thompsons vs epoxy

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netman

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First time poster. I have been reading a lot of threads on here and many of you have been using thompsons water seal. I am just wondering what kind of longevity of your decks you guys have had going this route. I am planning and starting a mod on a 14 foot 1974 alumacraft and want to make sure my decks will be lasting quite a while. Thanks for your responses


I will get some picture up soon
 
The active ingredients in Thompson's Water Seal are parrafin wax dissolved in a petroleum distillate solvent so that it can penetrate the wood with the wax. To remain effective as a moisture barrier it is necessary re-apply Thompson's Water Seal periodically - how often depends on type of wood and conditions
 
I am intending to carpet the plywood on my floor. would be difficult to reapply to the top side of the board. I want the decking to last more than a couple years. Was just curious if replacement of the floor would be 3 years with thompsons or would it be longer. trying to decide if the price of epoxy will be worth the investment to avoid premature replacement of the decking.
 
for wood.....do not use green treated.....will cause corrosion of the aluminum......have seen that happen before....better have a huge bilge pump. haha.
 
Put carpet a little longer on bottom of deck. So if you do have to reseal it you can cut the carpet off and still beable to re staple it. I had a deck on my boat for 4 years and never had to reseal it. It was always covered when not in use. That also makes a big difference. I used Thomsons seal. I plan on using it on my new boat.
 
mangelcc said:
...It was always covered when not in use. That also makes a big difference...


As mangelcc said above, keeping the boat out of the weather when not using it, either indoors, or a good cover over it, the wood should last quite awhile. Be sure and give the end/side grains of the wood extra coats.
 
Thanks for your replies. I will be keeping it in my garage when not in use. Thinking a will go the thompsons route.....a lot less expensive.
 
I've been meaning to bring this up about Thompsons Water Seal....

Back in the 90's, I worked in a high end retail paint store. As far as deck sealers went....Thompsons Water Seal had the absolute worst feedback from our contractors. We didn't sell it, but everyone had either tried it, or seen the results of using it. For some reason, it seems to be the go to Brand-Name choice on here. Maybe they have re-engineered the product since then. :?:

Based on the second-hand info I got from years of feedback.... If I were using wood in my boat, It would be the last choice for me.

TWP and Sikkens seemed to be the product most asked for.
 
Two part epoxy is going to be the better of the two for this application.

However, epoxy is more expensive and harder to work with than water sealer.

As for the wood. I would get exterior grade plywood which is not the same as treated. Do not use OSB.
 
I actually thought about varnishing or painting it instead of water sealer. I put two coats of water sealer on it and the wood still looks like it would soak up water, I thought maybe with the varnish or paint it might repel the water better. Then I started thinking about what if water does get to the wood, would it be trapped and harder to dry out.
 
I still think a sealer is the way to go. The reality is, the wood in the boat should only get a fraction of the abuse a house deck does. Not to mention, the wood on a house deck is in direct contact with the elements (water/sun) everyday, and most (if not all) boat mods aren't. Knowing that, maybe that's why Thompsons works good enough, but I'd still use a better sealer than it. After my previous post, I started googling around reviews, and Thompsons is not even in the middle of the pack for reviews, it's at the bottom. Seems like TWP and Sikkens are still atop the leader boards alongside a few others.
 
I didn't use epoxy for my wood, only Thompson's or marine varnish. I recommend marine varnish, many coats, light sanding between coats. I also cover my boat in the off season and between every fishing trip. The only time rain hits the deck is if I somehow get caught out there without warning. The brown tarps from Home Depot work great, and should last a few seasons.
 
nbaffaro said:
Two part epoxy is going to be the better of the two for this application.

However, epoxy is more expensive and harder to work with than water sealer.

Was thinking of using epoxy myself, exactly how hard is it to apply? Can someone descibe the process they used?

thanks
 
I'm planning on using the deck stain/sealer i have left over after doing my decks. Probably go with a couple good coats of exterior grade paint as well, just for added protection.
 
a lot of good advice. sounds like if i do use a water sealer, it will be something other than thompsons. one additional draw back of epoxy is the temperature sensitivity for the curing process.
 
Brine said:
Seems like TWP and Sikkens are still atop the leader boards alongside a few others.

I think some of this has to do with Thompson's advertising approach.. considering I haven't even heard of the two you mentioned...
 
another question about using something like twp.....is there a temperature requirement for use. I live in Minnesota and evening often get down to single didgits above zero until the end of march or so.
 

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