Skipper, her father Cap’n Jack, and I have tried a lot of varnishes over the years, looking for one that hits the sweet spot at the convergence of ease of application, nice finish, durability, and maintenance. After Jamestown Distributors introduced TotalBoat Halcyon Rugged Gloss in 2017, we began using it in 2018 and it has lived up to our expectations.
Halcyon is a one-part water-based polyurethane varnish that comes in pint- and quart-size flexible plastic pouches. We like saving money, and the pouches keep varnish from going to waste as it does in cans when the air space increases after each job. We have found Halcyon varnish was ready to go several months after we first opened it, with no skinning over. For information on this type of container, see “StopLossBags.” We also like saving time, and we’ve applied up to five coats in one day without sanding in between coats. At 72 degrees, it takes just a one-hour interval between coats. For applying additional coats after 12 hours, a light scuff with 320-grit sandpaper is recommended to ensure proper flow and adhesion.
Photographs by the authorsThe soft-sided bag allows storing the unused varnish without the airspace that causes skinning over and waste of varnish sold in cans.
Halcyon pours well out of its pouch without the dribble that comes when pouring canned varnish, and does not require mixing or thinning. It can also be applied with a roller or sprayer. If thinning is required, water can be added up to a 20-percent mix. It has an application range of 50 to 90 degrees F, and from 0 to 90 percent relative humidity. There is little to no odor with water-based varnish, so working indoors with it is a possibility. Using a medium-quality sash brush designed for oil paints, we can brush out the varnish without leaving any bristle ridges. Halcyon is self-leveling and doesn’t puddle on flat surfaces, and isn’t prone to sagging or dripping down vertical surfaces. This varnish can be applied over epoxy—cured, deblushed, and sanded—and provides UV protection. It is also compatible with one- and two-part varnishes for refinishing. Cleanup is easy with soap and water.
We decided to use Halcyon to refinish our daggerboards and paddles: we sanded them back to wood, and Halcyon leveled nicely over the grain without needing filler to provide a smooth surface. It flowed on smooth with the brush, dipped directly out of a work cup. Halcyon dried quickly into a gloss finish, even with just three coats, and we were able to use the paddles the following day. We prefer the subtle finish, so we have not experimented yet with more coats than three to see how deep a luster can be achieved.
Brushed on mahogany, the Halcyon Rugged varnish filled the pores and leveled itself to a smooth surface.
The Amber Gloss Varnish has a nice hue that accentuates the beauty of wood. Its finish is harder than a traditional spar varnish, so it will hold up well in high traffic areas. Halcyon is designed for interior and exterior use above the waterline, and is available in clear gloss, amber gloss, and clear satin. The satin finish, which was added to the Halcyon Rugged line in 2019, should be applied over a base layer of gloss. Our applications of it have held up well so far in our Florida Panhandle tropical marine environment, with no signs of chipping, cracking or peeling. We will continue to use Halcyon on new and old projects, and are very pleased with the performance on our fleet bits. It hits the sweet spot.
Audrey (Skipper) and Kent (Clark) Lewis row, sail, paddle and motor the coastal waters of Northwest Florida in their fleet of small boats. They blog their mess-about adventures at Small Boat Restoration. They are unpaid ambassadors for Jamestown Distributors.
The Halcyon Rugged finishes in stop-loss bags are available in clear and amber, gloss and satin, in pints and quarts with pints at $17.99 and quarts at $31.99.
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I used the gloss Halcyon on all the brightwork of my CLC “Autumn Leaves.” It is very agreeable to work with and does result in a tough finish. I’m happy with it on this boat. But I could not get a finish to match what is possible with traditional oil-based varnish. I found that the Halcyon doesn’t self-level very well, and if it’s possible to get the perfectly flat, mirror-like finish some demand on their gold-platers, I don’t know how it’s done with the water-based varnish. The consistency is more like latex paint than varnish. I have also tried Minwax’s water-based Helmsman varnish. After a few tests I tossed that can in the trash. I think the Halcyon lays down better and produces better finish, but the technology needs more work.
I was quite happy with SeaGold to refinish the wood trim on our glass Gulf Island peapod a couple of years ago. So last year I took a huge leap of faith and redid our Rozinante mainmast above the spreaders using Petit SeaGold. Seven coats followed by two coats of conventional (McCloskey’s Man O’War) varnish. Prior to deciding, I couldn’t elicit an opinion from anyone who had used water-based “varnish” on spars ..so this is a huge experiment..considering the cost of lifting the mast out by crane. Hopefully it will last the 3 years that pass in between refinishing. We’re on Vancouver Island, BC. If anyone has done this, I’d appreciate hearing. Better be good news!
Thank you for the information. I am using the Total Boat Epoxy and am pleased with it.
The Halcyon Varnish looks like a good choice for the mast and spars on the Bolger Bob Cat I am currently building.
Thanks for the review, but I have to say the photos in the article don’t seem to really support the claim that it “self levels”. Looks pretty bumpy/granular to me, but I realize the reviewer did not sand between coats. Too bad, because sanding between coats, and showing the result, would really show how it compares to traditional varnish.
I asked the Jamestown Distributors Tech Team about when and where it might be good to use Halcyon vs. a solvent-based varnish.
1) Would Halcyon be recommended for a large mast?
2) Does TB have any solvent based varnishes and can those be applied over Halcyon? Or vice versa?
Their answers:
“Yes, we make Gleam Spar Varnish and a thicker version, LUST. You can use Halcyon on a mast. It’s super rugged so it’s a great choice.
Because Halcyon is water-based, we do no recommend putting water-based over a solvent-based varnish system – but you can put Halcyon on Gleam. Hope that helps.”
Here are photos of the Halcyon Rugged Amber Gloss after it leveled more last week, and after 6 more coats. It was still kind of bumpy in the article photos as it was 50 F and it takes a while to level in that temp. The daggerboard was super crusty and dry when I got it, I did very little prep except to sand off flakey varnish, and did not seal the wood first. To get a smoother surface I would have needed to sand a lot more and that is not my style for brightwork.
We prefer the workboat satin finish and like for our wood bits to have some grip, especially gunwales, seats, tillers, blades. We have never gone for a super smooth Steinway gloss, but I will experiment a bit more with Halcyon to see how super smooth and shiny I can get it by sanding the side that I have applied multiple coats, brush on two more coats and let you know how it turns out.
By the way, I have been varnishing on the kitchen table, with nothing underneath the daggerboard, and cleaning the brush each time in the kitchen sink with water, which takes about one minute. If the varnish drips from the brush, I wipe it up with water on a paper towel. I do not miss the harsh solvents at all and destruction of brushes.
Can you apply the Halcyon over teak wood that has linseed oil on it?
I would contact the Jamestown Distributors Tech Team and ask them about that.