Stern Rail Seats

[John T1594]

It's time to refinish the teak slats on the stern rail seats on my 2000 Hunter 340. I have removed the slats from the seats and removed by sanding almost all of the existing finish - which I assume was varnish. The varnish had broken down and the teak turned black especially along its bottom edge. I assume that this is from the water that collects between the slats. I am planning to add two coats of Schooner varnish and put a coat or two on the under surface of each slat. The under surface was not sealed in the original installation.Does anyone have a better way of caring for these seats. I don't want to have to do this very often.

 

[Jim Rushing]

Its a once a year job

Every winter during down time, I remove the seats and bring them home to refinish them. The deck grab rails I refinish on the boat. If you use about 5 coats, sometimes you can skip a year. However, Texas is hard on finishes,

 

[Ed Caldwell]

Cetol for mine

I redid mine ('99 H340) this past spring with Cetol. Stripped/sanded them down to bare wood and 3 coats. Too soon to tell how long it well last. The boat is in fresh water north of Atlanta.Word on this site is that Cetol provides good protection if you add a coat each year per the directions, but it can add an orangish color to the wood. However I have no issue with the look, and hope it will keep me from refinishing all those slats again. Check the archives for refinishing teak.

 

[Steve Dion]

Be sure to cover them when not in use.

John:Besides a good finish be sure that they are covered when not in use.If you use varnish, you will need 5-7 coats. If you use Cetol, you should apply a minimum of 3-4 coats. As Ed mentioned, you can then just apply a light sanding and another coat of Cetol annually or whenever they start to dull. I have some Cetol on the companionway that is covered when we are not on the boat that has survived for about 7 years without refinishing. Remember that these pieces are only exposed to sun for a few hours now and then. On other pieces that have NO protection I usually get 2-3 years without redoing (which I have decided to let go natural again).

 

[Bing]

Leave 'em off

I removed mine from my 410. I was tired of having to redo them all the time, so in the end, I left them off, cleaned back the white seats. They look great, and only need wiping over.It's all a matter of taste whether you like the teak and don't mind the work or whether you can live without it.CheersBing

 

[Alan Goodman]

Go for the Cetol

My vote is for 4 coats of Cetol Light followed by 2-3 coats of Cetol Gloss. I redid the finish on my stern and bow seats on my 40.5 and they look terrific. I actually removed all of the slats from the seats and took them home -- made a nice winter project. Also, I got Sunbrella seat covers made and used them year round. Makes the varnish last alot longer.Here's a photo of a finished seat.

 

[Tony]

cetol

I did mine at home in winter with cetol three yrs ago lots of coatslike glassstill beautifulI cover them in season( got seat covers at this site) and remove for winter and store at homehighly recommend this methodt

 

[texastom]

I used Epifanes Rapid Clear

I personally don't like to way Cetol looks so I used Epifanes Rapid Clear as it states you don't have to sand between coats. This was important as the wood is not that thick and too much sanding will expose the screws on the top side. Removed the seats and took them home, applied a tesk cleaner and light sanding. Then put 6 coats of Rapid Clear on them. They look great and still do but it has only been 7 months. I have cushions for them but not covers so they are exposed when we are not on the boat. If I have to put several coats on each year to keep them looking nice that's fine with me as it is not that big a job.Toms/v At Last

 

[Kobi Maru]

Why not just teak oil?

I just lightly sanded in place and used teak oil. They don't look as shiney, but it is a lot easier to maintain now.