Well I've been doing alot of reading on refinishing teak on the outside of my sailboat. Whats the real story, varnish? something else? Thanks
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Steve Winkle
Choices
Steve, As with all things on a boat, the answer to your question is, "It depends." As I see it, you really have three choices: Teak oil - depending on the intensity of the sun where you are, oiling your teak will last anywhere from 2 - 4 months and then you have to do it again. Best to mask off the surrounding fiberglass as teak oil can stain it. Cetol (or similar product) - if applied according to the directions, Cetol will last a year. Some folks don't like the color, but different strokes . . . Varnish - this is the traditional finish and probably the most time intensive of your choices. A good surface properly prepared with a thinned out first coat and then successive coats will last a long time and look very professional. I have one exposed strip of teak on my H380 (companionway hatch) and I put 8 coats of varnish on it. It is ready for another coat or two, but I do like how it looks. Hope this helps. Fair winds, Steve S/V Options
Steve, As with all things on a boat, the answer to your question is, "It depends." As I see it, you really have three choices: Teak oil - depending on the intensity of the sun where you are, oiling your teak will last anywhere from 2 - 4 months and then you have to do it again. Best to mask off the surrounding fiberglass as teak oil can stain it. Cetol (or similar product) - if applied according to the directions, Cetol will last a year. Some folks don't like the color, but different strokes . . . Varnish - this is the traditional finish and probably the most time intensive of your choices. A good surface properly prepared with a thinned out first coat and then successive coats will last a long time and look very professional. I have one exposed strip of teak on my H380 (companionway hatch) and I put 8 coats of varnish on it. It is ready for another coat or two, but I do like how it looks. Hope this helps. Fair winds, Steve S/V Options
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Bill O'Donovan
Varnish
Teak oil gets the wood dirty too soon. Gray. Cetol looks like mud. Brown. Varnish is what wood was built for. Glowing.
Teak oil gets the wood dirty too soon. Gray. Cetol looks like mud. Brown. Varnish is what wood was built for. Glowing.
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Trevor - SailboatOwners.com
Diff'rent strokes for Diff'rent folks
Hi Steve - There has been much debate about methods and materials for brightwork. It really comes down to personal preference and how much work you want to put into it. A good resource book (which is coffee table quality with great photos) is "Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood", by Rebecca Wittman. She goes into great detail on prep work, which is paramount. I've oiled, varnished and Cetol'd in the past. If you can live with Cetol (the newer stuff has better color), I believe it looks about 80% as good as varnish with 20% of the work. But then again, LaDonna would rather jump off a bridge than own a boat with anything other than varnish on it! There are other products out there. Like everything else, it's a trade-off. Let us know what you end up doing! Trevor
Hi Steve - There has been much debate about methods and materials for brightwork. It really comes down to personal preference and how much work you want to put into it. A good resource book (which is coffee table quality with great photos) is "Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood", by Rebecca Wittman. She goes into great detail on prep work, which is paramount. I've oiled, varnished and Cetol'd in the past. If you can live with Cetol (the newer stuff has better color), I believe it looks about 80% as good as varnish with 20% of the work. But then again, LaDonna would rather jump off a bridge than own a boat with anything other than varnish on it! There are other products out there. Like everything else, it's a trade-off. Let us know what you end up doing! Trevor
Protect the wood
Steve: What ever finish you decide on, consider covering the wood with canvas (as much as possible). The hand rails on the coach roof and the companionway are places that covers make some sense and will cut down on future maintenance.
Steve: What ever finish you decide on, consider covering the wood with canvas (as much as possible). The hand rails on the coach roof and the companionway are places that covers make some sense and will cut down on future maintenance.
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hugo lerner
Probably good for the day!
Hugo: If you are not going to put a finish (varnish, cetol etc) on the wood you are really probably better off using nothing at all. Oils tend to attract dirt. In my opinion there is nothing better looking than clean silver teak. Unfortunately you need to keep it clean but you cannot use a brush on it. Brushing it removes the soft material in the wood then it becomes grainy and needs to be sanded.
Hugo: If you are not going to put a finish (varnish, cetol etc) on the wood you are really probably better off using nothing at all. Oils tend to attract dirt. In my opinion there is nothing better looking than clean silver teak. Unfortunately you need to keep it clean but you cannot use a brush on it. Brushing it removes the soft material in the wood then it becomes grainy and needs to be sanded.
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Pops Landing
Baby steps (Varnish)
Many of the boat owners that I know have irrational fears about varnishing. They are not afraid of hot soapy water and a old terry towel (to get the boat free of dirt). They are not afraid of chipping out the plugs over the screws, checking the screws, resetting the screws with 4200, glueing in new plugs, chiseling, and shaving them. They are not afraid of sanding things smooth, really smooth (like a banana daquiri). They are not afraid of masking (with masking tape, the sloppy man's friend) where they are going to apply silicone caulk. They are not afraid to rip off this tape. They are not afraid to tape off the teak. They are not afraid to buy the highest UV protectant varnish that is in the store that they happen to be in. They are not afraid to buy a good brush (or 2, they don't like to clean brushes). They are not afraid to buy a qt of the appropriate thinner for the varnish. They must be afraid to open the can. Varnish, it's nothing to be afraid of!
Many of the boat owners that I know have irrational fears about varnishing. They are not afraid of hot soapy water and a old terry towel (to get the boat free of dirt). They are not afraid of chipping out the plugs over the screws, checking the screws, resetting the screws with 4200, glueing in new plugs, chiseling, and shaving them. They are not afraid of sanding things smooth, really smooth (like a banana daquiri). They are not afraid of masking (with masking tape, the sloppy man's friend) where they are going to apply silicone caulk. They are not afraid to rip off this tape. They are not afraid to tape off the teak. They are not afraid to buy the highest UV protectant varnish that is in the store that they happen to be in. They are not afraid to buy a good brush (or 2, they don't like to clean brushes). They are not afraid to buy a qt of the appropriate thinner for the varnish. They must be afraid to open the can. Varnish, it's nothing to be afraid of!
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