teak help

[Jake B]

so this last spring I pulled off all the outside teak and conditioned it as well as light sand(it had been 14 years since it seen any care). then applied numerous healthy coats of teak oil over 4days--1 week. It looked great for most the summer.
But come fall it is back to its dull faded look? I am considering replacing with stainless bar but I liked the look of the teak when I was first done with it. any tips or advice or step I missed to keep it looking good?

[potter water]

I think you are fighting what all teak-trimmed-boat owners fight, and that is the reality of teak. You can boat OR keep the teak looking nice. The good news is that the teak wood doesn't suffer from from being faded, it maintains its strength and integrity with any shade of gray. BUT, if you are interested in beauty then be prepared for teak work every few months. I've tried a lot of treatments in the past when I had teak on boats. The worst was when I tried to lock in the color with clear coats and stains. The teak just flaked off any coatings within a year and the teak got really ugly. I finally just cleaned it up once a year and let the discoloration happen on its own schedule.

Stainless is the lazy mans way to go. I love stainless.

[Sunbeam]

I think that's a pretty typical result with teak oil. It's not a long-term solution (unless you re-oil). You can let teak go grey, and it won't rot; but sometimes (depending on climate and the original quality or current condition of the wood) I've found that leaving it grey will allow it to get a bit rough.

Although I haven't used this product myself, I knew some cruisers who had lovely, golden teak - I asked what they'd been using and (if I remember correctly), it was a SEMCO product. I imagine they still had to reapply once a year or so though.

Some folks varnish rails of various types and then keep them covered up when not using the boat (pipe insulation, Sunbrella, PVC pipe with a slit, etc.). Varnish will last quite a long time if not exposed to UV 24/7. I've never varnished handrails because I didn't want them to be slippery, but on the other hand it's probably not much slipperier than polished stainless.

I find that with any wood treatment (or non-treatment), it's one of those "choose your compromise" type of things, as there is no one best way.

Sunbeam

PS: You probably already know this, but it's not advisable to scrub teak with the grain and/or with brushes - it digs out the softer wood and causes the teak to become grooved.

[Sea Wolf]

Jake B-

I solved the teak handrails problem back in about year 2000 when living down in the Bay Area.

Take the rails off and sand them down to new wood completely.

Use a first class clear gloss polyurethane coating with a UV inhibitor, such as Varathane, Minwax, or similar. It will have a yellow/amber color en masse in the can. Brush it on with a first class brush. Dilute the first coat 10-15% to assure deep penetration. Clean the brush religiously.

Let the coating dry reasonably hard, then sand lightly for tooth. Use a tack cloth after sanding. Re-coat. Ditto. Ditto. >>>>>>>>>>>!

Keep going until you have 7-10 coats. It starts to look like glass or resin encased wood. I did 9 coats on mine.

This all works out best when you're not using the boat, like winter, and in a warm garage or workshop.

Patience and time are the keys.

Re-mount the handrails on the boat. (Be sure and do the little ones on the back of the cabin at the same time.)

Use the boat as much as you like, but don't let it just set out in the sun for days on end exposed to the sun.

Mine is starting to look like the coating is shrinking down enough to slightly show the grain texture underneath, though it is still glossy 12 years later.

To be fair, I do keep the boat in a covered berth at the lake and in a RV Barn at home to limit UV exposure.

I will put some more coats on a few years down the road.

Works for me!

P.S.: Keep those wooden rails!

They're prettier than stainless, they're warm instead of cold to the touch, they look more nautical and classy, and their larger diameter fits your hand better and gives you a better, safer grip!

Joe. :

[digger]

West Marine has a product called Cetol, and I have used it. It is a sealer, and I think Urethane. In any case, it lasts extremely well, dries fairly quickly, is not sticky,and looks great. It is really pricey. Ron

[Dreamer]

Cetol by Sikkens is great. I put it on a couple of swim platform grids on a SeaRay. They were continually in and out of the water. Looked good 2 years later when we sold it!

[roydawn]

On our GB 42 we had more TEAK than any 100 boats should have! Did the varnish, Cetol etc. Finally went to Honey Teak a 2 part epoxyish varnish, made in Fl. The beauty is once you do the std. prep like for varnish, you can put 6-8 coats on the SAME day. Wet on tack, one on top of the other, NO sanding or prep between coats. We were getting 2 yrs. in full Fl. sun, with a 2-3 coat follow up then. Great stuff, but $100 a quart a few years ago. 3 yrs. later almost MISS the teak, a few hand rails would be nice though. Roy

[Sea Wolf]

Roy-

You "almost MISS the teak" ! ???

You one sick puppy, but I can understand!

Jake-

There's more general information on wood finishes from the West Marine Advisor on page 287 HERE

Click on the article to enlarge the print!

Joe.

[thataway]

For most chemical products is is easy to go to the internet and google MSDS, which gives the contents. Cetol Teak is about 30%LONG OIL ALKYD RESIN, and 20% Linseed oil--the rest is minor solvents and color agents. No urethanes.

Cetol works fairly well in the PNW, where there is low UV and lots of fresh water wash. But in the tropics, it detiorrates fairly rapidly. Be use and put coats of clear Cetol over the pigmented ones. It does "touch up" fairly easily.

Our Classic 62 foot Garden Ketch had a lot more teak than any GB--and we spent about one week out of 6 re-doing it to keep it looking first class. We enjoyed it, and often folks would pitch in and help. We have tried almost every type of teak prep and there is no one easy solution.

Several above will work fairly well, if you keep the rails covered. The lowest on my scale to use would be teak oil, but I do use it in the cabin. One friend who has a classic planked 26 foot runabout fully varnished, takes it out of the water after each use, rinse down, chamois dry and then into the railroad garage under full cover. It has been over 15 years since the boat was wooded and 22 coats of spar varnish applied. Still looks like new.

[rogerbum]

Fiberglass and stainless steel are my friends. I try to keep all the wood on the inside of the boat.

[BRAZO]

We used Bristol Finish on our Sundowner Tug and that looked great. Loved the look of all the teak but hated the 'must do often' nature of it.

[Sunbeam]

[srbaum]

I'm sure you will receive many folks input on the teak maintenance quest. I too have tried every teak product sold and some work well, some turn the wood orange and some have to be completely removed about every two years to re-do it from the bottom up (I have tried all of these methods).
Not that I have found the holy grail, but I have found something that I can live with, without the annual headaches.
While at an Opsail event, I talked with several of the tall ship's crew that have a forest full of teak to maintain. They don't have the time or the labor force to keep up with the teak without finding ways of minimizing effort and keeping the wood looking good for a long time.
The tall ship's crew solution? Mix 50/50 teak oil and Penatrol. Simple, cheap and it has been a dream to apply (I used a foam brush). Oh, I cleaned and bleach my teak before I applied (about 5 coats) of the sealer solution and it looks as good today, as the day that I applied it to my sailboat's cap rail.

[hardee]

Since most of the wood on my boat is on the inside (YES ) I get off pretty easy. I use teak oil on it once a year. Easy and keeps nice all season. Works for me.

I do like the looks of nice brightwork, (ON SOMEBODY ELSES BOAT), especially in the warm evening sunlight

Harvey
SleepyC

[Alyssa Jean]

Cetol by Sikkens. I redid the teak on my 16 with that and it has weathered very well.