I need some education on interior varnish. I had a leak in the boat(MKII 1995) and the finish on the trim under the saloon ports and the table were damaged. As per the Catalina Direct email that I got recently I got some of the Target coatings EM2000. as that is what The factory supposedly used. When cleaning up the trim I have noticed lacquer thinner seems to soften the finish. The EM2000 states it is indoor/outdoor. So my questions are if the stuff is rated for indoor/outdoor why would a water leak damage it and should something like that be reactive to lacquer thinner. I wouldn't want to spend the time to refinish and then have another leak destroy the new finish. Was my interior just sprayed with lacquer? Thanks for any help.
Larry Flenner
"Low Pressure"
C36 MK II 1995 TR/WK
Rock Hall,Md
Larry, IIRC, the older Mark IIs had a water based product down below, they may have improved it since, or if they ran out of that coating. We've had losts of discussions about that.
[I][COLOR="Blue"]Jon's Right when he said: "Why Catalina uses a water-soluble varnish is a mystery, because when you get leaks from the portlights or hatch (and you likely will), the varnish comes off, and the teak beneath it gets stained and is very hard to fix to look like original). Bad idea."
[B] At least you know where the leaks are!!! :)[/B][/COLOR][/I]
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
If you used solvent based varnish, or virtually any coating short of a penetrating epoxy, and water got into the wood, the finish would most likely peel off anyway. Lacquer thinner is going to eat away just about any coating it gets on, solvents like that are very potent stuff. You can even get in trouble using some of the strong citrus based cleaners on a variety of wood finishes.
I redid the entire interior of our boat with the Target EM2000 finish, including the floors, and I have found it to be very durable and extremely easy to work with. After 5 years the floors need another light sand and a finish coat or two, but that's about it. And we have no coverings on the floors to protect them.
It's been my experience that early waterborne finishes were not that great when exposed to water. Nowdays, there are exterior waterborne finishes, so things have changed. My biggest problem with refinishing teak on my interior, is that the factory finish (probably the target 2000) must have had some sort of light pigment in it. When I try to apply a new finish, the areas where the varnish failed are darker. I've refinished much of the trim below, and usually take them home to strip and refinish, so the pieces are consistent in color. I have not used the Target 2000, so can't comment on whether or not it would solve that problem for me.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Hope the O/P doesn't mind expanding the discussion.
I'm using Daly's Seafin Teak Oil inside, as I slowly attack 30 yrs of multi-coats of varnish.
The freshly sanded and oiled teak looks and smells gorgeous (satin instead of gloss)
When I bought it, the surveyor, himself a Catalina 30 owner, was surprised that the interior teak was sealed up in varnish. He said the oiled wood smells so much nicer on a warm day... I agree.
My first real keelboat, I'm still learning.
Paul & Ann -
"Freestyle" -
1985 C36 #454 -
North Puget Sound, WA