what to do with Teak wood

[jerryb1]

I have a 1980 Sea Ray Cuddy with a Teak platform and a Teak rail around the stern. It's currently varnished, but needs to be removed and redone. I know purists say to just oil it, but I know I did that on my bow grab rails and it looked great for a few months, but if you don't do it reguraly it dries out quickly and looks terrible.
Is there a clear epoxy paint to seal it or something better then Marine spar varnish? I like the look of the teak, but I don't want to service it frequently.. Aside from it's expense, I believe boat manufacturers went to all fiberglass because of the maintenance headache associated with teak..
Thanks for any experienced advice.

 

[JB]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Teak needs regular maintenance. End of story.

Sand it, clean it, brighten it, then oil it. Re-oil regularly.

 

[Big Keepers]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

What about sanding it and brushing on some polyeurathane? Like sealing a wood deck?

 

[Fulcrum]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

poly will end up looking worse than varnish in the long run. If you're careful you can fix small chips in a varnished finish and the repaired spot will be invisible. Polyurethane will make a little cloudy spot.

A high quality tung oil will last longer than a linseed oil based finish. Oiling teak will also keep it's non skid properties.

You could always fab new pieces out of Starboard and paint it to match the fiberglass if the teak is too much of a hassle

 

[gcboat]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Do you have any idea how slippery varnished wood is? Geez, you be busting your butt on that. Do what JB recommends - you will not be sorry. By the way - it's a BOAT - and it requires regular maintenance on all of her.

 

[Sorrento 25]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Sand it down, clean it with TeKa, then refinish it with Sikkens Cetol.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Poly never lasts on teak. It will be even more work trying to get all the poly off when it gets ugly (and it will).

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

If it is cleaned and sanded very well,then about 5 coats of a good thick teak oil ( i use starbrite premium gold ) It will last well over a year.Maybe a wipe down with oil every 6 months will keep it in great shape..

 

[Big Keepers]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Sounds good to me. I was kind of skeptical about the polyurethane (I can spell it now ) but a friend of mine was insisting it was the way to go. He said oiling the teak was too much of a pain in the arse. I agree though, boats require TLC to keep them looking real nice. Real nice is what I want.

Starbrite huh, I'll have to start researching and looking up that stuff.

 

[Fire Medic]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Just started a project myself, a 1987 Dixie Walk around cuddy cabin with a 185hp merc V6. Its Teak wood is very faded, a friend of mine that details boats for a living told me a easy fix is to clean/ scrub it with bleach, then spray it on a regular baises.

 

[Fire Medic]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

A friend of mine details boats for a living, advises that to clean up faded Teak wood you can clean/ scrub with bleach to bring back the color, then spray it on a regular basis.

 

[jerryb1]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

Thanks.
I just found that out myself that bleach works great! I also found an epoxy coating(2 parts) to use on the bare wood that looks great and lasts at least 5 yrs. It's from a company in Fl. fabulainc.com called honey teak. The best part is that you can buy the exact amount you need. Good luck on your restoration.

 

[Big Keepers]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

I am using the starbright three step process. The teak cleaner, brightener and oil. If I have to oil it regularly so be it. A nice boat doesn't stay nice by staring at it.

 

[jerryb1]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

What ever works, looks good and keeps one happy! They say if you enjoy work it's not work! Sort of fits for boat maintenance and restoration -if you enjoy it. As far as the teak oil, the fact that it stains the fiberglass and needs to be removed with a solvent, makes frequent oiling a pain in the arse. My grab rails on the front would require an hour of taping. I know someone who used the epoxy clear "honey teak" coating I mentioned in a previous reply to refinish a 17 ft 1975 Sea Ray about 5 yrs ago. It still looks great(in salt water), so I'm going with that. For the dive platform, you sprinkle down a grit before the last coat dries to keep it from being slippery. I used sand on my concrete pool steps epoxy paint which is similar situation.

 

[Medic2556]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

What grit sandpaper would be best to use in sanding down the teak wood? I bought a ski locker and a swim platform off Ebay, and both need a little work to be restored to a nice condition, as the one was stained it appears, and gobs of stain are between the slats.

 

[gcboat]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

120# with a random orbital sander. Nice and easy to start, don't put too much pressure on the machine - let the paper do the work.

 

[wire2]

Re: what to do with Teak wood

I have strips of it on 2 rear platforms, grab rails around the padded engine cover, and the steps of a ladder on my '84 Glastron.
I've tried a LOT of different products and methods, including different oils, varnishes, 2 part finishes, etc.

The one that lasts the longest for me, (4-5 years) is the most water resistant and looks great, is something called Perma Teak by Perma Marine Distribution.
It lasts & lasts, even on the ladder which is splashed every time out. It's a water based acrylic that goes on looking milky but dries clear. It's organic so won't mildew. It also won't chip or peel.

Unfortunately, like many products that actually work well, it appears to have been discontinued. Dang!