Unpainted Wood
Sailing dinghy-painted hull or varnished?
Hi,
I am looking at buying a sailing dinghy and the one i'm looking at getting has a hull which is painted on the bottom half, the hull is white up to about the water line above which it is unpainted but varnished wood. I have noticed that most other boats tend to have painted hulls so i just want to check whether varnished wood is ok or would i need to paint the rest of the hull.
Most of the hulls you see are painted since they are fiberglass not wood. The boat you're considering is likely fiberglass / epoxy over wood with significant care taken to provide a finish that doesn't have to be covered by paint. Varnish provides a UV resistant finish for the epoxy.
There is no need to paint this boat above the waterline. Every other year, the varnish should have a light sanding followed by two fresh coats. Epifanes varnish is a very good quality varnish that stands up very well to the adverse conditions that boats are required to endure. (see the link below).
The paint below the waterline is likely an antifouling paint that resists marine growth. This paint needs to be sanded down and re-applied every one to two years depending on how much the boat is used.
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