As Practical Sailor reported in the one-year update for our long-term wood finishes test in the December issue, Interlux Yacht Paints recently released three new exterior varnishes: Perfection Plus, a clear two-part polyurethane; Schooner Gold, a high-viscosity, quick-building varnish; and Compass, a fast-drying hybrid of classic tung oil and polyurethane. The previous Perfection and Schooner formulations had performed well in our tests, so we stopped by Interluxs booth at the Miami International Boat Show to find out more about these new products. While we were there, we also got the scoop on the companys latest bottom paint, the copper-free Pacifica Plus with Econea , and chatted with the coatings maker about the future of antifoulings. You can follow our test results on these and other maintenance products by subscribing to Practical Sailor.
Editors Note: Interlux recently recalled the new Compass varnish. The temporary recall was made after tests found the quick-drying hybrid finish to be too quick-drying for large projects. The recall applies only to the new Compass. We talked to Jim Seidel, assistant marketing manager for Interlux, about the recall. His comments follow.
There are no doubts about the Compass varnishs performance, longevity, or durability; this is an application concern only. We have some very fast driers in the product to make it dust-free sooner and to be able to overcoat more quickly, which is a help on smaller areas but it does prove a challenge on large areas where you need more wet-edge and working time. Listening to our customers, weve got our chemists on track improving the application properties so it will be easier to brush on.
We have also had customers that have applied Compass call in to tell us that they love it and don’t understand why weve recalled it, but Interlux is all about making it easy so we want to ensure we supply a product anybody can apply and above all, that its suitable for any project. Those customers who have successfully applied Compass will enjoy a great performing product.
Well keep you posted on the status of the recall and will let you know once the new formula hits store shelves. Look for tests of it and Interluxs other new coatings in upcoming Practical Sailor reports.
