Oil Finish on Mahogany

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
Deigh
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Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:25 pm

Oil Finish on Mahogany

Postby Deigh » Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:35 pm

Give me your opinion of using an oil finish on the mahogany as used in various places on a 1987 Montauk 17.

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Oil Finish on Mahogany

Postby jimh » Sun Sep 05, 2021 10:13 am

This general topic is discussed in the REFERENCE section. See

Wood Care and the Boston Whaler Boat
By Brian N. Blazer

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... rWood.html

On most boats with exposed mahogany wood, the finish used is a marine varnish. In some cases a light coat of oil might be used to help bring color to the wood before applying the varnish.

With oil finish on wood (such as teak wood or mahogany wood) on a boat where the wood will be continually exposed to sunlight and water, the durability of the finish is the concern. Eventually the oil dries, and you will need to continually re-oil the wood.

If you do not refinish the wood before the surface begins to lose its oil, the wood will begin to degrade. This generally results in needing to apply some strong cleaning agent to remove the dirt and old oil, then some sanding to reduce the depth of the grain, and then refinishing.

If the oiled wood finish can be kept covered at all times except when the boat is actually on the water and in use, the oil finish will last longer, but eventually it will need to be renewed.

For wood components made with a marine plywood with a mahogany surface layer, there is only so much wood there to be repeatedly cleaned and sanded. For components of solid wood, you can clean and sand them many times, although losing some thickness each time, you won't run out of wood.

If you use an oil finish there are many choices for oil. Tung oil is often mentioned for mahogany. But I believe that recommendation is coming from furniture refinishers who are expecting the furniture to remain indoors.

On my boat the mahogany plywood components have been sealed with epoxy resin and then coated with varnish. This creates a very durable finish that resists sunlight and water.

On my boat the teak components have an oil finish. The teak components exposed to water need to be refinished every two or three years, with cleaning, sanding, and oiling. In a prior discussion I demonstrated the steps for application of a new oil finish. You may find this interesting:

Teak Finish
https://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/014322.html

There are many, many prior discussion about oil finishes. I recommend you conduct a search for these many threads and read some of the replies therein. I don't think the age of these old threads would affect the opinions expressed in them. Here is link to help you find articles on this topic:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=site%3Acon ... 776EAB87F5

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Phil T
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Location: Was Maine. Temporarily Kentucky

Re: Oil Finish on Mahogany

Postby Phil T » Sun Sep 05, 2021 10:40 am

Almost all the original wood on the classic Montauk 17 was teak.

The bottom board on the RPS was mahogany.

It was, and should be, oiled.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

MarkCz
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Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: Oil Finish on Mahogany

Postby MarkCz » Mon Sep 06, 2021 10:37 am

I have a 1987 Boston whaler Montauk. My reversible pilot seat, hatches, fire extinguisher enclosure and rod holder woodwork was all oiled. The only wood varnished from the factory was the cooler cleats. I oil the wood once a year but my boat is kept in the garage so it does not get too much sun exposure.