It's always nice to see someone else working on the same ship. As far as the intensity of the staining is concerned, I would go for something in between both your try-outs. I don't think in reality the colour would be very strong. This is what I did. To begin with I varnished the deck, and only after that I applied Occre Judea Bitumen and wiped it of again after 10-15 seconds. This brings out the grain of the wood. If I would have to do it again I think I would stain with light oak before varnishing. I did not sand in between varnishing and applying the bitumen for this can easily result in uneven staining. After letting the bitumen dry I varnished once more. The sides of the planks were blackened with a pencil. Good luck.
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