Teak Step swim platform coating that stays submerged

[CaptainMax]

Hello everyone! I have a Tige wakeboard boat with a Teak swim platform. The platform sits about 1-2 inches under water when the boat is in the water. I slip my boat for about 6 months a year straight. My question is: What can I do to seal/protect the Teak wood?

Here are some things I've heard:

- I SHOULD sand the wood because if not I'll seal in crud.
- I SHOULDNT sand the wood because it will be slippery when it goes back in water (I cant have it slippery. It needs to be grippy)
- StarBright is good - but will it hold for a long period of time?
- Other companies are just as good to seal
- Dont use regular wood sealer

Clearly, I'm a bit confused. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Bayou Dave]

I may be wrong, but it seems like most swim platforms sit a couple of inches above the water line, not below the water line. My previous boat had a teak platform and it was above the water line. I sanded the heck out of it and put many coats of teak oil on it. Maintenance ended up only being a yearly thing. With the teak oil it was not slippery, at all.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

I have had very good luck using the teak brighteners and cleaners ( its surprising how well they return the original color ) then coating /soaking with teak oil repeatedly until its shines

- You can make it look like new and keep it that way if you oil it a few times during the season ( once its in shape -- that goes pretty quickly)

The finish is in the wood not on it so it cannot peal off and you do not have to remove any of the original material unless its rough and you want to smooth it out.

Google starbrite teak products for cleaners / brighteners /// I like watco teak oil but their may be other good ones as well

This all works best above the water line



If you platform is submerged all the time that does not sound like a good situation any you might want to determine whats causing that. I could be a safety issue. You may have a design or weight issue.

Could be waterlogged foam & wood but I hope not for your sake as that can be a big job to fix.

 

[Woodonglass]

I guarantee you that either the deck as installed incorrectly or your boat has some serious issues causing it to tilt to the stern excessively. There's NO WAY the deck should be IN THE WATER 24-7 unless you want it that way!!!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Your Tige left the factory with swim deck above water. Empty your ballast bladders

 

[CaptainMax]

Ok, so perhaps "submerged" is a dramatic term. Maybe submarines are submerged. I guess the correct term is simply "wet". The teak step is wet 6 months out of the year. I appreciate all the help and comments! Thanks everyone!