How to refinish a CD 30 bow pulpit?

[dmetznik]

What's the best material to use to refinish the bow pulpit on the cd30. It appears to be oak. Stain? Varnish? Other?

[jambalaya]

Some folks use varnish. Some folks paint it with awlgrip. I tried cetol on mine. The problem with painting is that it will no longer look like wood. However, awlgrip really holds up best. When I went to Bermuda, the sea stripped off all the cetol, not only on the bowsprit, but on the toerail, etc as well. It is also considered OK just to let it be natural, although there is the drying out problem with teak. Right now mine is natural.
The term "pulpit" refers to the area encompassed by the bow rail because it resembles a preacher"s "pulpit".
Will

[Russell Skinner]

Mine is mahogany and was discolored from being exposed to the elements to different degrees. I sanded,bleached,sanded and bleached but could not get down to a uniform wood color(sort of quitting my job and moving to the yard). I finished it in Epiphanes Clear Finish (great stuff) but the discoloration telegraphed through. In retrospect, I wish I had stained the wood in a dark semitransparent color, to match the teak, and then put the finish on.