Owatrol donates Deks Olje D1 & D2 to the charity ‘Sailing Tectona’, a charity which supplies sailing training opportunities to people of all ages.
Sailing Tectona is supported by The Tectona Trust who provide much-needed funds for mental health and recovery voyages. The wonderful members of staff teach teamwork, communication and resilience to help give people the skills they need to make a positive change in their lives after the voyage has ended.
The following has been written by Jennifer of Sailing Tectona:
Testimonial of Owatrol Deks Olje D1
We had heard of others in the wooden boating world using the Deks Olje D1 & D2 producta so upon further investigation online we believed it might be the right thing for us to try this winter refit because we had so much wood to cover.
Gaining sponsorship
The quality of the product is high and you absolutely get what you pay for. However, as a small charity, I set about trying to see if we could get a discount or sponsorship. I read on Owatrol’s website about other charities and organisations they have supported previously. I spoke with Gary the Managing Director who was most helpful. As an early Christmas present, Owatrol decided to sponsor us all of the oil and varnish we needed. What a wonderful present for both of our beautiful boats!
Using the product
We started using the product early in the new year with some testing of application method and drying times on some smaller spars – poles that help us hold big sails up on Olga, our smaller boat. About 10 coats of Deks Olje D1 oil were applied over the course of three days as they still looked dry after the oil had soaked in. We then set about varnishing these with Deks Olje D2 with the help of some volunteers. We applied both the oil and the varnish with basic grade paintbrushes which worked well. The key is having a nominated ‘drip catcher’ at the oiling stage and a steady-handed, keen-eyed ‘tipper’ at the varnishing stage.
Once we were happy with how the products went on, we tackled all three of our masts. The first mast we coated was the brand new one we had made from a milled tree this winter. The oil was applied with many hands and we managed to get four coats on. We then varnished but sadly this application didn’t take and we had to strip it all back off.
Set back
We contacted the team at Owatrol who’s in house specialists told us that it was either temperature or the wood was too green. This was something with we had suspected ourselves. So, trial two, we set to work oiling and varnish the other two masts that are older and seasoned – result! Although we didn’t apply the varnish in the optimum temperature because our workshop is in a big uninsulated hanger, the oil still worked it’s magic and the varnish cured. We have just finished our 4th coat of varnish on these as I write.
We still have to try the other newer mast once it has had more drying time. There are also other bits of wood to do on both our boats such as hatches. The recent weather has somewhat curtailed our progress on this front. However, we will get it completed as soon as we can and hope to have the boats looking even more gorgeous for the summer.
We’ve had five paid staff and 13 people volunteers getting involved with the oiling and varnish process. The photos capture our wonderful volunteers at work!
Results
As mentioned above we have had great success, mainly, and have enjoyed using this product. The real benefit is not having to sand between layers of varnish.
The application process is brilliant. The varnish is easy to work with and we decided to decant from our 20litre tin into smaller pots to store and work with. After applying the first coat of varnish we decided to use rollers to apply the rest and brushes to tip it which gave great coverage. Less runs and a nice finish on both of the masts.
Overall
We are happy to have used these products and found them to provide a good finish that looks durable. For us, the biggest test will be how all of our woodwork lasts over the course of the sailing season.
Thank you so much to Jennifer and crew for all the lovely images and testimonial. We’re very happy to hear about your success using Deks Olje D1 and Deks Olje D2 and we wish you all the very best for the future.
To learn more about Sailing Tectona and their amazing work, head on over to www.sailingtectona.co.uk
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About Owatrol Team
Our team are ready and willing to support you with your requirements whether it is protecting your newly laid deck or renovating a luxury yacht, whatever the application Owatrol has the solution you are looking for.
