Cetol or Varnish?......

[todd gustafson]

you said it.......plenty

[Vark]

I've tried them all: 1 part low tech, 1 part high tech, 2 part expensive, I've tried oils: tung, linseed, deks oley, I've tried the synthetics:
Cetol, Epiphanes , etc. NONE of them remotely compare to Penofin, an oil made from a nut from a sustainable tree grown in South America. I just came back from checking on my Swiftsure 33 which has plenty of exterior wood and noted the semi frozen slush covering it.
Wash with fresh water, let dry : one coat in the spring, one in the summer and one in the fall. Apply with a brush or just a rag. No sanding, no peeling, no graying, no crazing, no dripping, no bubbling.
My boat has wood toe rails, cockpit combing, hatches, companion way doors and eyebrows, which I oil. It also has a wooden mast and boom which I applied 18 coats of varnish just to watch it peel off in no time. This year I'm stripping them and applying Penofin oil.
It darkens the wood a bit and doesn't shine like varnish but has it's own great look. Coating all the exterior wood on the boat takes about an hour, and drys in a day. $50 a gallon which will last at least 10 years. I'll NEVER exterior varnish again !

[Duncan]

I'll NEVER exterior varnish again !

As far as I know, oiling exterior teak usually results in black gummy misery. Maybe your mahogany is different, but I'd be interested in seeing photos and knowing for how many seasons you are claiming good results.

[Vark]

There is a fungicide in the oil so the wood doesn't turn black, there is also iron oxide (rust) which make for a 99% UV filter stabilizing the oil and keeping the sun from deteriorating the wood plus it adds a nice color, I'll post pictures soon.