question here I own a 23.5 1993 and sailed it one year the teak on the door and steps are pretty rough looking " almost like the color of driftwood" can this be restored to the original look the orangish color or am I stuck with locating and replacing these items? thank for any input
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Yes...
...with a lot of elbow grease and many coats of sealer of your choice. Beware 'cheap' and the dreaded 'that looks good 'nuff' syndrom, which creeps in as you near the end of the project, which coincides with the need to off-set this syndrome with a 'I'll see it through to the end' mentality.
...with a lot of elbow grease and many coats of sealer of your choice. Beware 'cheap' and the dreaded 'that looks good 'nuff' syndrom, which creeps in as you near the end of the project, which coincides with the need to off-set this syndrome with a 'I'll see it through to the end' mentality.
Newest Practical Sailor has a great report on teak treatments .. They are doing a multi year test and have gone a year for this report. As I suspected, the Cetol has done a season in great shape. The article comments on application and number of coats.. Good report to read if ya thinking about teak.
Teak finish
I have tried a lot of stuff. The only one I haven't tried is the Cetol just because it hard to obtain in my area. The Minwax stuff for teak peeled off the first year. Lately I have had good success in using the Watco Teak finish. I sand the teak and apply several coats. Home Depot or Lowe's carries it.
I have tried a lot of stuff. The only one I haven't tried is the Cetol just because it hard to obtain in my area. The Minwax stuff for teak peeled off the first year. Lately I have had good success in using the Watco Teak finish. I sand the teak and apply several coats. Home Depot or Lowe's carries it.
Sugest stripping (may require a heat gun) all the varnish and cetol off, bleaching, sanding, apply 2 coats of sealer then 7+ coats of clear varnish with Epifanes clear varnish sanding in betwen coats. I just this did this Dec 2009 to a 1987 Hunter I just purchased and it looks great!! Of course, you will need to sand with 220 grit paper and re-varnish 1 or 2 times per year after that.
I would suggest Cetol, they have a new "Teak Color" finish that looks great.
Cetol works really well because it isn't a varnish, cetol will actually penetrate into the wood and provides a great varnished look that also repels water and does not need to be re-applied every year. A traditional varnish will just cover the wood and if any moisture gets under it, often times the varnish just flakes.
I recently re-finished the teak on my deck. I used Cetol "Marine" because the Teak finish was not available yet, the teak finish is lighter than the marine. Lots of sanding and 5 coats of Cetol. Here are some pictures:
Cetol works really well because it isn't a varnish, cetol will actually penetrate into the wood and provides a great varnished look that also repels water and does not need to be re-applied every year. A traditional varnish will just cover the wood and if any moisture gets under it, often times the varnish just flakes.
I recently re-finished the teak on my deck. I used Cetol "Marine" because the Teak finish was not available yet, the teak finish is lighter than the marine. Lots of sanding and 5 coats of Cetol. Here are some pictures:
Strip off whatever sealer is left by scraping, sanding, or chemicals. Use a product called Te-Ka, i think that's the name, it's a 2 component teak restorer that works great. Brings back the nice golden color. Reapply sealer, I used Cetol and have had good wear for 2 years. Good Luck.
I would have to agree that Cetol is the way to go. If your boat in the southern climes it is the best product to use. You can touch it up without stripping the finish. If you have covers for the teak when the boat is not in use, it will last a lot longer.
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