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marine plywood finishwork?

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wharf rat

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I have a project involving some really cool marine plywood that has some form of mahogany on the outter layers. What is a good product to finish the wood? I have used marine varnish in the past and I was not happy with it after few years. What about some sort of marine polyeurithane? or just teak oil? Any input would be helpful.
thanks ej. :? :?:
 
Capt kevin,
The wood will be exposed to the elements. Also it will be in a high traffic area with a good chance of being hit with heavy jigs and other heavy items (i.e., hand gaffs, lead balls and downrigger weights). I'm looking for a product that can take punishment! The polyeurithane I used on my kitchen table last year seems like the right stuff but is there a marine version or something else you know of?
ej.
 
I would saturate with a thinned epoxy layer, and when that has kicked, but still green, saturate with regular epoxy. Once cured, sand smooth and cover with 2-3 coats of UV protecting varnish. The varnish will block the UV, but every couple of years, needs to be sanded lightly and varnished again. Lots of work.

I believe polyurethane will also break down under the UV rays of the sun.

Dave
 
Tough call, but I think Daves method would give the greatest protection from the elements.

Once you put a protective 'shell' on the wood, you need to maintain the finish.
Exterior poly with UV protection is good, but sunlight will eventually take its toll on any finish.
A light sanding and re-application every couple of years will keep it looking fresh though.

I like teak oil on teak, but I'm not certain how well it would protect mahogany.
An advantage of teak oil is that it protects without the 'hard shell', and bumps and bruises are easier to repair.
A light sanding and wipedown with more teak oil is all that is needed.

Still, for maximum protection, the epoxy/poly combo seems like the best course of action (at least to me).
 
two things that are used by my customers at my hardware store are, 1st Spar varnish which is the marine polyurathane. It will not be crystal clear but will hold up under uv conditions. The second is a product made by Sikens, called Cetal. This is by far one of the best finihes and most durable I have seen. If your interested let me now and I can let you know who carries them around you.
 
Sounds to me like your fixing to build a high maintenance piece with all the access that things will be banging on it.
 
FWIW Raka epoxies www.raka.com has a few UV epoxies you can use, but just don't coat it, the full piece must be encapsulated ...
 
DaleH":1i4i6eij said:
FWIW Raka epoxies http://www.raka.com has a few UV epoxies you can use, but just don't coat it, the full piece must be encapsulated ...

what Dale said: this is the method I use: RAKA is amazing and awesome customer service. Order by 4pm on one day, it arrives the next day before 3pm. (at least in Florida). Give them a call and describe what you are trying to accomplish: they'll point you in the right direction. Here's there contact info: 772.489.4070 and website: http://www.raka.com/epoxy.html
 
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