We just bought a 1985 Pearson 303. We are new to sailing a boat of this size. The previous owner coated his exterior teak (handrail, toerail, etc) with varnish, Cetol I think. I want to get rid of the varnish and get the teak back to its natural state. Any ideas on what products I should use to strip the varnish, and the best products to restore the teak?
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teak
sand it down to bar wood and oil it with teak oil. most varnishes yellow within a few months.
sand it down to bar wood and oil it with teak oil. most varnishes yellow within a few months.
Teak Guard
I am not sure what you mean by natural state. If you mean let it go to silver, then sand and do nothing else. If you would like to have it look like new again, I would use Teak Guard. The stuff is as easy to use as any product I have ever seen. It is water clean up, and will not stain the gelcoat. You will have to use their teak cleaner after you sand but that is easy as well. It says to use three or four coats. I have found that you will need more coats than that. Others have found the same thing. You can use six to ten coats if you like. That sound like alot of work, and it is with varnish, but not with this product. It drys in ten to twenty, and you can put on three or four coats in one day. Great stuff. Look them up on the net for all the info. Dale
I am not sure what you mean by natural state. If you mean let it go to silver, then sand and do nothing else. If you would like to have it look like new again, I would use Teak Guard. The stuff is as easy to use as any product I have ever seen. It is water clean up, and will not stain the gelcoat. You will have to use their teak cleaner after you sand but that is easy as well. It says to use three or four coats. I have found that you will need more coats than that. Others have found the same thing. You can use six to ten coats if you like. That sound like alot of work, and it is with varnish, but not with this product. It drys in ten to twenty, and you can put on three or four coats in one day. Great stuff. Look them up on the net for all the info. Dale
Whoa .....
Pearsons of that era didnt have TEAK but used IROKO. Iroko is an african hardwood species that 'looks like teak' but quickly 'erodes' the 'softer' grain if not protected by oil/varnish/cetol/ or one of 'modern' coatings. Bare/unprotected IROKO will be severely damaged by UV and will erode 'horribly' if left 'bare'. The 'modern' 2-part coatings wont adhere well because of the soft part of the grain; and, 'hard' coatings such as cetol or urethane varnish will penetrate deep into the soft grain .... meaning you have to remove a LOT of the wood to 'clean' it. Oil based varnish of a 'resinated' oil finish works best with Iroko.
Pearsons of that era didnt have TEAK but used IROKO. Iroko is an african hardwood species that 'looks like teak' but quickly 'erodes' the 'softer' grain if not protected by oil/varnish/cetol/ or one of 'modern' coatings. Bare/unprotected IROKO will be severely damaged by UV and will erode 'horribly' if left 'bare'. The 'modern' 2-part coatings wont adhere well because of the soft part of the grain; and, 'hard' coatings such as cetol or urethane varnish will penetrate deep into the soft grain .... meaning you have to remove a LOT of the wood to 'clean' it. Oil based varnish of a 'resinated' oil finish works best with Iroko.
Don't give up on varnish
The Iroko may frustrate you. Any varnish remover will remove the "surface" varnish. My estimate is that Iroko should not be left bare, so oil alone will be insufficient protection. I happen to love varnished exterior. After removing the exterior varnish, if you have stains lpick out a wood cleaner at West Marine. Then apply a sealer and maybe 4 coats of new varnish. If you use Epifanes exterior varnish, you will have outstanding uv protection and it will look good and be long lasting.
The Iroko may frustrate you. Any varnish remover will remove the "surface" varnish. My estimate is that Iroko should not be left bare, so oil alone will be insufficient protection. I happen to love varnished exterior. After removing the exterior varnish, if you have stains lpick out a wood cleaner at West Marine. Then apply a sealer and maybe 4 coats of new varnish. If you use Epifanes exterior varnish, you will have outstanding uv protection and it will look good and be long lasting.
Teak Brightener
I experimented with the Starbrite "Teak Cleaner" and Starbrite "Teak Brightener." My boat has teak decks, toe rails, hand rails, and teak in the cockpit. It's everywhere. The Brightener was much more effective and easy to deal with. It took the grey out with very little effort, and left the teak a beautiful natural color; what you'd expect after sanding. I am planning to oil only the cockpit, toe and hand rails. Everything else will simply be maintained using the Teak Brightener. I was able to cover large areas in a small amount of time. However, I did have to use a lot of product to do so. No sanding, though. I found a good article on teak-care from Boats.com. It is called "Top tips for Teak." just Google it. Btw, I would never think twice about varnish unless I had canvas to cover it while not in use. There's just too much! Just my humble opinion.
I experimented with the Starbrite "Teak Cleaner" and Starbrite "Teak Brightener." My boat has teak decks, toe rails, hand rails, and teak in the cockpit. It's everywhere. The Brightener was much more effective and easy to deal with. It took the grey out with very little effort, and left the teak a beautiful natural color; what you'd expect after sanding. I am planning to oil only the cockpit, toe and hand rails. Everything else will simply be maintained using the Teak Brightener. I was able to cover large areas in a small amount of time. However, I did have to use a lot of product to do so. No sanding, though. I found a good article on teak-care from Boats.com. It is called "Top tips for Teak." just Google it. Btw, I would never think twice about varnish unless I had canvas to cover it while not in use. There's just too much! Just my humble opinion.
Teak Brightener
Kevnin for what it's worth, I had much the same experience with the Starbrite teak cleaner as Thomas. The previous owner of my '83 Oday 23, which I bought last year, had long ago given up on maintaining any of the teak, and the exterier wood was all in pretty bad shape: very gray with moss and lichens growing in spots. This year I decided to spruce it up (no pun intended!), and I used the Starbrite cleaner in addition to a solution of water and TSP (which was suggested in something I read by Don Casey). It worked great. Brought the wood back to color. Took some elbow grease, but it made a big difference. I then rinsed with clean water, let it dry thoroughly, and used teak oil for the finish, which looks much better now. I'm impressed with the look of Cetol in some photos I've seen, but I'm very happy with the results I had from using the brightener, TSP solution, and teak oil. Bob
Kevnin for what it's worth, I had much the same experience with the Starbrite teak cleaner as Thomas. The previous owner of my '83 Oday 23, which I bought last year, had long ago given up on maintaining any of the teak, and the exterier wood was all in pretty bad shape: very gray with moss and lichens growing in spots. This year I decided to spruce it up (no pun intended!), and I used the Starbrite cleaner in addition to a solution of water and TSP (which was suggested in something I read by Don Casey). It worked great. Brought the wood back to color. Took some elbow grease, but it made a big difference. I then rinsed with clean water, let it dry thoroughly, and used teak oil for the finish, which looks much better now. I'm impressed with the look of Cetol in some photos I've seen, but I'm very happy with the results I had from using the brightener, TSP solution, and teak oil. Bob
The amazing thing about teak...
on boats is the upsidedown maintenance plan most owners adopt. Teak is put on boats b/c it is a low maintenance wood; you can leave it alone and it does fine. But, everybody wants to put work into it and then complain about how much work it is to keep up the teak!! This has led to a full market place for teakless boats; stainless steel instead. Wash it often with fresh seawater to keep it clean; every once in a while you can brighten it with a weak solution of oxalic acid or bleach. Let it go sliver/grey; you go sailing! BEO
on boats is the upsidedown maintenance plan most owners adopt. Teak is put on boats b/c it is a low maintenance wood; you can leave it alone and it does fine. But, everybody wants to put work into it and then complain about how much work it is to keep up the teak!! This has led to a full market place for teakless boats; stainless steel instead. Wash it often with fresh seawater to keep it clean; every once in a while you can brighten it with a weak solution of oxalic acid or bleach. Let it go sliver/grey; you go sailing! BEO
Obsession
BEO - I don't fully agree with you about letting it go, though you are right that it is fine to do so. First off, keep in mind that some people (like me) just enjoy working on their boats. Generally speaking, cleaning your decks will get your eyeballs to hone in on potential problems with the decking or other areas like your stanchions, tracks and blocks, hatch and port seals, etc. Secondly, it is a pride of ownership. A boat with well kept teak will always look more sharp than one left to weather. It's like washing your car. Again, I said my current plan was to use just teak brightener for the decks and oil on small surface areas. I may change that plan, but for now, it's quick and effective, which means I can go tinker with something else. Btw, I just placed an order for a new companionway door to replace my hatchboards while at the dock or mooring. We have 3 small kids and my wife was about to mutiny if I didn't solve the problem of lifting boards while holding an infant. I considered going with Zarcor, but instead chose Cruising Concepts. The door will be teak
So I just added more wood to a boat that has teak, as mentioned, on the entire deck, toe rails, hand rails, cockpit and transom. Maybe I am a teak masochist! All hail teak!!!!
BEO - I don't fully agree with you about letting it go, though you are right that it is fine to do so. First off, keep in mind that some people (like me) just enjoy working on their boats. Generally speaking, cleaning your decks will get your eyeballs to hone in on potential problems with the decking or other areas like your stanchions, tracks and blocks, hatch and port seals, etc. Secondly, it is a pride of ownership. A boat with well kept teak will always look more sharp than one left to weather. It's like washing your car. Again, I said my current plan was to use just teak brightener for the decks and oil on small surface areas. I may change that plan, but for now, it's quick and effective, which means I can go tinker with something else. Btw, I just placed an order for a new companionway door to replace my hatchboards while at the dock or mooring. We have 3 small kids and my wife was about to mutiny if I didn't solve the problem of lifting boards while holding an infant. I considered going with Zarcor, but instead chose Cruising Concepts. The door will be teak
So I just added more wood to a boat that has teak, as mentioned, on the entire deck, toe rails, hand rails, cockpit and transom. Maybe I am a teak masochist! All hail teak!!!!I've sanded, brightened, and ...
oiled lots of teak on the boats I've owned, even varnished quite a bit. You're right, of course; the look of varnished or oiled teak is very appealing. My Bavaria has teak on the deck and some teak trim; I do nothing to the deck teak except wash it frequently plus occasionally brighten it with oxalic acid. It always looks nice in my opinion (and others) as it holds a kind of mostly silver-gray color. Others, who have their decks oiled, make them look very nice too; oiling does make the boat look somewhat newer than the weathered look. I love working on my boat too, but (for better or worse) there are PLENTY of other projects regarding things that won't be alright unless attended to. BEO
oiled lots of teak on the boats I've owned, even varnished quite a bit. You're right, of course; the look of varnished or oiled teak is very appealing. My Bavaria has teak on the deck and some teak trim; I do nothing to the deck teak except wash it frequently plus occasionally brighten it with oxalic acid. It always looks nice in my opinion (and others) as it holds a kind of mostly silver-gray color. Others, who have their decks oiled, make them look very nice too; oiling does make the boat look somewhat newer than the weathered look. I love working on my boat too, but (for better or worse) there are PLENTY of other projects regarding things that won't be alright unless attended to. BEO
Teakgreement
I think we are both in agreement that those that varnish lots of teak are crazy Brightening is easier and looks fine, IMHO. So what is the oxalic ingredients and or mixture ratio? I can't seem to find a large bucket of Starbrite Brightener, and am having to buy those smaller 32ounce bottles from West Marine at way more money than I should.
I think we are both in agreement that those that varnish lots of teak are crazy
Brightening is easier and looks fine, IMHO. So what is the oxalic ingredients and or mixture ratio? I can't seem to find a large bucket of Starbrite Brightener, and am having to buy those smaller 32ounce bottles from West Marine at way more money than I should.You can get oxalic
acid from West Marine or other boating stores (cheaper) in native form, which is crystalline. I've been told that it is the principal agent of teak brightener in the brand-name products. About a 3% solution in water, fresh or sea (that would be about 30 grams per liter) works, but less might work just as well; leave it on longer. It should also say on the container label the recommended dilution for brightening teak. I can get enough OA to last me a year for something like $7 or $8 (if my memory is correct here). Be sure to wash it off thoroughly with lots of water. BEO
acid from West Marine or other boating stores (cheaper) in native form, which is crystalline. I've been told that it is the principal agent of teak brightener in the brand-name products. About a 3% solution in water, fresh or sea (that would be about 30 grams per liter) works, but less might work just as well; leave it on longer. It should also say on the container label the recommended dilution for brightening teak. I can get enough OA to last me a year for something like $7 or $8 (if my memory is correct here). Be sure to wash it off thoroughly with lots of water. BEO
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