for Many of Our L.I. Sound
Offerings—
 | ||
Quality brightwork restorations take a
major effort, and far more time than most boat owners have
available to do themselves. From heat or chemical stripping and
scraping, 60-220 grit progression sanding and preparation of
every tiny morsel of wood, to meticulously applying 8-12 coats
of high grade varnish (with a light 220-320 detail-sanding
between each coat), it is a monumental undertaking. Not
something that can be done in a weekend...or even a week.
Easily 3 weeks on a typical 36 foot sailboat with a fair amount
of wood, if the weather cooperates. More likely, a month, to do
it properly by one person. Maybe even longer. Do the math on
the hours necessary, then check our pricing
guide. If you can’t do it yourself, you’ll see
it might pay to have a high-quality job done by DAKOTA MARINE.
You’ll likely save thousands choosing us over other
licensed and insured professionals.
• Teak and Holly Cabin Soles
Seal the wood before it’s too late.
And make the floor below look nearly new again. We’ll do
a full epoxy coating on all 6 sides, then coat the top surface
with 2 more coats of clear epoxy, then three or more coats of
clear polyurethane (sanded between) for a water sealed,
extremely hard, high gloss surface. Or, if the floor is already
in pretty good shape, maybe you just need a couple refresher
coats to make it new again. Either way, floorboard restorations
always seem to make a huge difference when you step below.
Unlike insurance premiums and other non-tangible purchases, the
new look below will bring great satisfaction for your
hard-earned cash.
• Interior Cabin Wood
Refurbish that water damaged interior
wood work (even add new veneer if necessary). We can give it a
nice satin varnish coating or even a true, hand rubbed oil
finish. Though it might be a big job, we can do it in sections,
a little at a time, working on it throughout all seasons of the
year. Within a year or two, you’ll have a fresh new
interior. Or do it all at once, over the winter when we can tie
up the boat for a few months.
• All Exterior Brightwork
Exterior brightwork projects are done
from spring to fall, with winter restorations also offered in
our clean, spacious, heated workshop facility for boats up to
around 35 feet. And, of course any parts that can be easily
removed from the boat are serviceable over the winter in the
shop as well. Complete restorations are available for wood in
poor shape. Or we’ll just maintain your brightwork on an
annual basis so a complete restoration may never be necessary.
Products
We work with all wood finishing products
available in the marine market today. We like traditional style varnishes best (Epifanes—pronounced
“Epi-fon-es,” not Epi-fanes— is a favorite), but
there are now many other coatings available that may make more
sense for your individual needs and limited time available for
maintenance.
Rated “Excellent” by both Practical Sailor and
Powerboat Reports, we have had good success with Bristol Finish, a
2-part urethane based product with excellent UV resistance and
even better durability. Though it looks very much like a spar
varnish (it’s not quite as rich, nor does it dry quite
as smooth) it will last 3-4 times as long
without additional refresher coats.
 | ||
One of the main
selling points of Bristol FinishTM is that there is no need to sand between coats
during the application process. While that may be true if you
are only concerned about good bonding between coats,
we do sand
between most coats, giving us a
much smoother, more varnish-like appearance. As a result, we
recommend a 6 coat minimum application for a deep-dimensional,
hi-gloss finish, rather than the manufacturer’s
recommended 4-coat minimum. Applied properly to a well-prepared
wood surface, Bristol Finish should last 2 1/2 -3 seasons in
the Northeast, as long as all dings and nicks or joint
separations are tended to and touched up immediately during the
period. Then, an additional 2 coats will give you another 2-3
years of beautiful finished brightwork. Though it’s not
quite as dramatic as a well done, 8-12 coat varnish refinishing
might look, it will be very close and very acceptable to all
but the most discriminating eye. (See photo.) And, much less
upkeep will be required.
 | ||
Sikkens Cetol
Though this product may not have the same
visual appeal as a beautifully finished varnish job, or the
same toughness as a Bristol job, it does have its positive
features. The most important of which is its simplicity to
apply and to maintain over time. Though it is easy to apply,
it’s very difficult to finish to a beautiful varnish-like
appearance. But, as you can see at right, we have our ways to
achieve a truly nice look and you won’t find them printed
on the side of can. They’re our little tricks. Overall,
this product may not be as pretty as varnish, due to it’s
somewhat muddy appearance, but for those that want to be on the
water more than at the dock maintaining their brightwork,
it’s an excellent choice. And, new in 2007, is a
virtually clear Cetol basecoat that allows the wood grain to
shine through. Though the jury is still out on this new
product, considering the quality results we can already produce
with the muddy stuff, we’re pretty confident this new
stuff will only increase the visual beauty we are able to
achieve.
Other Products
In addition to all quality marine
varnishes, Bristol FinishTM, and Cetol, we can also apply the myriad of
other marine wood coatings available on the marine market
today. (Deks Olje, Semco, oil etc.)
No matter what finish is applied, if the
preparation work is not done properly, nothing will look good
or last very long. Preparation normally accounts for 40-70% of
a brightwork project, depending on how many coats are required
in the end. Don’t be fooled. It’s not the finish,
it’s the prep that makes or breaks a good brightwork job.
If your time is limited, don’t even attempt it on your
own. Give us a call, we’ll give you a very reasonable
free quote. Then go out and get a couple more quotes from
qualified professionals. We’re confident you’ll
like our price. We know you’ll like our work.
Even if yours looks like this...
We can make it look like this!
Buying or Selling?
Visit the extremely
likeable guys at
in Milford, CT. All brokers are NOT
created equal. These guys will go the extra mile for you. We
highly recommend them!
Other Friendly
Local Marine Links:
Our Old Favorite!
Read about
our namesake,
the Swan 46,
Yes, this really is Cetol. We produced
this finish on a custom Carolina Sportfish with a brush, not
spray.
This 15-year old Swan had been raced hard
throughout her life. We refinished the varnish below on the
cabin sole and the table too. When you go below now, it’s
hard to tell she’s done anything other than cruise on
weekends!
