All,

I have the bench seats in my garage and I'm about to begin refinishing them. Also plan to epoxy some of the wear points and paint the cabin interior while the seats and shelves are out.

Question: Is there a preferred type of varnish for the seat wood or paint for the interior?

Any suggestions on technique?

My bench seat varnish is water stained and the cabin interior just needs a spruce-up. Some flaking paint and worn areas, but nothing big.

Thanks for your advice; appreciated.

Regards,

Rob Briede

(703)861-1397

El'BOB-Arino (E1610)

Bob,

Cetol Marine is an excellent synthetic varnish for your benches which I and many other Ensign owners have used. It is long lasting and is much less likely to chip than a traditional varnish. I suggest you check it out.

Painting the interior cabin with any solvent based product will emit high levels of VOCs in a confined space which can be a serious health concern. Petit makes a product called EZ Cabin Coat which is water based. I have not personally used it but the professional who does recommended it to me. The painting is the easy part. The hard part is to do proper surface preparation so that the paint can bond well. You will have to remove all loose chips (wear a mask) with a scraper or by sanding. You can apply EZ Cabin coat directly over clean fiberglass without a primer but if it is going over a painted surface I would check with Petit about their recommendation for a primer or tie coat.

Attached is an Ensign cabin interior that I went a bit over the top with sanding. However, the paint was flaking everywhere and there was a black fungus mold on it as well. Wearing personal protection including a proper mask is essential for your health.

Best Wishes,

Pete Kogut Ensign #856.

A friend applied Epifanes varnish to his boat and said he really liked it.

Robert McTaggart

Ensign 931

Bay View, Michigan

Fleet 84

I’ve used Epifanes and Cetol and I prefer Cetol. here’s why:

Epifanes creates a lustrous, hard coating to be sure, but it also traps moisture in the wood. The humidity and high temperatures in this area eventually cause it to fail. I’d get at most three years with Epifanes before refinishing would be needed, which invariably required taking it down to bare wood and redoing the entire process.

On the other hand Cetol produces a finish that’s just as lustrous, but it also is formulated to “breathe”, allowing moisture to escape. It’s been on the boat for four years and at this point it only needs a touch up where the cockpit cover has worn the coaming by rubbing. Ir’s also easier to apply than Epifanes, not needing sanding between coats, etc. FWIW

Mike Mislove

Ensign 259

Madisonville, LA

I agree with Mike. I have use both Epifanes and Cetol. While Epifanes is a great product in my experience the Cetol maintains its good looks for nearly twice as long compared Epifanes.

Pete Kogut

Ensign #856

Bud Brown

281.468.6909 cell and text