i know this is a loaded subject that has been kicked around before but i am going to ask from a different perspective. if you were redoing all the wood on your boat, interior and exterior, wanted low a maintenance, a single product inside and out, and it could be bought at any home depot, what would it be? (i'm about to buy a gallon of white paint! j/k). 2) will teak oil hold up on the exterior? 3) did i hear bad things about using oak on a boat? why? 4) what to use to thin traditional type varnish? (i've heard alcohol) i made a list of stuff i have ranging from stockholm tar, to teak oil, to cetol to z-spar varnish. not to even mention various solvents, thinners, reducers, paints etc and am looking to simplify maintenance. (this doesn't even include fiberglass supplies, epoxies, and barrier paint). ONE BRUSH, ONE CAN! (...i can wish can't i). tia~ william
Brightwork- if you could do it all again...
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Teak Oil
Teak oil, hands down. I like the look of teak oil, and love to mess with the boat. So, if I spend an hour a week oiling wood, I am a happy camper. Once or twice a year give the teak a good scrub with amonia, water and mild detergent, to take care of any mold, mildew or spores, then oil it again. No big deal at all to me.
Teak oil, hands down. I like the look of teak oil, and love to mess with the boat. So, if I spend an hour a week oiling wood, I am a happy camper. Once or twice a year give the teak a good scrub with amonia, water and mild detergent, to take care of any mold, mildew or spores, then oil it again. No big deal at all to me.
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Rob Morton
Spar Urathane
I am doing the woodwork down below with an exterior product available at Home Depot, there are a couple of different brands of Spar Urathane. It says on the can it can be used above the water line on boats. I did the exterior wood with cetol and don't want to ever have to do the interior again. We used this product on a kitchen counter that had a wood edge and it has held up for over 4 years right in front of the sink. I personally like the looks of Cetol and thats why I used it on the exterior woodwork. This is all just my opinion and I'm sure there are many out there that know alot more! Rob Morton S/V Euphoria
I am doing the woodwork down below with an exterior product available at Home Depot, there are a couple of different brands of Spar Urathane. It says on the can it can be used above the water line on boats. I did the exterior wood with cetol and don't want to ever have to do the interior again. We used this product on a kitchen counter that had a wood edge and it has held up for over 4 years right in front of the sink. I personally like the looks of Cetol and thats why I used it on the exterior woodwork. This is all just my opinion and I'm sure there are many out there that know alot more! Rob Morton S/V Euphoria
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Steve
Oak on a boat
Oak, both red and white, is a great wood so long as it stays dry. In the old days it was used for structural purposes since it is very strong. The trouble is it expands and contracts in high humidity environments, causing cracks that most people consider unacceptable. Given modern shipbuilding techniques, teak, mahogany, Australian cypress, or Ipe are better choices as they are much more stable when wet.
Oak, both red and white, is a great wood so long as it stays dry. In the old days it was used for structural purposes since it is very strong. The trouble is it expands and contracts in high humidity environments, causing cracks that most people consider unacceptable. Given modern shipbuilding techniques, teak, mahogany, Australian cypress, or Ipe are better choices as they are much more stable when wet.
Brightwork nightmare on my H23
I have used marine spar varnish on my tiller. It is what ever wood Hunter uses on tillers. It holds up well. Every spring, I give it a light sanding and put another coat on, if I think of it. If I miss a year, it does not matter much. Oak will turn black if it gets wet. I use teak oil on the teak hand rails etc. It turns grey over the summer. Every spring I clean and re-oil the teak with one of the two step teak products that are out there. Do not follow my example. A few years ago, I put some kind of a one step teak varnish on the teak. It was not Cetrol. By the next spring, I had to strip it off because in some places it was peeling off. In my ignorance I used a normal paint stripper product. The paint stripper got on the plexiglass hatch and started to eat through it. I cleaned up the stripper as quickly as possible, but still had streaks and rough fogged areas on the plexiglass. Then I proceeded on an even more stupid plan. I took all the teak off the plexiglass hatch and proceeded to clean and re-coat it in the garage. Of course I left the plexiglass hatch cover on the boat while I did this. One day I got back up on the boat to make plans to re-attach all the wood strips that had been attached to it. A very light pressure from my elbow immediatly snapped off a corner of my plexiglass hatch,which was much weakened because it did not have any support from the wood strips that normally support it. I re-attached all the hardware and put tape over the crack to try to keep rainwater out of the boat. Over the winter I purchased a new piece of 3/8" smoked plexiglass to replace the cracked one that is on the boat now. It is not easy to find this plexiglass unless you go directly to Hunter. I did find a local glass shop that could provide it for $180 vs the $190 that Hunter would do it for. This spring's project is to re-construct the hatch cover with the new piece of plexiglass. So trying to make my teak look great with one easy product, ended up in a lot of money and labor. Fortunately I love to work on my boat. Everyone says Cetrol is great. But if you ever have to strip it off the teak, watch out.
I have used marine spar varnish on my tiller. It is what ever wood Hunter uses on tillers. It holds up well. Every spring, I give it a light sanding and put another coat on, if I think of it. If I miss a year, it does not matter much. Oak will turn black if it gets wet. I use teak oil on the teak hand rails etc. It turns grey over the summer. Every spring I clean and re-oil the teak with one of the two step teak products that are out there. Do not follow my example. A few years ago, I put some kind of a one step teak varnish on the teak. It was not Cetrol. By the next spring, I had to strip it off because in some places it was peeling off. In my ignorance I used a normal paint stripper product. The paint stripper got on the plexiglass hatch and started to eat through it. I cleaned up the stripper as quickly as possible, but still had streaks and rough fogged areas on the plexiglass. Then I proceeded on an even more stupid plan. I took all the teak off the plexiglass hatch and proceeded to clean and re-coat it in the garage. Of course I left the plexiglass hatch cover on the boat while I did this. One day I got back up on the boat to make plans to re-attach all the wood strips that had been attached to it. A very light pressure from my elbow immediatly snapped off a corner of my plexiglass hatch,which was much weakened because it did not have any support from the wood strips that normally support it. I re-attached all the hardware and put tape over the crack to try to keep rainwater out of the boat. Over the winter I purchased a new piece of 3/8" smoked plexiglass to replace the cracked one that is on the boat now. It is not easy to find this plexiglass unless you go directly to Hunter. I did find a local glass shop that could provide it for $180 vs the $190 that Hunter would do it for. This spring's project is to re-construct the hatch cover with the new piece of plexiglass. So trying to make my teak look great with one easy product, ended up in a lot of money and labor. Fortunately I love to work on my boat. Everyone says Cetrol is great. But if you ever have to strip it off the teak, watch out.
R
Reudi Ross
William
I use alot of oak on the inside of my boat and it is doing fine. I wouldn't use it on the outside though. I live on the other side of the divide from you in Glenwood Springs. One of the nice things about colorado is the low humidity that is easy on wood. I wouldn't use oak if I was on the coast.
I use alot of oak on the inside of my boat and it is doing fine. I wouldn't use it on the outside though. I live on the other side of the divide from you in Glenwood Springs. One of the nice things about colorado is the low humidity that is easy on wood. I wouldn't use oak if I was on the coast.
old down east deck coating
thanks guys. i'll refrain from oak on the deck but i am considering some inside work. our CO humidity is good but this high altitude sunshine is murder! again, oak is one of those things that’s readily available at home depot...and i'm just trying to simplify/standardize things. not being fortunate to live on the coast makes home depots much more available than chandleries. i'm experimenting with what’s called "old down east deck coating". its probably not for everyone...maybe including me, but it has the right ingredients for wood. (i have this childhood memory of the pine-tar smell on boats i think. many would turn their noses up at it i'm sure!) its 1qt turpentine, 1 qt boiled linseed oil, 1/2 pt stockholm tar, (or pine tar), and 1/2 pt japan drier. i mixed a small lot omitting the japan drier and it has a beautiful dark, dull color and really sucks into the wood. i have no idea how this would hold-up to sunshine tho. i'm going to find out this summer on this test strip of teak i did. has anyone tried this concoction? i'm not truly THAT anal about going to one product. that’s about impossible. i've shied away from the poly based "spar varnishes" in favor of the original high solids "traditional" varnish but the polyurethane based really might be something that is a good compromise for inside and out...and home depot carries it! i have cetol on the outside now and its not really not "all that" as far as i'm concerned. i used the cetol 1 with the cetol tgl gloss over it and its beautiful but pretty labor intensive. (2 coats cetol 1 - drying time each, 3 coats tgl gloss - drying time each) looks nice but after 2 seasons is showing signs of wear. i want the inside more traditional than cetol. i like pretty wood and don't mind some work but have no intention of making it a full time career either.
thanks guys. i'll refrain from oak on the deck but i am considering some inside work. our CO humidity is good but this high altitude sunshine is murder! again, oak is one of those things that’s readily available at home depot...and i'm just trying to simplify/standardize things. not being fortunate to live on the coast makes home depots much more available than chandleries. i'm experimenting with what’s called "old down east deck coating". its probably not for everyone...maybe including me, but it has the right ingredients for wood. (i have this childhood memory of the pine-tar smell on boats i think. many would turn their noses up at it i'm sure!) its 1qt turpentine, 1 qt boiled linseed oil, 1/2 pt stockholm tar, (or pine tar), and 1/2 pt japan drier. i mixed a small lot omitting the japan drier and it has a beautiful dark, dull color and really sucks into the wood. i have no idea how this would hold-up to sunshine tho. i'm going to find out this summer on this test strip of teak i did. has anyone tried this concoction? i'm not truly THAT anal about going to one product. that’s about impossible. i've shied away from the poly based "spar varnishes" in favor of the original high solids "traditional" varnish but the polyurethane based really might be something that is a good compromise for inside and out...and home depot carries it! i have cetol on the outside now and its not really not "all that" as far as i'm concerned. i used the cetol 1 with the cetol tgl gloss over it and its beautiful but pretty labor intensive. (2 coats cetol 1 - drying time each, 3 coats tgl gloss - drying time each) looks nice but after 2 seasons is showing signs of wear. i want the inside more traditional than cetol. i like pretty wood and don't mind some work but have no intention of making it a full time career either.
D
Dave Noack
Oak
i have used white oak on my boats for a number of years, for handrails winch pads, etc. it's true oak will turn black if it gets wet over an extended period. i use it for the same reason you were considering it william, it is readily available. i keep a good finish on all the exterior wood (i use epiphanes) and have had no trouble with either darkening of the oak or cracks, but it does require more attention than teak, etc. so i guess when you make your decision it would just come down to initial expense versus future maintenance. i also like messing with the boat and don't mind putting another coat of varnish on every once in awhile. Dave Noack h23 "Wind Dreamer"
i have used white oak on my boats for a number of years, for handrails winch pads, etc. it's true oak will turn black if it gets wet over an extended period. i use it for the same reason you were considering it william, it is readily available. i keep a good finish on all the exterior wood (i use epiphanes) and have had no trouble with either darkening of the oak or cracks, but it does require more attention than teak, etc. so i guess when you make your decision it would just come down to initial expense versus future maintenance. i also like messing with the boat and don't mind putting another coat of varnish on every once in awhile. Dave Noack h23 "Wind Dreamer"
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