Teak maintenance

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Apr 15, 2006
18
Jeanneau SO 44i Kingston, On
I have teak trims as well as teak cockpit sole and bench on my new boat. I am looking at options for protecting the teak. I do not want to use Cetol or varnish. I am looking for opinions and comparisons of products such as TeakGuard, Teak Fix or Semco.

TeakGuard seems to get good reviews,
Can't find much info on Teak Fix, not sure it still sells,
Semco seems to be the old approach.

Any advice would be appreciated, share your experience.
 

higgs

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Aug 24, 2005
3,704
Nassau 34 Olcott, NY
On the recommendation of many, I am going to Cetol with my gobs of wood. So far so good.
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Semco is a good product, available in many 'hues'. However like most sealers it can eventually 'transfer' to the bottom of your deck shoes, making for poor traction.

Havent used Teak Guard, but it looks like and is reported to be very good.

Another Product I use is Teak Wonder - a clear sealer.

My 'usual' sealer mix for teak decks and 'bare' trim is a mixture of: 1/3 Semco 'goldtone', 1/3 Teak wonder, 1/3 Thompsons water seal. This is the best mix Ive ever found to withstand the rigors of 'green water over the bow'. Ive found that such a mix will last for about 6+ months when 'double coated'; and, if the coating begins show-through the teak then a quick 'diluted spit coat' will extend the life by another 4-6 months. Ive found that the above 'mix' will adequately protect the teak, still allows the teak to 'wet out' thus maintaining just slightly less 'wet traction' than fresh bare teak. I usually etch all my sealed teak every two years with TSP followed up by bleaching with oxalic acid --- my sealed teak always looks 'freshly sawn / sanded'.

Ive found that 'green salt water over the bow' will greatly shorten the service life of most teak sealers.
My cruising boat is a 'teakey' has full teak decks and cockpit; some sisterships use the above 'mix' for ALL their teak with quite outstanding and long lasting results. With the current price of teak straking, etc., its really prudent to protect teak decks, etc.

You really dont want cetol, varnish, etc. on those surface that are 'walked on' or 'sat upon' --- mega slippery when wet
 
Apr 15, 2006
18
Jeanneau SO 44i Kingston, On
Rich, you actually mix these 3 products together? How did you come up with this recipe?
Denis
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Yup I mix them. You have to keep this 'mix' constantly stirred-up because of the 'pigment' content'.

A fellow Tayana sailor came up with this mix about 10 years ago, I got the 'recipe' from him .... although I typically now use more Semco in the mix .... or when rushed or lazy just slop on 'spit coat' with Semco. Semco is more readily available than most other sealers - so be sure to 'shop around' for the 'best' prices.

FWIW, such a mix seems to also prevent bare teak from drying out, thus changing its dimensions so all the scarfs and fasteners stay put.
 

larryw

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Jun 9, 2004
395
Beneteau OC400 Long Beach, CA
I've tried it all. Varnish works well if you can keep it covered. I hate Cetol. Semco works pretty well on my teak patio furniture, but not very well on the boat. Needs a re-coat every two months. I'm letting all my boat teak go grey.
 
Jun 1, 2004
243
Hunter 26 Lake Pueblo Colorado
larryw, why such the animosity towards Cetol? just curious. I use it on the little teak we have, and have found it to be about the only thing that will survive a whole season here in southern Colorado
 
Jan 3, 2009
821
Marine Trader 34 Where Ever I am
We have been using Cetol for almost 8 years and the previous boat spent most of its life in the tropics. We love the stuff and with the tons of teak we have and had we have tried every known product. Have a look,

http://tinyurl.com/yb7drmd
 
Apr 15, 2006
18
Jeanneau SO 44i Kingston, On
Not much feedback on TeakGuard or Teak Fix, anyone wants to chime in ...
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
i use natural sea water on my teak. cleans it beautifully and will make it a light golden brown naturally --no chemicals to destroy the gelcoat..is easy and requires only a 3m pad and sea water in or out of a bucket. mebbe a small amount of elbow grease..and is beautiful, and the salt water is good for the teak, unlike the harsh chemicals most folks use.
after i clean it i use teak oil on it --watco will leave a finish--will last functionally for one year.
i do the wood on the outside of my formosa one day every year--it does not even take entire day..
 
Jul 17, 2009
94
Endeavour/Chrysler E-32/C-22 swimming pool
I like teak oil only, I don't mind applying it a few times a year weather it needs it or not.
 

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
i would use tung, but i had a stash of teak oil on hand--then i bought the watco and found it lasted a full year..>LOL...pig heaven!!!! with the other ones i sea watered and then oiled it every 8-9 months
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Your best bet is to use NOTHING on the cockpit sole and seats if they are teak.

For bright work Cetol is the only "low" maintenance finish.
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
I use Tung Oil. Works good, low cost.
:laugh:that stuff tastes funny :eek:......but is a good finish and the cool part is you can controll the amount of gloss you may desire......

regards

woody
 
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