesn't always cooperate, this last fall it got cold too fast and the wet cold spring was a real race to get everything done before the boat got launched.

[John Stone]

I actually prefer to varnish on a mooring or even anchored. I have done it that way a number of times. When possible, if there is much vanishing to do, I like to sand the day before. Then, the next morning I wipe the dew off, allow about 30 minutes to make sure the surfaces are dry to get to it.

Absolutely no dust when anchored or moored. It's quiet. I'm focused on what I am doing. There are no docklines to work around. No one interrupts. I have varnished the bowsprit while standing in the dinghy and painted the bulwarks the same way.

Obviously try to do it when it's calm. And always keep a wary out out for passing motor boats. I am always surprised when a motor boat drives by leaving a big wake while I am standing in the dinghy with a varnish brush in one hand and a container of varnish in the other and the driver looks right at me and shows no recognition on their face what aggravation they are causing. But, I digress.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Thanks for the responses guys. I feel better about giving it a shot.

[David Morton]

Joe,
I have spent a good deal of time doing my maintenance coat (320 grit sanding followed by one coat of varnish) on my teak. I would only add to be wary of the pollen in the air. In early June all the horizontal surfaces on Danusia are covered with a fine yellow powder that reappears every morning for several weeks, even out on my mooring over 500 yds from shore. Your seasonal timing will differ depending on your local climate.

Good Luck,

David