Photos by Rogan Birnie
Cetol® is a good choice for someone who wants to maintain a boat without a lot of effort. It is less fussy than varnish, both in application and weather conditions. It also requires less initial base coats – three to four versus eight to 10 - although the annual maintenance coats are similar.
It also seems to be less sensitive than varnish as far as water leaching underneath and lifting the finish. This makes it a good choice for a boat that has complicated water issues. Since excessive water will affect any finish, patching Cetol® when it does lift is faster because it requires fewer coats as a base.
It also seems to be less sensitive than varnish as far as water leaching underneath and lifting the finish. This makes it a good choice for a boat that has complicated water issues. Since excessive water will affect any finish, patching Cetol® when it does lift is faster because it requires fewer coats as a base.
Between coats, sanding is not required if recoated within a certain time frame. This is helpful if you are building up a number of coats but not very significant in terms of annual maintenance.
Staining the fiberglass has been an issue with Cetol®. After a certain amount of time it does not come off. Because of this, it is important to tape around your work area and use mineral spirits to wipe up any Cetol® that gets on the glass.
Cetol® brushes on easily, but as with any exterior finish, the thickness of the coat/finish is vital to its survival. When applying Cetol®, it is best to allow the product to flow off the brush, brushing into the wet edge with as few strokes as possible. Do not use a back-and-forth brush stroke because this will apply a much thinner-than-required coat. Evidence of this will turn up as areas of burn-through that appear during the season.
Cetol® is available in three base colors, Cetol® Marine (original), Cetol® Light and Natural. Natural is the newest and is a brownish color similar in tone to an oiled teak.
Unlike varnish, Cetol® is pigmented much like a stain, so it mutes the grain and look of the wood. With the annual maintenance coats, the color keeps building until it starts to look almost like paint. Cetol® Clear, a gloss finish, can be used over the regular, light or natural finish, and solves this problem, bringing it back to the look of varnish. Unfortunately, now you are adding at least three coats to the required base - four in my experience. In addition, now the base coat requirement is close to what varnish requires. This is all without the benefit of varnish, which enhances the beauty of the wood.
Bottom line, Cetol® is probably your best option if you already have it on your boat and/or if you have complicated water issues.
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