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Permalink Reply by Greg Hatten on December 4, 2008 at 7:21am

Can't help you with the answer to that one... don't know.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Z on December 5, 2008 at 5:39am

JK- I have two wooden drifities I built, I live in a pretty high summertime humidity area- PA. No mold on oiled interiors.

But I beleive it is a function of how you store it. I drain my boats after being on the river, I let them dry, and store them in a garage.

good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on December 5, 2008 at 5:55am

This is good to know - I am trying to decide whether to oil the interior of my boat when I get it built or to varnish all the wood parts on the interior. I really like the look of varnished wood - but I am thinking maintenance will be easier with the oil.
Is that an accurate assumption?

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Permalink Reply by mitchell on December 5, 2008 at 8:34am

I do know that the upkeep on a varnished interior can be time consuming, all those nooks and crannies to get into while sanding. I don't have to sand and varnish but once every other year or so, depends on how many little chips N' dings I put in her.

I can not imagine that it would not be a heck of a lot easier maintaining an oiled interior. I like both finishes but my boat came with varnish and so I'll keep her that way.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Z on December 5, 2008 at 9:42am

Oil is way easier to maintain...I have two oiled boats and sold an old varnished one. oil is the way to go.
1. Whatever water gets in, evaporates out. On a varnished floor- water will pool up, and will find that one little nook and cranny that lets water under the finish. Trust me, no matter how well you try to seal up a framed boat, water will find its way under that finish on the floor! Then you get problems.
2. Once per year on the oiled boat, you hose it out good. On a nice sunny day, let it dry out. Then mix up 50/50 boiled linseed oil, turpentine and Japan drier (or leave the drier out). Get your gloves on, sponge it on or use a throwaya brush until the wood doesn't take any more. wipe off the puddles and pools. let it dry.. back on the river tomorrow... you dont have to worry about streaking/brush marks, or getting a perfect finish, or even dirt for that matter. its a "workingmans finish." Homemade oil is cheap. On the small boat that I built, it literally gets beat on. The oil is the right finish for that boat. varnish would look like hell on this boat after what it has been through.

I tested different mixes of homebrew oil- 50/50 works best. My mailbox post at home is a doug fir log that is oiled, and while it is weathered and worn, it looks great and is solid as ever. Its been out there for years.

Oil indeed is a different look. On something you will be spending alot of time to build, and take great care in, finsih should matter somewhat. Varnish looks beautiful. I had a fir drift boat (my first build) that I dyed the outside panels a dark mahogany stain then several coats of varnish. The inside was done clear varnish. Very time consuming, but the outcome was showworthy. That is not the type of boat that I'm using these days. I take care of my boats, do maintenance when needed, but they are not babied on or off the river. functional. oil is functional for me.

I would suggest at the very least that you oil your floor, as this is where all of your water will collect. you can varnish up and down, inside and out everything else, but oil that floor!

I am in the middle of another build of a 16' DE with transom (Form Roger Fletchers site; www.riverstouch.com). This one will get green dyed exterior panels, varnished exterior, and a completely oiled interior. I have 20 year old fir panels to build this boat with. It should look fantastic.

Good luck! There is no wrong answer here, there are many ways to do it. the above is my experience and preference.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on December 5, 2008 at 9:50am

Wow thanks for the thorough explanations guys!
I appreciate all the input for sure.

I have some time to decide - but I wanted to get my thoughts together on the finish that will work best for me.
Thanks again! I will let you know what I decide when the time comes...

Jason

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Permalink Reply by David Jensen on December 9, 2008 at 8:59pm

I have 2 wood driftboats. 1 has green marine paint on exterior, with gray marine exterior on the interior. The other has spar varnish on both exterior and interior. The painted boat went 18 years between finishes. The varnished boat 8. Both are kept in a boat shed with lots of air and are out of the sun. Both enjoy dozens of days on rivers of Oregon and Idaho. My experience is, at least here on the McKenzie River, the biggest problem for all wood boats - but especially varnished boats - is the sun

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