[Public-list] Armada/Cetol

[richard.hazlegrove at wachovia.com]

As Brian mentioned,  these products seem to generate lots of varied 
opinions and results.  I too have used the original Armada for about seven 
seasons and have found that three or four coats of the gloss provide a 
relatively clear finish with plenty of wood grain showing.  It's clearly 
not the look of 8-10  coats of varnish but looks a lot better than failed 
varnish,  paint, or darkened oil.  I put one maintenance coat on each 
season and it has held up well.  One big difference from a varnish system 
is that a chip or ding does not lift the finish.  You can take your time 
and simply recoat the damaged area when you get around to it. 

Many folks who do not like the Cetol look may be thinking back to the 
older formulas that built up like brown paint.  I own an Alberg today 
because the boat that I originally (and mistakenly) planed to purchase, a 
pristine Cape Dory 30 was covered in multiple coats of the brown paint 
looking Cetol.  It looked horrible.  It is my understanding that Armada 
was "invented" by several employees of Cetol that reformulated the Cetol 
product to allow a lot more transparency to the product.  Cetol later 
changed their formulas also toward that clearer look. 

Some have mentioned horrible failures of the product after a season or 
less.  I have found that the type of wood and preparation can make a big 
difference.  The mahogany on my Boston Wailer will not hold the finish 
very well and begins to peel in less than two seasons.  This has happened 
twice even though the wood was removed and finished in a dry, heated 
garage.  On the other hand, the exterior teak on my Alberg holds the 
finish very well provided the wood is absolutely dry when the initial 
coats are applied to the bare wood and you keep up the annual maintenance 
coat.  That's been my experience;  results may very. 

Richard Hazlegrove
Quest 433
Mobjack Bay, VA.