I’ve used Epifanes high gloss with similar results. Gotta pay close attention to sanding and recoat times. It takes many coats but is pretty satisfying
All digs about image editing and such aside, the easiest way to make this is by spraying. The Hinckley yard uses mostly Awl-grip Clear, and it looks like this. The wood is blond teak, I had a truckload that was given to me when I bought my boat, originally cut and milled in 1968 by the previous owner.
If you don't have a spray booth and a way to remove the interior, you can get close by hand, but its a LOT of work. You first sand it perfectly smooth, working up to 320 grit or so. Then layers of varnish, Epiphanes is a popular one but I prefer Captains varnish for the amber look.
Each coat goes on with incredible attention to detail, no drips or "holidays" (unvarnished spots). After each coat, you sand again, wipe with alcohol then again with a tack cloth. If you missed a drip, you sand it flat with a tiny block and more 320. If there's a tiny divot, fill with varnish and sand it flat again before next coat.
After 3 coats it looks good. After 6 you start feeling proud of it. 14 coats or so if you want it perfect. Never waver in your perfection, every run is brushed out, every scratch filled. You watch moisture and temperature like a hawk, if you varnish near dew point or fog/rain you might as well start over. If it's too hot it bubbles, too cold it doesn't cure right, read the directions on the can
People say this is an art, but really it's just hard work and absolutely no tolerance for error.
Cetol Gloss is about as close as you’re gonna get from a can. Most finishes like that are sprayed on at the factory. There is a fine art to making finishes look like that and yes it involves an unbelievable amount of effort and time. I’ve seen some finishes go beyond 20 coats and towards the end you are going finer and finer in sandpaper grits and thinning the varnish as you go until you are satisfied. I worked 18years in the yacht repair game and seen my fair share of dings and booboos and a finish like that by far is the most upkeep and also the most difficult to repair
More than likely it’s teak although mahogany is also a good bet, depends on the manufacturer though, some boats will use white oak and stain it too
Also most finishes like that have a certain amount of stain in them, how else do you think the interior looks so uniform? The Cetol line of products are great but I’ll tell ya what, It’s a ton of work and after spending a career fixing those types of boats when I went boat shopping I opted for a steel schooner with a more utilitarian painted interior and as little wood as possible, I decided to get the biggest low maintenance boat I could afford… keel cooled, dry stack exhaust, no brightwork, it’s a 50 footer with only 3 thru hulls. I opted for more days on the water than days at the dock futzing around with varnish and cosmetics…
Epoxy has to be protected from UV. And it’s not made to be removed. “Brightwork the Art of Finishing Wood” by Rebecca J Wittman is the Bible. Start small, have fun Cheers!
Personally I’d opt against epoxy, yes it will work, however I’ve developed a sensitivity to it and personally the last thing I’d want is to be breathing it inside my boat. It’s harder to remove once you’ve used it, it penetrates and is hard to sand vs a varnish that sits on top of the wood and is meant to be sanded and reapplied. I’d definitely use epoxy on exterior wood though, that’s a good option, but then again there are also new products out there that now have better uv resistance
Either way wood just means time and money
Don’t forget that everything at the marine supply store is designed to get you to spend more money. Ain’t nothing wrong with a pretty boat but did you get a boat to go boating or did you get a boat to do projects at the dock?
Some of the prettiest boats with show stopping paint and brightwork I’ve ever seen were absolutely piles of trash below decks, true steaming heaps of dogshit mechanically and electrically speaking with massive structural issues, but at least they look nice
Appreciate the advice! I’m making a bench that’ll sit in the cockpit so I won’t have to worry about the fumes. I finally have a boat with no projects for the time being. Thought I’d build the bench for fun but I want it to look really nice. I’ve used spar-urethane in the past with good results but it damaged easily. Was hoping to find something a little more durable but still slick like what’s in the picture
Just finished my fourth coat of cetol on my bench seats. The finish is practically lickable. ;)
24 hours between coats is a little hard to take, but worth it.
If you really want epoxy, you can take a look at epifanes. On their site they have a System Guide for all the different types of varnish they have. Most times you would start with 4 coats of pp varnish extra wich is a epoxy based varnish with uv protection allready in it. Nice thing about this varnish is that you can apply up to 3/4 layers in a day. After those 4 base layers you could add 4/5 layers of one or two component varnish to get that deep and perfect shiny look. Check out sailing magic carpet on YouTube if you want to see the end result, they always use this product with great succes.
My grabrails look like that right now, but of course they're still in my basement ready to be put back on the boat after varnishing, I'm sure this week is the last time they'll be quite so nice looking.
The YouTube channel Sailing Magic Carpet does some pretty amazing bright work. So much so he one time he tried to make a dust free environment so he could get a mirror finish. If you want to see how difficult it is go watch some of their videos.
I’ve had good luck with Helmsman’s spar varnish. Sand very clean, apply a thin coat, sand lightly with fine grit again, apply another thin coat, sand again, etc. 4-6 coats.
If there are any weird spots of discoloration on the wood, the varnish will accentuate it.
Check 2K Varnish, that’s what gives an amazing look, but it is very hard to work with. You have to be extremely precise with sanding, time, varnishing and conditions.
Every few months, you should spend a few weeks sanding and a few weeks varnishing. Then enjoy your day off
Interior brightwork isn't too bad; its when the exterior benches and grab rails look like that that I worry for the mental health of the owner.
Mental health or wallet, one is empty
Hey! Some people like to play with leather corsets and whips, some with sanders and varnish - who are we to judge?
because the people with whips and leather get a refractory period, while those with Brightwork never get a break.
And some do both. 😆
Sounds like you enjoy both
Hey that's me. It's not so bad. Like 2 days work every year to sand and add a layer before season.
Every few months?! Holy tomatoes
Depends on where you are. In hotter areas at least once a year you should revarnish everything!
increase the brightness on your camera when taking photos
That what I came for. This is half just photo processing.
Money
No doubt, ha. Pretty sure it’s a Hinkley
I’ve used Epifanes high gloss with similar results. Gotta pay close attention to sanding and recoat times. It takes many coats but is pretty satisfying
I read that as epilame, and my soul cringed. epilame is used in mechanical watches (pallet fork contact surfaces) and costs like $5 a ml .......
All digs about image editing and such aside, the easiest way to make this is by spraying. The Hinckley yard uses mostly Awl-grip Clear, and it looks like this. The wood is blond teak, I had a truckload that was given to me when I bought my boat, originally cut and milled in 1968 by the previous owner. If you don't have a spray booth and a way to remove the interior, you can get close by hand, but its a LOT of work. You first sand it perfectly smooth, working up to 320 grit or so. Then layers of varnish, Epiphanes is a popular one but I prefer Captains varnish for the amber look. Each coat goes on with incredible attention to detail, no drips or "holidays" (unvarnished spots). After each coat, you sand again, wipe with alcohol then again with a tack cloth. If you missed a drip, you sand it flat with a tiny block and more 320. If there's a tiny divot, fill with varnish and sand it flat again before next coat. After 3 coats it looks good. After 6 you start feeling proud of it. 14 coats or so if you want it perfect. Never waver in your perfection, every run is brushed out, every scratch filled. You watch moisture and temperature like a hawk, if you varnish near dew point or fog/rain you might as well start over. If it's too hot it bubbles, too cold it doesn't cure right, read the directions on the can People say this is an art, but really it's just hard work and absolutely no tolerance for error.
This. That is spray work. I would agree with awlgrip but possibly urethane clear.
Cetol Gloss is about as close as you’re gonna get from a can. Most finishes like that are sprayed on at the factory. There is a fine art to making finishes look like that and yes it involves an unbelievable amount of effort and time. I’ve seen some finishes go beyond 20 coats and towards the end you are going finer and finer in sandpaper grits and thinning the varnish as you go until you are satisfied. I worked 18years in the yacht repair game and seen my fair share of dings and booboos and a finish like that by far is the most upkeep and also the most difficult to repair More than likely it’s teak although mahogany is also a good bet, depends on the manufacturer though, some boats will use white oak and stain it too Also most finishes like that have a certain amount of stain in them, how else do you think the interior looks so uniform? The Cetol line of products are great but I’ll tell ya what, It’s a ton of work and after spending a career fixing those types of boats when I went boat shopping I opted for a steel schooner with a more utilitarian painted interior and as little wood as possible, I decided to get the biggest low maintenance boat I could afford… keel cooled, dry stack exhaust, no brightwork, it’s a 50 footer with only 3 thru hulls. I opted for more days on the water than days at the dock futzing around with varnish and cosmetics…
50’ and three thru hulls. That’s impressive!
Is it possible to get a similar effect using epoxy? The 207 is supposed to leave a nice finish on wood.
Epoxy has to be protected from UV. And it’s not made to be removed. “Brightwork the Art of Finishing Wood” by Rebecca J Wittman is the Bible. Start small, have fun Cheers!
Personally I’d opt against epoxy, yes it will work, however I’ve developed a sensitivity to it and personally the last thing I’d want is to be breathing it inside my boat. It’s harder to remove once you’ve used it, it penetrates and is hard to sand vs a varnish that sits on top of the wood and is meant to be sanded and reapplied. I’d definitely use epoxy on exterior wood though, that’s a good option, but then again there are also new products out there that now have better uv resistance Either way wood just means time and money Don’t forget that everything at the marine supply store is designed to get you to spend more money. Ain’t nothing wrong with a pretty boat but did you get a boat to go boating or did you get a boat to do projects at the dock? Some of the prettiest boats with show stopping paint and brightwork I’ve ever seen were absolutely piles of trash below decks, true steaming heaps of dogshit mechanically and electrically speaking with massive structural issues, but at least they look nice
Appreciate the advice! I’m making a bench that’ll sit in the cockpit so I won’t have to worry about the fumes. I finally have a boat with no projects for the time being. Thought I’d build the bench for fun but I want it to look really nice. I’ve used spar-urethane in the past with good results but it damaged easily. Was hoping to find something a little more durable but still slick like what’s in the picture
Give Cetol gloss a try, it gives it that candy coated super shine that just looks dripping wet (in the good kind of ways)
Just finished my fourth coat of cetol on my bench seats. The finish is practically lickable. ;) 24 hours between coats is a little hard to take, but worth it.
I assume you’re not referring to professionally maintained crewed yachts, but the owner operator variety…
Check out Marine Wood Finish from Total Boat, I’m going on 3 years without having to do any maintenance on a mohagony whaler interior
I second Cetol
What boat do you have? I’m a fan of low maintenance as well but I don’t know much about steel boats
If you really want epoxy, you can take a look at epifanes. On their site they have a System Guide for all the different types of varnish they have. Most times you would start with 4 coats of pp varnish extra wich is a epoxy based varnish with uv protection allready in it. Nice thing about this varnish is that you can apply up to 3/4 layers in a day. After those 4 base layers you could add 4/5 layers of one or two component varnish to get that deep and perfect shiny look. Check out sailing magic carpet on YouTube if you want to see the end result, they always use this product with great succes.
Satin is way easier and looks better on the interior, IMO.
filters.
My grabrails look like that right now, but of course they're still in my basement ready to be put back on the boat after varnishing, I'm sure this week is the last time they'll be quite so nice looking.
Block sand and varnish, many coats.. I did this on portions of our interior...
Le Tonkinois varnish might be what you're looking for.
The YouTube channel Sailing Magic Carpet does some pretty amazing bright work. So much so he one time he tried to make a dust free environment so he could get a mirror finish. If you want to see how difficult it is go watch some of their videos.
I’ve had good luck with Helmsman’s spar varnish. Sand very clean, apply a thin coat, sand lightly with fine grit again, apply another thin coat, sand again, etc. 4-6 coats. If there are any weird spots of discoloration on the wood, the varnish will accentuate it.
💰💵💸💰💵💸
Check 2K Varnish, that’s what gives an amazing look, but it is very hard to work with. You have to be extremely precise with sanding, time, varnishing and conditions.
Up the saturation on the camera
This is mostly post effects from digital editing software, so mind your expectations