I spent the afternoon in 96 degree weather removing the teak handrails from my O'Day 302. Fun job. These rails are 19 years old and it appears the PO didn't touch them. They are certainly grayed out nicely - but they are very, very dry and cracked. I'd like to save them if I can. I'd prefer using the new Cetol without the orange color. But I'm worried that with the wood as dry as it is, I might be better off oiling them to "plump them up" a bit and return some oil to the wood fibers. I assume you can't put the Cetol on after oiling the teak? Any suggestions on how to restore these? Thanks.
Rejuvenating Teak Handrails
- Thread starter Steve L22188
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Steve we did the same
this winter. I've an oday 30. after trying to use all the chemicals we gave up and sanded them down to clean wood. You may have more problems getting them back on the boat then the refinishing! It's most definately a 2 person job! #$%@! long screws, washers and nuts! We used 4200 to bed them and still it was a mess although the masking tape helped allot. Then we filled the holes completly and pushed the new plugs in. If I were to do it again I'd just buy new ones! I dont' like the look of cetol myself but thats just my opinion. Instead we used a mahogany stain and got every pice of outside trim looking like that instead of teak. One thing you may want to do is wipe down all the bare teak with acetone when your all done sanding. That will help the finish bond to the oily teak Good luck!
this winter. I've an oday 30. after trying to use all the chemicals we gave up and sanded them down to clean wood. You may have more problems getting them back on the boat then the refinishing! It's most definately a 2 person job! #$%@! long screws, washers and nuts! We used 4200 to bed them and still it was a mess although the masking tape helped allot. Then we filled the holes completly and pushed the new plugs in. If I were to do it again I'd just buy new ones! I dont' like the look of cetol myself but thats just my opinion. Instead we used a mahogany stain and got every pice of outside trim looking like that instead of teak. One thing you may want to do is wipe down all the bare teak with acetone when your all done sanding. That will help the finish bond to the oily teak Good luck!
Marine varnish
Not sure if this suggestion is what you're looking for, but I boat Epipanes high gloss marine varnish from West Marine. I did my teak hatch boards on my 20-yr old boat and they came out very nicely. I like the deep brown shiny look, which may not be what you want. I followed the directions on the can: begin with 100 or 150 grit (can't remember exactly), then first coat is 50% thinner with 50% varnish, then follow with 400 grit between coats. Second coat is 25% thinner. I used a measuring cup with an empty can that I bought at a hardware store. I did about 6 or 7 coats total.
Not sure if this suggestion is what you're looking for, but I boat Epipanes high gloss marine varnish from West Marine. I did my teak hatch boards on my 20-yr old boat and they came out very nicely. I like the deep brown shiny look, which may not be what you want. I followed the directions on the can: begin with 100 or 150 grit (can't remember exactly), then first coat is 50% thinner with 50% varnish, then follow with 400 grit between coats. Second coat is 25% thinner. I used a measuring cup with an empty can that I bought at a hardware store. I did about 6 or 7 coats total.
O'Day Handrails
My last boat was a 1987 O'Day 322. By the late 90s the handrails were starting to split even though the finish was OK. I bought some teak strip and duplicated the original handrail shape. Was an easy job to transfer the original hole locations to the new pieces and pretty easy to mount the new rail on the old bases even though they had to be sprung into the curved shape of the originals. I don't think that I spent more then $50 on the whole thing and it only took a few hours. Sold the boat in 05 and the new owner was impressed with the condition of the exterior teak.
My last boat was a 1987 O'Day 322. By the late 90s the handrails were starting to split even though the finish was OK. I bought some teak strip and duplicated the original handrail shape. Was an easy job to transfer the original hole locations to the new pieces and pretty easy to mount the new rail on the old bases even though they had to be sprung into the curved shape of the originals. I don't think that I spent more then $50 on the whole thing and it only took a few hours. Sold the boat in 05 and the new owner was impressed with the condition of the exterior teak.
You can use Cetol
I had the same issues with my handrails. I sanded them down to clean wood, used a one-step teak cleaner, then applied two or three coats of Semco teak finish (more of an oil than anything else). It was supposed to last for a year; it wound up looking good for about a month, then quickly deteriorated. The next year, I washed the teak again with the one-step, then applied Cetol as directed. Looked good for almost two seasons. I need to reapply a few coats, but that involves work, and I am much better at just sailing.
I had the same issues with my handrails. I sanded them down to clean wood, used a one-step teak cleaner, then applied two or three coats of Semco teak finish (more of an oil than anything else). It was supposed to last for a year; it wound up looking good for about a month, then quickly deteriorated. The next year, I washed the teak again with the one-step, then applied Cetol as directed. Looked good for almost two seasons. I need to reapply a few coats, but that involves work, and I am much better at just sailing.
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