Varnish

David Satter

Wooden Canoe Maniac
So , I have to do 2 canoes in gloss. My favorite 1015 captains varnish is $65 a quart now. I went and tried Total Boats Gleam 2.0. Is it true varnish ? it's close, I'll research it a little more. It dries fairly quickly. It's also thin, watery. But so far after two coats it looks really nice, and it brushes great. Wondering if anybody else tried it yet.
 
Captains is my second choice. I have always had great success with Epifanes. At $46.00 per quart I would use that and especially if Captains is $65.00. Wow.
A reason you might prefer the 2.0 is that it's coloration is similar to Captains, very clear and light yellowish. The Epifanes has a more amber tone.
Jamestown says that the Total is a tongue oil spar....Epifanes contains togue oil and phenolic and alkyd resins
 
I love Epifanes, I use their matte a lot on top of their clear. This gleam dries twice as fast as Epifanes and I don't have to thin it. I still have two more coats to do on this canoe. I'll let you know how it comes out.
 
For what it's worth I use Totalboat Gleam Gloss. I like that it doesn't go on too thick, but it does take a few coats to build up thickness. I've never had problems with it.
 
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