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will it hold up in salt water??
5 replies:
RE: minwax varnish vs salt water?
As well as any varnish. I've used it on blue water (sea-going) sailboats for a long time and it performs as well as any other (read more expensive) varnish.....remembering that varnish on ocean-going boats needs to be renewed every year to maintain its integrity. No varnish is intended for use below the water line where it will be immersed in water (wether fresh or salt) for extended periods, like a few days or longer. I have used my varnished kayaks in the ocean often and the MINWAX Helmsman Polyurethane Spar Varnish (outdoor) has held up just fine. Hope that answers the question. Good luck. Jer
RE: minwax varnish vs salt water?
The main reason we use varnish on kayaks is to keep UV from eating the resin and causing the fiberglass to fail, which it will do if left in the sun, unprotected for extended periods (1-3 years).. The above MINWAX varnish has UV inhibitors. I'm not a chemist and can't evaluate UV inhibitors from one brand of varnish to another, but my boats have had a lot of outdoor time and I see no evidence of sun damage to the resin. Jer
RE: minwax varnish vs salt water?
Depends on how scratched up your boat gets. Mine get a lot of use but because paste wax (3M Marine paste wax with UV inhibitor) them, I just get out the electric car buffer and buff the scratches out. I rewax when the surface looks like it needs it. Saves a lot of revarnishing and keeps the boats looking great. And, yes, you'd have to remove the wax from the varnished surface before you'd revarnish. Only way I know to remove scratches with a plain varnished boat is to sand it lightly and varnish it again. Note, varnish is varnish, it's all about the same once dried. Jer
RE: minwax varnish vs salt water?
» Submitted by George K - Fri, 8/14/09 » 4:05 PM
The more important question is, will it protect your epoxy? Epiphanes or Z Spar or Captain's, whichever you choose, will do both.
George K