Wood Finish!!

[Pikeslayer]

I have a 16 foot Naden with a wooden bow and seats,when I bought it the wood was bad so I replaced it with cedar lumber,I have tryed Spar wood finish and have had to replace it every two years,Its a lot of work!!What can I use that will last longer and stand up to the weather better than what Im doing?? THANKS!!

[Neighbor_guy]

Was it treated cedar or untreated cedar decking???

Sometimes spar doesent hold up the greatest on horizontal surfaces. Especialy on open grain woods. Gets pounded from the sun and rain etc. The other thing to remember is todays spar is not like it was 20 years ago. BM440 spar was the greatest ever. I still have about 3/4 of a quart and I wouldn't sell it for $100. The chemical laws just dont allow for a good spar varnish nowadays.

All that aside I would look into a deck stain like a cabots or a Benjamin Moore's. Oil based, at least 2 coats. Make sure it is a deck stain. They are designed to be horizontal and take the punishment of use, walking etc.

Clear coats are another story. Some like the liquids like thompsons deckseal or similar products. I still like spar varnish, I just count on doing it every other season.

If it was treated lumber, nothing will stick to it. It just films up on top and peals off later. If you plan to treat or color treated lumber you have to let it age 1-2 full years before you do anything to it.