What would protect wooden windows against the sea?

[Wandle2]

My cottage is about 100 yards from the beach on a very windy part of Sussex where the air is full of salt. The cottage gets the full blast of any storm and only certain plants survive in the patio in front. No trees grow.
At the moment it has hideous upvc windows, which spoil its looks.
I'd love to put back wooden sashes but wonder if there is any type of paint, or anything I can treat them with that would stop them rotting.
The front door is wooden (oak) and painted with bitumen black paint, which is like tar and sinks into the wood, but I don't think that would look very nice on windows.
The other option is to get upvc box sashes, which would look far better than my tilting ones, but there is a snag with upvc windows too in this position because the salt corrodes the fastenings and hinges.

 

[Forestlands]

Hi yatch varnish or yatch paint would be ideal. Bought a Moggie Minor pick up from my brother in Seaford a few years ago salt got to the metal and I lost the fuel tank soon after getting it

Good luck.

 

[Wandle2]

Hi yatch varnish or yatch paint would be ideal. Bought a Moggie Minor pick up from my brother in Seaford a few years ago salt got to the metal and I lost the fuel tank soon after getting it

Good luck.

Hi there
thanks for that suggestion. I hadn't thought of yacht varnish or paint but now I think of it, it's obvious that it might keep water at bay!
The cottage is in Seaford, by the way.

 

[JohnD]

varnish will need to be sanded and re-coated every year and looks bad once damp gets through

you might try oiled hardwood. I put linseed oil on my hardwood sills and steps last year and it seems to be working.

 

[Wandle2]

Hi John
thanks for that suggestion. Actually, I was hoping there would be something like Linseed that would sink into the wood rather than a paint or a varnish which forms a coat on top.
I use linseed on some wooden panelling inside the cottage but hadn't thought of putting it outside.