I just purchased Catalina 22 and want to finish the handrails and hatch door. Is teak oil or vanrnish the better choice? Any opinions?
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Varnish, in a word
Teak oil is easy, but ultimately does not hold up very well and will always need touching up. My suggestion is to take home the "hatch doors"(which we ancient mariners refer to as "crib boards") leaving a piece of plywood in their place, and take home the hand rails by removing them and temporarily pluging up the screw holes with some silicone. Then sand 'em all till you can't sand no more. Then apply about two coats of epoxy resin epoxy (West System is good) and then four or more coats of good marine grade "varnish" or whatever clear gloss marine grade coating you like (West Marine's brand has been rated well by Practical Sailor). The epoxy is for waterproofing and the coating on the epoxy gives the epoxy UV protection which it will badly require. This should last several years and give your vessel the proverbial Bristol look that oil cannot do.
Teak oil is easy, but ultimately does not hold up very well and will always need touching up. My suggestion is to take home the "hatch doors"(which we ancient mariners refer to as "crib boards") leaving a piece of plywood in their place, and take home the hand rails by removing them and temporarily pluging up the screw holes with some silicone. Then sand 'em all till you can't sand no more. Then apply about two coats of epoxy resin epoxy (West System is good) and then four or more coats of good marine grade "varnish" or whatever clear gloss marine grade coating you like (West Marine's brand has been rated well by Practical Sailor). The epoxy is for waterproofing and the coating on the epoxy gives the epoxy UV protection which it will badly require. This should last several years and give your vessel the proverbial Bristol look that oil cannot do.
Don't varnish
Cos once you start it is a never ending story of having to every couple of years sand off the old stuff and re-apply. With oil it is simply a matter of rubbing some in every so often. Much less maintainance.
Cos once you start it is a never ending story of having to every couple of years sand off the old stuff and re-apply. With oil it is simply a matter of rubbing some in every so often. Much less maintainance.
No Temporary Silicone
Bayard suggested "...take home the hand rails by removing them and temporarily pluging up the screw holes with some silicone..." NOTHING sticks to silicone, making it a poor choice for TEMPORARY sealing applications, where silicone is not the also final sealant. Gord
Bayard suggested "...take home the hand rails by removing them and temporarily pluging up the screw holes with some silicone..." NOTHING sticks to silicone, making it a poor choice for TEMPORARY sealing applications, where silicone is not the also final sealant. Gord
None of the above
Do not use teak oil. It only lasts about two weeks and you are at it forever. Use either Semco which lasts 2 years with two coats, Cetol which lasts at least two years or Armada which looks like varnish and lasts multiple years. dave
Do not use teak oil. It only lasts about two weeks and you are at it forever. Use either Semco which lasts 2 years with two coats, Cetol which lasts at least two years or Armada which looks like varnish and lasts multiple years. dave
Cetol has held up....
We tried Cetol (marine light) on our hatch boards and handrails, and although application took a while with sanding and preparation, it has lasted well over 2 years. Think hard about the color though (i think we used 'marine light') as ours has a bit of an orangish tinge to it. Its a good project to get started out with though, good luck ! Michael
We tried Cetol (marine light) on our hatch boards and handrails, and although application took a while with sanding and preparation, it has lasted well over 2 years. Think hard about the color though (i think we used 'marine light') as ours has a bit of an orangish tinge to it. Its a good project to get started out with though, good luck ! Michael
Choices and opinions
As you can probably see, there are as many opinions as choices. On the Great Lakes, I have used Cetol with good results. I have also since tried TeakGuard on some other teak. It's application is much, much easier than Cetol (it is water-based and re-coating can occur in 30 minutes or so) and, so far, it is looking good. It has only been about three months, however.
As you can probably see, there are as many opinions as choices. On the Great Lakes, I have used Cetol with good results. I have also since tried TeakGuard on some other teak. It's application is much, much easier than Cetol (it is water-based and re-coating can occur in 30 minutes or so) and, so far, it is looking good. It has only been about three months, however.
Varnish? - yup, again!
Craig Please use the forum archives. The link shows 263 posts on cetol alone. Try varnish and you get thousands. Your boat, your choice. Good luck. Stu
Craig Please use the forum archives. The link shows 263 posts on cetol alone. Try varnish and you get thousands. Your boat, your choice. Good luck. Stu
A good Marine Varnish is the only way to go!
If done property it will last 2+ years before you have to begin touching up, perhaps longer.
If done property it will last 2+ years before you have to begin touching up, perhaps longer.
Temp plug for screw holes
To plug a screw hole temporaraly use plumers puddy ( I can't spell worth a dame). The puddy is water tight and removes easly then you are ready to refasen. As for teak oil vs other stuff, I have used other stuff but alwas come back to teak oil. I love the look of the oiled teak and reoiling is not a problem. Some times it's a good excuse to leave house work behind and go pet the boat. Jim Honeyman "Double Stuff" (H22)
To plug a screw hole temporaraly use plumers puddy ( I can't spell worth a dame). The puddy is water tight and removes easly then you are ready to refasen. As for teak oil vs other stuff, I have used other stuff but alwas come back to teak oil. I love the look of the oiled teak and reoiling is not a problem. Some times it's a good excuse to leave house work behind and go pet the boat. Jim Honeyman "Double Stuff" (H22)
There you go Kevin, the key word seems to be
'touching up'. I tried outdoor UV protected Minwax Polyurethane and it turned to dust in two months. Last week I covered over it with 'real varnish'. What I've read is that when the shine goes away just re-coat. You don't sand off the old stuff. And to re-coat, just put on what you want to. The key is to get on it before the base coat lets go. All you 'varnish' folks gonna help us out here or are you keeping quiet because you don't want every boat out there looking good and easily too?
'touching up'. I tried outdoor UV protected Minwax Polyurethane and it turned to dust in two months. Last week I covered over it with 'real varnish'. What I've read is that when the shine goes away just re-coat. You don't sand off the old stuff. And to re-coat, just put on what you want to. The key is to get on it before the base coat lets go. All you 'varnish' folks gonna help us out here or are you keeping quiet because you don't want every boat out there looking good and easily too?
I have been using Smith & Co Polyurethane
for the past ten years. It is the only thing that I have ever used that truly makes what teak I have left maintenance free. I even used it when I replaced my enginecover/companionway step(Photo Forum -Hunter 34). If applied correctly it is tough as nails. Expensive but worth it in my opinion.
for the past ten years. It is the only thing that I have ever used that truly makes what teak I have left maintenance free. I even used it when I replaced my enginecover/companionway step(Photo Forum -Hunter 34). If applied correctly it is tough as nails. Expensive but worth it in my opinion.
Honey Teak?
I've just applied Honey Teak (two coats of the stain and three coats of clear.) It was one of the best rated products in Practical Sailor, and it goes on rapidly in that you can apply it wet on wet so that it can be a one day application, after the teak is clean, sanded, etc. It has a high gloss finish, although the distributor provides instructions for dulling it to a flat finish. It's only available from the distributor at www.signaturefinish.com. Comes with detaied instructions, and is supposed to be easy to maintain by suffing the finish and applying one or more coats of clear at a later date. Too early for me to tell how well it holds up, but others have said it is very durable.
I've just applied Honey Teak (two coats of the stain and three coats of clear.) It was one of the best rated products in Practical Sailor, and it goes on rapidly in that you can apply it wet on wet so that it can be a one day application, after the teak is clean, sanded, etc. It has a high gloss finish, although the distributor provides instructions for dulling it to a flat finish. It's only available from the distributor at www.signaturefinish.com. Comes with detaied instructions, and is supposed to be easy to maintain by suffing the finish and applying one or more coats of clear at a later date. Too early for me to tell how well it holds up, but others have said it is very durable.
Epoxy base caution
When using the (west)epoxy it is important to use the 207 hardner to slow the blushing problem and allow a clear coating. However most of the epoxy udercoated varnish jobs appear to lose depth and start looking murkey after a few years. Removal then will likely require a heat gun to remove the epoxy. The custom sportfish boats we build where I work (61ft. @$2.8m) buildup 12 to 15 coats of Interlux Schooner varnish to fill the grain flush. After the varnish has cured 30-60 days they then apply 2 coats of Awl Grip Awl-Brite clear coat for the final finish. This produces a durable, stunning finish far beyond what I can spend in time and money on my own boat, but it gives you some idea what is involved in the ultimate finish you see on the "Gold Platers"
When using the (west)epoxy it is important to use the 207 hardner to slow the blushing problem and allow a clear coating. However most of the epoxy udercoated varnish jobs appear to lose depth and start looking murkey after a few years. Removal then will likely require a heat gun to remove the epoxy. The custom sportfish boats we build where I work (61ft. @$2.8m) buildup 12 to 15 coats of Interlux Schooner varnish to fill the grain flush. After the varnish has cured 30-60 days they then apply 2 coats of Awl Grip Awl-Brite clear coat for the final finish. This produces a durable, stunning finish far beyond what I can spend in time and money on my own boat, but it gives you some idea what is involved in the ultimate finish you see on the "Gold Platers"
Bob - Bristol Finish works great
Bob, I have been using Bristol Finish for about 3 years now and am pretty satisfied with it. It is a two part poly-urethane product instead of varnish, making it longer lasting. You do need to prepare the surface as you would do for varnishing (otherwise it breaks down pretty quick). However, you only need to apply it at most once a year, it only takes four to six coats to get a great finish, and it looks as good as varnish. I must reiterate that surface preparation is the key. A smooth, dust free surface is the trick to a long lasting finish, no matter which product you use. Fair winds, Les Murray s/v Ceilidh '86 C-36 #560
Bob, I have been using Bristol Finish for about 3 years now and am pretty satisfied with it. It is a two part poly-urethane product instead of varnish, making it longer lasting. You do need to prepare the surface as you would do for varnishing (otherwise it breaks down pretty quick). However, you only need to apply it at most once a year, it only takes four to six coats to get a great finish, and it looks as good as varnish. I must reiterate that surface preparation is the key. A smooth, dust free surface is the trick to a long lasting finish, no matter which product you use. Fair winds, Les Murray s/v Ceilidh '86 C-36 #560
Reply to Lauraine
The Awl-Brite is sprayed on in the shop. The varnish is all brushed on and on occasion we will brush the Awl-Brite as well if the boat is no longer masked or at the marina. Les has a VERY important point to make as preparation is the key to any finish you should choose. Lots of work, work, work, & attention to details. (A cooler of cold beer or beverage of choice helps)
The Awl-Brite is sprayed on in the shop. The varnish is all brushed on and on occasion we will brush the Awl-Brite as well if the boat is no longer masked or at the marina. Les has a VERY important point to make as preparation is the key to any finish you should choose. Lots of work, work, work, & attention to details. (A cooler of cold beer or beverage of choice helps)
silkens cetol
silkens cetol is the only way to go. clean the wood, sandit, apply three coats of cetol and don't mess with it for about three to four years. remember the time spent sailing is not taken off your lifespan so spend more time sailing and less time working. P.S. go to west marine or boat us for the cetol.
silkens cetol is the only way to go. clean the wood, sandit, apply three coats of cetol and don't mess with it for about three to four years. remember the time spent sailing is not taken off your lifespan so spend more time sailing and less time working. P.S. go to west marine or boat us for the cetol.
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