Mark Hilbert's post "What would Dave Do?" has received a very diverse set of responses. They are most interesting because they come from the full community of builders that frequent this forum. Responses have come from the guys who build in the traditional frame method and also from the stitch and glue boys. Guys who day trip have chimed in as well as the expedition/ whitewater community. We all have a very common thread in that we build our own boats but after that things begin to drift apart. Some procedures are common to us all but some are very specific to methods and intended uses. In the case of Marks questions about how to repair (or not repair) his fractured bottom panel all responses were appropriate but interestingly biased toward each respondents personal methods or uses. I'm not suggesting that this is bad, on the contrary, it enlightens us all to see different approaches to the same problem. Those of us who have been hanging around here for a while know who is who and how they build. Dave is a traditional frame guy and has built and uses boats that are pickled inside and out with a home brewed old fashioned oil/spirits mix. Larry Hedrick is all glass and epoxy as he should be as a stitch and glue builder. Dave's light boats go fishing where they might bump bottom while Larry's boats carry heavy loads, punch big waves and perhaps smash down on knarly rocks. Larry's kevlar might be handy to patch Dave's fractured bottom panel and Larry could use some of Dave's oil on a piece that is not covered in goo.
LET THE NEWBIE BEWARE
These guys all know what they are talking about in their own world of boat building/fixing. It's up to you to understand where your advice is coming from and does it apply to your specific problem or question. The most dramatic example, IMO, is the guy who thinks that truck bed liner is the answer to the leak in his old frame built boat. In this case a workable idea for stitch and glue hulls is a very bad idea for frame built hulls.
Now to the title of the thread, OIL Finish 101 for Larry.
Oil finish is only sticky if left to pool. Properly done, applied with a brush and wiped with a rag there is no excess to get sticky. The oil penetrates the wood and does not lie on top like paint, The wood grain remains and is not slippery. Even oiled floorboards remain a nonskid surface when properly oiled and wiped. Try it, you might like it.
Here's one I took earlier on. I had the outer rail/chine/rub rail (not sure again what's that's called) installed and was about to put the last brace up front. Notice the slight curve in the rail (recurve actually, near the end)
; that's actually what I was shooting for so I put the rail in then measured the last brace so that I could make it to fit the curve ;-)
It's hard to beat Daly's Seafin Teakwood Oil. It is formulated for marine use, penetrates well and even smells good. A gallon is plenty for three of four coats on a 16' boat. But you should be aware of the fact that oiled interiors need about 8 coats to really get going and a few coats every year to keep it up and looking good. Like painting, many thin coats are far better than a few thick ones. Apply with a brush and wipe off the excess every time you oil. Four oilings this year and the same for a few years will build a nice patina.
The old saying goes something like this;
once a day for a week
once a week for a month
once a month for a year
once a year after that.
The new wood will be a sponge and need to be replenished fairly often until you get a good build up (saok in?).
I finished my boat last spring/early summer. I have oiled it half a dozen times... I basically do it when I have time and as often as I can bc it certainly can't hurt to keep fresh wood drinking that oil. (not to mention it makes your boat look all fresh too) I just mixed a big batch up and it's easy to do without much prep or cleanup. Like AJ mentioned, just wipe the excess so it doesn't get sticky or pooled up and you are good to go. The first few coats on mine were Penofin Marine oil, but I didn't feel like ordering any so I went with some "boat soup" for the subsequent coats.