I am the third owner of a NE Dory. While the boat is structurally excellent and in very good cosmetic condition, it is clear that I will need to refresh the brightwork after the season.
In looking at Wooden Boat (Jan 2018 issue), I read a reasonably positive review of Sea Gold (http://www.pettitpaint.com/products/varnish-wood-finishes/exterior-varnish/seagold/ ) as a replacement for traditional varnish. This water soluble product claims not to need sanding between coats and dries fast enough to allow 3-4 coats per day. These chracteristics are very appealing to a non-pro like me.
Has anybody in the community had experience with this prodict, especially on top of pre-existing varnish? Is it durable? I don't need to worry about UV resistance since my dory is in a heated garage when not on the water.
I have no direct experience with Sea Gold but I have also read the reviews. I used Pettit paints on my cruising boat for years so I know that they are a good company. I know that Clint Chase (owner of Chase Small Craft) recently posted on his FB page that he used Sea Gold on a new construction and had good things to say.
When I was building my GIS, I was looking for one of the "quicker to apply" varnishes. Sea Gold looked good but had just been introduced so there were no reviews yet. I went with Epifanes Rapidclear Semi-Gloss. It is not water based like Sea Gold but can be recoated in 5 hours and does not need to be sanded between coats. I put 5 coats on the interior of my Goat in 8 hours total over 2.5 days. It is easy to apply and looks good, but not as great as a high build product like Schooner. They also sell a tinted version called Rapidcoat which I will use on my next kayak build.
Which ever product that you use, make sure that you talk to their technical support regarding its compatability with the current varnish.
After doing a little research, I got a quart of Sea Gold at West Marine (Full Disclosure: I work there), so I'll give it a shot on the brightwork of my PMD and let you know how it works out. The fact that it's water-based and I can put several coats on in a day is a HUGE deal for this Dad/Hubby/manager/plans builder who has precious little time for his pet project.
Hi Capt. S:
Looking forward to your report, thanks for being a test bed for the product.
I won't buy it again. After several coats application on rudder, centerboard and spars, the final appearance was a tad too flat as compared to results I've gotten previously from varnish.
Daniel b:
Did you use the gloss version of the product, not widely available?
The satin is commonly carried by West, Hamilton etc.
I'm not concerned about gloss, butterscotch, etc. I am just going to put about 5 coats over the epoxy on the mahogany rub rails/oarlock risers for UV protection. In fact, they may be the only parts of the boat finished bright. We'll see...
I have used Sea Gold Satin on a Welsford design I built and like it very much for the ease of application and results. Only the Satin finish was available when I got it, but it worked very well and I like it a lot. I'll for sure try the Gloss when it's available. I highly recommend it and coming from Pettit, I felt it was good stuff to start with since I've used Pettit a lot over many years of boats. Gets max stars (4? 5? 10?.) from me.
Jesse1789, it was the Satin. Probably not the best choice, for trying to get a little shine for my labors.
daniel b:
I have subsequently learned the gloss version was pulled for the market, apparently not ready for prime time,
Jesse1789