Marine varnishes have been used to protect and maintain exterior teak on yachts for hundreds of years. History bears witness that varnishes used in the 1700s are very akin to those used nowadays. The coatings provide for the rich beauty of the teak to be seen while offering protection from rain and sun. The finish achieved after careful application will vary from a soft patina to a high gloss finish found on fine furniture.
Assuming you want to protect and embellish your used trawler or sailboat exterior brightwork, how do you select among the incredible assortment of finishes? Recognizing full well that this is as big a deal as debating the differences of power vs. sail, we nevertheless provide the accompanying observations.
What is a Varnish
A varnish is a liquid coating ordinarily applied to treat wood. Its primary components are oils. resins, solvents, dryers and ultra-violet additives. The components are mixed in various proportions to give the best appearance and protection.
Oils
Wood oils typically maintain the new look and texture of the teak more than the other finishes because they permeate deeply into the wood fibers and do not create as much of a surface coating. Oils are accessible in colors ranking from water clear to gold to dark brown. As with all wood finish, many coats generally result in a much more consistent finish and greater longevity. We learn oil to be the easiest to utilize, since surface blemishes are not as obvious in the final outcome. This doesn't mean, notwithstanding, that applying several coats of oil on dirty teak will produce a great finish. You will also find that oil’s thin consistency makes masking areas to protect adjacent gel coat and painted surfaces almost as important with oil as with varnish. Clean, sandpapered teak with a few coats of oil will provide 3-6 months of beauty and protection.
Tung oil is used frequently for teak applications.
Spar Varnish
Spar or marine varnish is a refined finish consisting of oil, solvents and thinners, resins, dryers and other additives. By changing the proportions of the elements, producers create varnishes with widely varied characteristics. Varnishes can have a gloss or matte appearance, can be formulated to be extremely hard for high -use surfaces and can deviate in color.
The two most routine types of varnishes are traditional varnishes made with tung oil and newer polyurethane coatings. Natural tung oil varnishes are excellent for marine use and offer the traditional golden look. Oil modified polyurethanes tend to be more clear, permitting the color of the teak to shine through.
Recent varnishes, furnish better durability in the worst of environments such as the hot, tropical sunlight. Teak moves, and since it is a previously living plant, it expands and contracts with even subtle changes in temperature and humidity. The best varnishes contend with this unstable wood using high quality oils and resins and a higher percentage of solid ingredients, providing a longer lasting, more elastic finish with a higher gloss.
Mil thickness is everything. Six to ten coats is normally necessary to get a quality look. A sound base coat, annually cared-for with maintenance coats, will give the ultimate in appearance, longevity and protection. Despite the original effort nothing appears better than exterior teak finished with gloss varnish.
Interlux’s Original 90 is one of many brands of traditional spar varnishes on the market.
Synthetic Teak Finishes
These applications gained popularity with cruisers in Florida and the Bahamas looking for UV-resistant low-maintenance brightwork. These finishes have uncommon durability for outside use, are easy to apply and look comparatively good. Some spar varnishes such as Interlux Goldspar and Schooner are produced with no pigment so the wood’s beauty is protected. Full gloss and depth vs. convenience is the trade-off with these finishes, but simplicity and time savings can more than compensate. Applying synthetic finishes is akin to teak oil, where you can lay it immediately over sanded, clean wood.
Cetol comes in four forms, with the new Natural providing a more golden color like the real look of raw teak. You can overcoat any of the other pigmented Cetol finishes with the Gloss for a shiny exterior finish. I know of one professional that applies Cetol exclusively and his work is fantastic.
Two Part Teak Urethane Finishes
Another finish to show up in the cruising world are the urethane two-part finishes. Fashioned to replace traditional varnishes, these products have made a mark in the yachting community. Their manufacturers produced these finishes to hold up in tropical conditions for years at the time. One maker, C Tech Marine, boasts that its product Bristol Finish is used on many cruise ships, certifying to its beauty and longevity.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Cedar Planked Salmon on the Grill
Cooking meals on board a vessel is a delight, and can make for some warm memories. Preparing meals on board does not need to be processed meals and finger foods. Let me show you how to fix a gourmet seafood meal that will impress your dinner guests aboard your boat. Planked grilled fish aboard the trawler, the Patricia Ann; it’s the talk on the docks these days.
Planked grilled fish fillets or simply cooking on a wooden plank is a fantastic experience; if you like the flavor and smell of smoked fish, this way is for you. This method is great as it gives you actual smoke for flavor. This is especially good if you are broiling salmon fillets, which are my favorite. As a matter of fact, legend has it that this method to grilling came about as a result of grilling chef experimentation. But I think you could cook anything this way. I like to call this method planked grilled fish. Salmon and Mahi seared on cedar are my favorites. You can get the recipes for each of the fish at our recipe page at our website.
So how do you go about it? To begin you’ll need to find some clean cedar wood boards, Lowes and Home Depot have it in their building materials departments. But you’ll have to cut it into the correct sizes to use. But you can also buy them prepacked for use at most national grocery chains or you can order on the Internet.
Typically I use cedar, but many other woods like oak and cherry are also available. Using a clean, raw section of lumber about one half inch thick and big enough to hold the fish sections, pre-soak the wood in freah water for several hours prior to use. I like to use a section about 6" x 6" for the 2 of us. Although any lumber can be used, just make certain that there are no chemicals on the wood.
When ready, get the grill going, gas preferably. I use a Magma Catalina model gas grill on my boat so this article is written using that method. To prevent your fish fillets from sticking to the lumber, coat the plank with olive oil. You do no flipping when plank fish cooking. The fish will be slowly cooked from the bottom up. Season the fish fillets as you like, there are some good recipes on the web page.
As you know lumber burns. We are now going to position the plank with the fish on the lower grill surface and set the control to high. If you see that the plank has caught fire while you are cooking, not to worry, that is the way we want the plank with fish to cook. Give it a squirt with water to help extinguish the fire. But let it burn a little around the sides; the smoldering of the blackened plank is what makes the smoke that flavours the fish fillets.
I always reserve about 50% more food planning time as opposed to normal grilling when I am plank cooking. During the grilling time you can baste the fish fillets with seasonings if desired.
Once the fish is done I remove the fish from the charred board with a spatula or you can just glide the fish fillets off onto a plate with a fork. Turn off your grill and let the burned plank sit until later to permit it to cool prior to disposal.
Plank grilling is truly is a great way to prepare fish. The smoke adds to the flavours and smells of any recipe so feel free to try other ideas.
Enjoy.
Mike Dickens, the author, is a liveaboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.
Paradise Yachts offers used quality yachts to customers worldwide.
Visit the Paradise Yachts website to view our selection of Used Trawlers, Used Motor Yachts, and Used Sailboats for Sale
National and international sales. We ship Used Yachts and Used Boats worldwide. Located in Florida, USA. 904/556-9431
Planked grilled fish fillets or simply cooking on a wooden plank is a fantastic experience; if you like the flavor and smell of smoked fish, this way is for you. This method is great as it gives you actual smoke for flavor. This is especially good if you are broiling salmon fillets, which are my favorite. As a matter of fact, legend has it that this method to grilling came about as a result of grilling chef experimentation. But I think you could cook anything this way. I like to call this method planked grilled fish. Salmon and Mahi seared on cedar are my favorites. You can get the recipes for each of the fish at our recipe page at our website.
So how do you go about it? To begin you’ll need to find some clean cedar wood boards, Lowes and Home Depot have it in their building materials departments. But you’ll have to cut it into the correct sizes to use. But you can also buy them prepacked for use at most national grocery chains or you can order on the Internet.
Typically I use cedar, but many other woods like oak and cherry are also available. Using a clean, raw section of lumber about one half inch thick and big enough to hold the fish sections, pre-soak the wood in freah water for several hours prior to use. I like to use a section about 6" x 6" for the 2 of us. Although any lumber can be used, just make certain that there are no chemicals on the wood.
When ready, get the grill going, gas preferably. I use a Magma Catalina model gas grill on my boat so this article is written using that method. To prevent your fish fillets from sticking to the lumber, coat the plank with olive oil. You do no flipping when plank fish cooking. The fish will be slowly cooked from the bottom up. Season the fish fillets as you like, there are some good recipes on the web page.
As you know lumber burns. We are now going to position the plank with the fish on the lower grill surface and set the control to high. If you see that the plank has caught fire while you are cooking, not to worry, that is the way we want the plank with fish to cook. Give it a squirt with water to help extinguish the fire. But let it burn a little around the sides; the smoldering of the blackened plank is what makes the smoke that flavours the fish fillets.
I always reserve about 50% more food planning time as opposed to normal grilling when I am plank cooking. During the grilling time you can baste the fish fillets with seasonings if desired.
Once the fish is done I remove the fish from the charred board with a spatula or you can just glide the fish fillets off onto a plate with a fork. Turn off your grill and let the burned plank sit until later to permit it to cool prior to disposal.
Plank grilling is truly is a great way to prepare fish. The smoke adds to the flavours and smells of any recipe so feel free to try other ideas.
Enjoy.
Mike Dickens, the author, is a liveaboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.
Paradise Yachts offers used quality yachts to customers worldwide.
Visit the Paradise Yachts website to view our selection of Used Trawlers, Used Motor Yachts, and Used Sailboats for Sale
National and international sales. We ship Used Yachts and Used Boats worldwide. Located in Florida, USA. 904/556-9431
So You Think You Could Make it as a Yacht Broker?
Frequently I have clients or friends say to me, “It must be a lot of fun being a Yacht Broker; being on boats all day, you are on holiday all the time”. Yes, I do enjoy it but its a lot of work if you want to be successful. Let me explainwhat it takes to make it function. If you think you have what it takes, give me a call.
The Hard Part.
To begin with, Florida Yacht Brokers have worked as sales people a full 2 years, before a full Broker position can be reached. Each state is different. As a Broker you may own the company or simply work as an Employering Broker for a parent company. As an owner/Broker as I do with Paradise Yachts, operation of a yacht sales business enterprise includes merchandising, sales, marketing, accounting, banking, website design and building, search engine optimization, tax collecting, and bottle washing. So I have to allocate my time dependent upon what must be done to keep the business operating. But for the purpose of this article, we’ll just be assuming you wish to become a yacht sales person.
Do you own a boat? Have you ever owned a boat? What is your background operating a yacht? Your customers will want to talk about how things function while underway, how to dock a twin screw boat, and how things aboard operate. Can you walk the talk? Have you ever done these things? Can you guide your clients based upon experience?
What’s your personality? Are you out going and able to reach out to customers? Most of the people you meet will be total strangers.
Do you view yourself a self-starter? Are you willing to make it happen; if you don’t go to work, no one will be there to remind you?
Do you understand sales? Are you a customer service type of person?
Can you endure without a pay day for 1, 2, 3 months? It does and will happen. We only get paid when we sale a yacht. Money management skills are critical.
Are you willing to work seven days a week, every day as well as holidays if required? I work every day, usually 12 hour days. Customers look at yachts everyday and you must be willing to take the telephone call or respond to the e-mail at any time.
Are you up on computers? Are you comfortable on a website? You’ll need to own a robust computer, printer, and digital scanner and have internet access to upload yacht listings online.
Are you an accomplished photographer? Can you use a digital photographic camera and use photographic software. You will needat least a 8 mega pixel digital camera. They are not cheap!
Can you survive a full background probe? If you want to work in Florida, it’s required to obtain a license. If you work in another State, you cannot even enter the State of Florida as a Broker if not licensed.
Are you prepared to shell out $600.00 every two years for the exclusive right of having that license?
Do you have a cell phone, and/or a Blackberry; they are indispensable.
Are you prepared to work in the hot sun, sometimes in the pouring rain to show boats to clients?
Can you deal with with irritating customers that often want something for nothing?
The Easy Part
Can you handle a six figure income? Yes, the money you make is up to you.
Do you wish to have fun? Yes, it’s a lot of fun seeing a new, happy boat owner. And yes, we do get to have our fair share of boat rides.
Do you like forming many new acquaintances? Every stranger I meet is just a friend I haven’t yet made.
Do you like being your own boss? In the yacht business, you get to call the shots.
Mike Dickens, the author, is a liveaboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.
Paradise Yachts offers used quality yachts to customers worldwide.
Visit the Paradise Yachts website to view our selection of Used Trawlers, Used Motor Yachts, and Used Sailboats for Sale
National and international sales. We ship Used Yachts and Used Boats worldwide. Located in Florida, USA. 904/556-9431
The Hard Part.
To begin with, Florida Yacht Brokers have worked as sales people a full 2 years, before a full Broker position can be reached. Each state is different. As a Broker you may own the company or simply work as an Employering Broker for a parent company. As an owner/Broker as I do with Paradise Yachts, operation of a yacht sales business enterprise includes merchandising, sales, marketing, accounting, banking, website design and building, search engine optimization, tax collecting, and bottle washing. So I have to allocate my time dependent upon what must be done to keep the business operating. But for the purpose of this article, we’ll just be assuming you wish to become a yacht sales person.
So to start, the principal thing is you have to like boats; no, you have to live boats and boating. But there is more. You must know yachts and yachts like the skin of your chin; it’s got to be your life. You will have to be able to talk boats in detail; your clients will certainly be able to do so.
Do you own a boat? Have you ever owned a boat? What is your background operating a yacht? Your customers will want to talk about how things function while underway, how to dock a twin screw boat, and how things aboard operate. Can you walk the talk? Have you ever done these things? Can you guide your clients based upon experience?
What’s your personality? Are you out going and able to reach out to customers? Most of the people you meet will be total strangers.
Do you view yourself a self-starter? Are you willing to make it happen; if you don’t go to work, no one will be there to remind you?
Do you understand sales? Are you a customer service type of person?
Can you endure without a pay day for 1, 2, 3 months? It does and will happen. We only get paid when we sale a yacht. Money management skills are critical.
Are you willing to work seven days a week, every day as well as holidays if required? I work every day, usually 12 hour days. Customers look at yachts everyday and you must be willing to take the telephone call or respond to the e-mail at any time.
Are you up on computers? Are you comfortable on a website? You’ll need to own a robust computer, printer, and digital scanner and have internet access to upload yacht listings online.
Are you an accomplished photographer? Can you use a digital photographic camera and use photographic software. You will needat least a 8 mega pixel digital camera. They are not cheap!
Can you survive a full background probe? If you want to work in Florida, it’s required to obtain a license. If you work in another State, you cannot even enter the State of Florida as a Broker if not licensed.
Are you prepared to shell out $600.00 every two years for the exclusive right of having that license?
Do you have a cell phone, and/or a Blackberry; they are indispensable.
Are you prepared to work in the hot sun, sometimes in the pouring rain to show boats to clients?
Can you deal with with irritating customers that often want something for nothing?
The Easy Part
Can you handle a six figure income? Yes, the money you make is up to you.
Do you wish to have fun? Yes, it’s a lot of fun seeing a new, happy boat owner. And yes, we do get to have our fair share of boat rides.
Do you like forming many new acquaintances? Every stranger I meet is just a friend I haven’t yet made.
Do you like being your own boss? In the yacht business, you get to call the shots.
Mike Dickens, the author, is a liveaboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.
Paradise Yachts offers used quality yachts to customers worldwide.
Visit the Paradise Yachts website to view our selection of Used Trawlers, Used Motor Yachts, and Used Sailboats for Sale
National and international sales. We ship Used Yachts and Used Boats worldwide. Located in Florida, USA. 904/556-9431
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