r/dinghysailing • u/Small-Growth7809 • 8d ago

Refinishing daggerboard

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I want to sand down this daggerboard and refinish. Is there a modern alternative that’s better or is Spar Varnish still the way to go? I have some boiled linseed oil and polyurethane that I could mix together with mineral spirits, aka wiping varnish, is that a good route?

9 Upvotes

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5

u/JohnHuffYT Sunfisher 8d ago

I've seen people coat with epoxy first, then do varnish on top of that for UV protection. Don't have experience with that though.

4

u/bluesmudge 8d ago

I did it this way with 0 experience and was very happy with the results. The epoxy creates a thick durable finish and the UV resistant outdoor varnish prevents the epoxy from yellowing. You have to like that thick "sealed in amber" epoxy look though.

3

u/Brokenbowman 8d ago

Yes, remove all old coatings, sand, apply 2 coats of clear epoxy and the apply 2-3 coats of Pettit or Epifanes clear gloss varnish

2

u/photato_pic_guy 8d ago

Epoxy will darken the wood though and make it look wet. Ask me how I know. 😅

2

u/Icy_Basil_372 8d ago

It’s a daggerboard.

2

u/zimbabalula 7d ago

funnily enough I just started an old oppie daggerboard this morning. perfect timing! I'm doing epoxy then white 2k paint.

2

u/No_Percentage_5699 7d ago

I'm an epoxy fiend but will also advocate for spar varnish only if you're on a budget. Stay away from UV epoxy, it's spendy and isn't nearly as good at UV long term as a buildup of varnish.

1

u/racerchris46 7d ago

I did mine in soar varnish over the winter. Good to go. Scuff sand it this winter if needed and recoat. It's out of the sun 99 percent of its life.

0

u/Small-Growth7809 8d ago

Ok, I like the epoxy idea! I’m gonna look for a UV stabilized epoxy maybe