teak oil

Michael Davis · Nov 1, 2020

I use teak oil in the cockpit but it doesn’t keep that freshly oiled look very long. I use Cetal on the exterior wood, just handrails on our boat. Redo them every 3or4 years. This is the year.

justsomeguy · Nov 1, 2020

Whenever the wife gets anxious about appearances, I let her wipe teak oil on interior surfaces.
Exterior? I let her do whatever she wants.

Notice, she does it all. I say let it all go grey.

dlochner · Nov 1, 2020

Teak oil needs to be frequently redone. It will quickly fade and black spots will appear. It is an endless cycle of maintenance on a short interval.

Teak is a difficult wood to finish because of its high oil content. Varnish will lift and blister, oil turns black, Cetol is ugly, epoxy will lift and peel.

Notice many new boats have very limited amounts of teak above deck. There is a reason for that.

Cetol Natural Teak has won some followers. Its advantage is its porosity. Moisture and oil in the wood can pass through the finish without lifting it. The original Cetol is a horrid orange color and tends to be very opaque.

One product that might be worth looking at (I am) is Semco Teak Finish. I'm considering it for my toe rails. On other exterior teak I've used Epifanes Gloss Wood Finish with good results. Put on lots (6+ coats) the first time and a couple of maintenance coats every couple of years.

Alan Gomes · Nov 1, 2020

For the interior, I use Formby's Tung Oil. It's a wiping varnish. I apply it with a rag.

capta · Nov 2, 2020

dlochner said:
Teak oil needs to be frequently redone. It will quickly fade and black spots will appear. It is an endless cycle of maintenance on a short interval.

Teak is a difficult wood to finish because of its high oil content. Varnish will lift and blister, oil turns black, Cetol is ugly, epoxy will lift and peel.

Notice many new boats have very limited amounts of teak above deck. There is a reason for that.

Cetol Natural Teak has won some followers. Its advantage is its porosity. Moisture and oil in the wood can pass through the finish without lifting it. The original Cetol is a horrid orange color and tends to be very opaque.

One product that might be worth looking at (I am) is Semco Teak Finish. I'm considering it for my toe rails. On other exterior teak I've used Epifanes Gloss Wood Finish with good results. Put on lots (6+ coats) the first time and a couple of maintenance coats every couple of years.

We use a wood sealer on our varnished wood after proper prep and have none of the problems. A good spar varnish is designed for using on woods like teak. Oil is high maintenance.

dlochner · Nov 2, 2020

capta said:
We use a wood sealer on our varnished wood after proper prep and have none of the problems. A good spar varnish is designed for using on woods like teak. Oil is high maintenance.

Absolutely, proper prep with a sealer or at least a thinned coat of varnish is essential. Due to a quirk in the Sabre toe rail, varnish will not adhere for very long. The teak rail sits in a vinyl base (not so) affectionately known by Sabre devotees as the bathtub. This lets water get under the rail which causes the varnish to lift and peel. The two products that seem to work best on the rail are Cetol Natural Teak and Semco.

Other boats may have similar issues with the wood getting wet and lifting the varnish in some areas.

Washdcguy · Nov 2, 2020

Never used Teak Oil, never have, never will, it’s like a magnet for dirt. I have used Teak Guard since boat was new and it’s the best. It’s not an oil and it’s not varnish. Do NOT power wash Teak, it rips it up. Go to:

TeakGuard - Super Cleaner & Finish For Teak Wood

www.allguardproducts.com

For mor info. The photos on company website are not fakes I have attached a photo of my own Oceanis 45 swim deck lower. Each year I give quick clean and re coat with 3-4 extra coats.

Justin_NSA · Nov 2, 2020

SailingLoto said:
how often do you oil your teak? what process do you use? I am redoing mine right now. It all was badly weathered with over 1/8" worn away. I sanded down with 36 grit on a block, then 80 and 220. I've been oiling the parts every couple days for the last week or so until they quit soaking it up. I'm not reinstalling it all for at least a couple weeks. Should I let it dry until then or keep oiling?

You have probably put on enough to protect the wood.
In my ROTC varsity drill team days we used to hand rub our rifle stocks with linseed oil for hours on end before a competition. We had to repeat it before each competition. It's just the nature of wood. Some are harder than others.

rschuss · Nov 3, 2020

For a while I was an advocate of oil on the teak. I guess if one can scrub it with salt water now and then, it's OK. I dry sail my O'Day 222; and also take it to the Chesapeake a few times a year for a week or so. The oil seems to attract a mold and everything turns a dark color. So, glad to read of the various processes you all are discussing. I'll be checking some of these out to see how they work.

jssailem · Nov 3, 2020

I tried teak oil on the toe rails of my trailer boat. Using the boat in mostly fresh water, the oil looked great for about 6 months. Then it would start to darken and pretty soon Uggh... I would clean it and try again. Repeat.
Finally, I cleaned the teak sealed it and then laid several coats of varnish down. It would last through the winter and in the spring, I would wash, clean up the areas that showed wear and then a couple of coats of varnish and off to the water.

On SV Hadley, I ma trying a different approach. Mainly because the teak hand rails are 45 year old. I removed them cleaned them, and sanded them gently. Then coated them with a clear epoxy and then varnish - several coats. We will see what winter does to them. May she be gentle.

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