Restore Teak Cockpit Grating, Seating and Toe Rail Suggestions

Leave it bare and use Patio Magic, etc, from time to time to keep the green at bay. You've got enough to do without fiddling about with teak finishing!
 
Teak wonder is very good, and easy to use. Check the sealant underneath the rubbing strip; it tends to harden and fall out on older Westerlies, allowing mysterious leaks to come in through the holes for the rubbing strip bolts. Easy and quick to sort: clean out the groove with a screwdriver and squirt stuff in.
 
Kind of true pvb but I have the grating at home to do on days when it's not possible to get up to the boat for a day's work. Mainly asking because what I do to the grating I will eventually do to everything else hence looking at suggestions.
 
The advice given is good, then leave to weather to a nice silver grey. If any of the grating bars are loose, then fix with a little epoxy.

There are plenty of other wooden bits you can take home for cleaning and refinishing, let alone many other parts like winches that will need cleaning and lubrication.
 
Leaving teak bare is an easy short term solution but long term it makes no sense. My toerails and hand rails, left bare for around ten years, are now half the section they were. The plugs that cover the fixing screws are falling out due to absence of anything to attach to. The wood is deeply grooved as the softer parts of the teak have eroded. I have gone back to Woodskin, which is easy to apply and seems to offer reasonable protection to what remains.
 
A dilute solution of Oxalic acid and gentle scrubbing, wash of with clean water using a hose pipe. Oxalic acid is poisonous so wear gloves and don't drink the solution. Do not use a pressure washer as yo will eventually lift out the softer material from the wood and it will wear away very quickly.
 
Having committed the cardinal sin of using a power washer. you now have a bigger problem than you had before.
The teak may be clean, but it will rutted, where the high pressure water removes the soft grain and leaves the hard grain in ridges, this surface is perfect for attracting dirt and grime.
I suggest you gently sand the surface with 180 grit until it is again smooth, then apply Patio Magic every 6 months.

Plank
 
don't use a powerwasher on teak!!

Teak is very soft and any kind of pressure wil simply erode the softer bits - then the harder bits collapse under wear and the whole plank wears away.

Soft brush only and across the grain. Personally start with any generic cheap boatwash / detergent and then rinse off to get the loose dirt off. I've used Wessex chemicals system to then clean and brighten but I know others like the star brite system. Finally something like teak oil.

Patio magic is good as a final wipe over and when laying up to stop any green forming.
 
Clean the teak with a proper cleaner such as that made by Wessex Chemicals and then use the brightener. You do not want to put any more finish on the grating as you want it non slip so treat it with Boracol periodically.

For the rub rails do the same but then sand, clean and wash thoroughly before coating with International Woodskin.

BTW a one off use of a power washer on solid teak to remove the years of grime will not do it any real harm. The warning against power washing of teak is usually in respect of teak decking, although the cockpit of my old boat was regularly power washed in the Greek sun for 6 years and the teak is still fine at 15 years old!
 
A friend bought a 15 yr old HR and has done up the toerail and handrails with a Sikkens product, giving something like a varnished effect, with the aim of preventing further loss of dimensions. It looks very good to me, and only needs a bit of touching up. I imagine that it is similar to Woodskin.
 
Sikkens is very similar, if not the same as Woodskin.

Two types of Sikkens in Teak flavour, Filter 7 and Cetol HLS plus. Did the last boat with Filter 7, lasted very well but was a little shinier than i would have liked. I'm going to do Rainbow with Cetol HLS Plus. Can't see that Sikkens will remove the non slip properties of the cockpit grates, mine are currently done and i have yet to slip on them.
 
thesaintlyone;5835633 Have Powerwasher them to clean them off but what would you suggest next Regards [url said:
www.vagabondtravels.co[/url]
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I certainly wouldn't use a power washer on teak, as this would lift the soft teak from the grain, and you would be left with a 'ploughed field' surface. As suggested, just use Patio Magic on it, and leave it to work for a couple of weeks.
 
thesaintlyone said:
Any reccomendations for restoring the Teak (I Think) Cockpit grating, Seating and Toerail
Have Powerwasher them to clean them off but what would you suggest next

Regards

www.vagabondtravels.co
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After you have dealt with the cosmetic aspect of the grating to your satisfaction you should then look to another important consideration.

These gratings are built with thin strips, the idea being to allow free passage of water underneath them to the cockpit drains.

These thin strips are habitually too thin and need support. The older the grating is the greater the need for underneath support as a precaution.

My gratings are supported underneath with the equivalent of mahogany "girders" for want of a better explanation.

The girders themselves are grooved underneath their whole length and supported by stainless studding which penetrates the outside frame and is bolted both ends in countersunk holes that are plugged.

This guarantees the strength of the lattice and its longevity and is a precaution against cracking as a result of someone thoughtlessly jumping on it and causing damage.
 
Woodstain looks smart on grating frames with the grating itself left untreated. Varnish is too picky and woodstain is very tough and easy to overcoat. Use only the lightest shades or it will look very dark. I now buy Blackfryer's Light Teaks but others are available. I also use it on cockpit seating as it can be walked on with impunity.

I have tried most things on the toerails including leaving them to silver for a few years, but, as pointed out above, I started to notice some wear at the bow. The most pain free has been Sikkins/Woodskin. You need at least 2 coats and maybe a refresher before you launch in the spring and one in the autumn. Eventually the bond breaks down and things start to look tatty but I have found it is roughly a five year cycle before you have to take it all off and start again. Sounds a PITA but it is not, the stuff is like water and v easy to apply.

Two years ago I treated my handrails with Woodskin and the toerails with Filter 7 ( I think, will check). So far the results of this longitudinal study show very little difference between the two. I pay roughly the same for the Sikkins as the Woodskin but the tin is twice as big!
 
I've used Sikkens filter7 on a length of mahogany on the stern of my boat, light oak colour not mahogany and looks like a varnished mahogany finish but with a satin finish. My local Jewsons had a display panel showing the finish when using the various colours and I chose light oak as the others were too dark. After a couple of years now needs touching up due to rope abrasion. I've used Sikkens on our house and is very good. (Jotun DemiDek is also superb - only needs recoating every 10 years!)
 
I use Ronseal Hardwood Garden Furniture Stain, in Clear, with good results. The clear doesn't stain the wood but brings out the natural wood colour, doesn't peel & you just touch it up once in a while.
 
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