Mahogany, teak,- oil, wax, stain, varnish or nothing?

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Exactly that.

What's the difference between mahogany and teak and what is the best way to treat them. I suppose there is a difference between the best looks and the least maintenance.
Will ''nothing'' lead to drying out and splitting?
 
The only undisputed fact is that teak does not necessarily need protection from the elements but mahog certainly does!
Teak contains oils that help preserve it but make varnish flake off. You can degrease and varnish if you want it shiny; leave it bare but scrub occasionally for that grey look on decks and rubbing strakes; use oil to keep natural colour ( which reminds me of mustard ) - you can spend a lot on specialist oils or use the cheapest teak oil.
Irko is an African teak equivalent. Not oily, so not as durable, but cheaper and a better colour. Treat as mahogany.
Mahogany used exterior. Depends on which mahogany - is it pretty? There are assorted varnishes; I don't use polyurethane cos it's too brittle. Also woodseals - the building trade ones tend to have pigments that muddy the natural colour; I get confused about the performance of those Sikkens ones.
Proper teak comes from Burma. Stuff coming out now is not as dense or close grained as formerly. Don't know if you have political scruples about the regime there.
Mahogany covers a multitude of..... I built a pub bar counter out of some old cuban mahog and it was wonderful stuff but all cut down long ago. Don't know if Brazilian is still available but that was good. Philipine is reasonable. From Africa - Sapele had a stripy effect that was a b.... to work and looked nasty to me, probably all cut down now; some of the others can be quite nice. Meranti is around now, I think from the far east. Very nasty : purply colour, texture is like bundles of string and it splinters easily.
I'm certain that others will disagree with me over details so you'll have to make your own decisions in the end.
Sorry if you've nodded off - didn't mean to go on.
 
As Spuddy says teak is very durable. Freshwater is death to mahogany but strangely salt water helps to preserve it. I have seen a very posh yacht built over 70 years ago which had mahogany planks below the water line and teak above. Once the paint was stripped the hull condition was nearly perfect. That said the cost of building a boat with that ( if unavailable ) quality of timber would be horrendous. These days mahogany is really an interior use only only timber. Blakes and International websites give lots of detail.
 
good responses here, but as with so many materials questions the application is important to know before anyone can what is "best". Is it decking, interior, exterior or what?

Regardless, any wood wether treated or untreated will have a better time if shielded from the elements ie indoors is best, or if not possible then a cover or temporary cover whilst not in use will dramatically extend the time before it all needs sanding down for a new surface and (if applicable) new varnish.
 
If you use varnish use a UV Yacht varnish such as Epifanes. I used a poyurethane varnish (International) that looked great for a few weeks but it was so brittle it cracked and water got under it, stained the wood and peeled off! The Epifanes has been on years now and still looks good.
 
Point about teak is that if you're going to treat it, you'll have to keep treating it. If you don't then a quick brush off is all that's needed but it will go grey.

My rubbing strakes were treated (badly with a muddy brown stuff) when I got the boat. Within the first season it had flaked off and was looking terrible. I ended up scraping down to bare teak again and now it just looks grey - far better IMO.
 
I've used Burgess Marine Woodsealer on the gunwales and was quite pleased. Just like painting with water, it soaked in and did what the makers said it should.

It did very well in the classic boat magazine varnish tests, except they could not give a rating as it did not behave like a varnish. I will have to wash the wood down this spring and give it another go, but there is no sanding or other work so it should take me an hour or two.

Manufacturers website is here.
 
Thanks guys
It confirmed what I was thinking, any stuff thats coated on top can only fail and fall off.
I bought some Cuprinol hardwood garden furniture protector today that I'll give a try, I think I would want to put at least something on, some areas,- grab rails and rubbing strake are cracking in places.
 
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