Teak deck maintenance

[pvb]

Won't that damage the caulking eventually? Hence the salt water advice? My teak deck is a flipping disgrace - I think it must have last been cleaned in 2008...

No, Boracol won't damage caulking. Importantly, because Boracol kills the tiny black mould spores as well as green algae, it makes the deck look cleaner (the "dirt" which people try to remove from teak decks is usually mould). As a result, the deck will need washing very rarely.

Be very careful with your deck, Bavaria teak isn't very thick to start with, so needs treating gently. If you haven't attacked it yet, can I suggest that you start by just washing it with a sponge, warm water and dishwasher liquid, rinsed well afterwards. Leave it a few days, see how it looks. Then try treating it with Boracol, and again leave it for a few days. By then, it should look better and you won't have physically damaged it. If it's worn and grooved, you could try sanding it, but again very gently. I used a lightweight Bosch DIY belt sander on the teak decks on my old HR - it helped to smooth the ridges out without being aggressive enough to do any real damage. With an old teak deck, there's a fine line between tidying it up and making a mess of it.

 

[MagicalArmchair]

No, Boracol won't damage caulking. Importantly, because Boracol kills the tiny black mould spores as well as green algae, it makes the deck look cleaner (the "dirt" which people try to remove from teak decks is usually mould). As a result, the deck will need washing very rarely.

Be very careful with your deck, Bavaria teak isn't very thick to start with, so needs treating gently. If you haven't attacked it yet, can I suggest that you start by just washing it with a sponge, warm water and dishwasher liquid, rinsed well afterwards. Leave it a few days, see how it looks. Then try treating it with Boracol, and again leave it for a few days. By then, it should look better and you won't have physically damaged it. If it's worn and grooved, you could try sanding it, but again very gently. I used a lightweight Bosch DIY belt sander on the teak decks on my old HR - it helped to smooth the ridges out without being aggressive enough to do any real damage. With an old teak deck, there's a fine line between tidying it up and making a mess of it.

Thanks PVB, her decks are not in bad nick - some of the caulking I do need to see to before water gets underneath it (especially on the edges). I'm quite lucky for the age of the boat the state they are in, however, if there is one subject I have studied with much care its this one, as I know the decks get a bad rap for becoming a problem, being so thin . The softwood has not been eaten away by previous owners scrubbing with the grain which is good, so I will start will salt water and a soft sponge across the grain. It Patio Magic safe to use as well and won't kill the caulking? I could do with the cost being £6 as opposed to £80 right now, then I can buy the proper stuff (Boracol) once I've built back up the boat credits!

 

[pvb]

Thanks PVB, her decks are not in bad nick - some of the caulking I do need to see to before water gets underneath it (especially on the edges). I'm quite lucky for the age of the boat the state they are in, however, if there is one subject I have studied with much care its this one, as I know the decks get a bad rap for becoming a problem, being so thin . The softwood has not been eaten away by previous owners scrubbing with the grain which is good, so I will start will salt water and a soft sponge across the grain. It Patio Magic safe to use as well and won't kill the caulking? I could do with the cost being £6 as opposed to £80 right now, then I can buy the proper stuff (Boracol) once I've built back up the boat credits!

I don't think salt water will do much to improve the appearance.

Boracol contains benzalkonium chloride (an algaecide to kill the green stuff) and disodium octaborate (a fungicide to kill the black mould). Patio Magic contains benzalkonium chloride, so will keep the green away but won't be as effective on mould spores. Boracol 5RH is £36 for 5 litres from ACS.

 

[Ian_Rob]

I have some 2 part Wessex Teak cleaner but have always shied away from using it for fear of damaging the teak fibres and or the mastic.

 

[steve yates]

Not a teak deck, apologies for slight drift but didn't want to start another teak thread.
We've cleaned our teak, grab rails, cockpit seats and grating, toerail etc with oxalic acid, then sanded it all. After reading through various old threads we are going to apply international woodskin to it then see how it lasts. ( was going for tonkinoise but dauntless only had woodskin, and seems same sort of oil/varnish hybrid.

I think we should clean again first with boracol /patio magicthen paint on the woodskin.

My question is should pm etc be washed off after application or left to soak in? If left, how long roughly to dry for applying the woodskin?

 

[Ian_Rob]

It should be left to soak in and it is best if it isn’t applied if there is rain forecast within 24 hours.

 

[DaveJones]

I have read all the information provided in this thread and agree with the advice given. I've read many articles on teak deck care over the years, and have become somewhat obsessive on looking after mine on the basis replacement cost is equivalent to the value of the boat! Having spent a lot of time on plug replacement, caulking repairs, evaluating the life of the deck planks and developing methods that work for me, I decided to share the information purely on the basis it may be useful to others with similar issues to solve. Have a look at www.hr352freyja.app which covers step by step photos of plug and caulking replacement, teak deck care and teak deck life (comments welcome). There is also an article on teak deck maintenance on the Hallberg Rassy website (you may have to search for it), but they know what they are talking about and it generally reflects the views given above

 

[pvb]

I have read all the information provided in this thread and agree with the advice given. I've read many articles on teak deck care over the years, and have become somewhat obsessive on looking after mine on the basis replacement cost is equivalent to the value of the boat! Having spent a lot of time on plug replacement, caulking repairs, evaluating the life of the deck planks and developing methods that work for me, I decided to share the information purely on the basis it may be useful to others with similar issues to solve. Have a look at www.hr352freyja.app which covers step by step photos of plug and caulking replacement, teak deck care and teak deck life (comments welcome). There is also an article on teak deck maintenance on the Hallberg Rassy website (you may have to search for it), but they know what they are talking about and it generally reflects the views given above

Thanks for linking to your website! Lovely boat, in great condition, and you've obviously devoted lots of effort to continuous upgrading.

My last boat was an HR352, which I had for 19 years, it was hull number 761 (so one of the last they made). Like you, I replaced the windscreen rails, spent ages cleaning the fuel tank, spent what seemed like years renovating the teak deck (and I also recommend the HR kit of low-profile screws and new teak plugs). My knees still haven't recovered!

One note on caulking; Hallberg-Rassy used silicone caulking in production. I was a bit worried about whether Sikaflex would stick OK, so as well as sanding the grooves, I used Sikaflex Primer.

 

[Quandary]

That Boracol must be fantastic stuff if it outperforms Patio Magic,
We had our Finngulf with teak decks and cockpit for nine years, decks started going grey after the first season , bought a 5 litre jug of PM , light spray on all the bare wood, silver in about a month, treated it again once before I sold her, still have over half a container full. It did a great job on the mould stained garden furniture last year. Admittedly, the decks did get the occasional swab over with sea water from time to time but I was more than impressed with the effectiveness and longevity of the cheap stuff

 

[steve yates]

It should be left to soak in and it is best if it isn’t applied if there is rain forecast within 24 hours.

And is it a problem if the opposite is true and no rain forecast for 2 weeks?
If I paint in the woodskin 24 or 48 hrs after the patio magic, do I risk locking in black mold patches? Or if there is no rain should I hose it down and let it dry again before applying the woodskin?

 

[DaveJones]

Thanks for linking to your website! Lovely boat, in great condition, and you've obviously devoted lots of effort to continuous upgrading.

My last boat was an HR352, which I had for 19 years, it was hull number 761 (so one of the last they made). Like you, I replaced the windscreen rails, spent ages cleaning the fuel tank, spent what seemed like years renovating the teak deck (and I also recommend the HR kit of low-profile screws and new teak plugs). My knees still haven't recovered!

One note on caulking; Hallberg-Rassy used silicone caulking in production. I was a bit worried about whether Sikaflex would stick OK, so as well as sanding the grooves, I used Sikaflex Primer.

Thanks for your comments. I will check out the primer you mention.

 

[DaveJones]

And is it a problem if the opposite is true and no rain forecast for 2 weeks?
If I paint in the woodskin 24 or 48 hrs after the patio magic, do I risk locking in black mold patches? Or if there is no rain should I hose it down and let it dry again before applying the woodskin?

In my experience using Boracol, it is like water and after an hour or so it evaporates and therefore dries and leaves no visible residue. I cannot comment on the woodskin you mention as after applying Boracol that's it for me, nothing else required for the next 6 months.

 

[Delfini]

Sorry to pick up on an old thread but does anyone know where to buy Borocol 10 without any of the H&S (EU) supply restrictions I have been reading about

 

[pvb]

Sorry to pick up on an old thread but does anyone know where to buy Borocol 10 without any of the H&S (EU) supply restrictions I have been reading about

ACS - Boracols | Wooden/Teak Deck Cleaner | Patio Cleaner | ACS Limited

For teak deck use, Boracol 5RH is sufficient.

 

[ip485]

Borax powder, what is the difference, dissolved in ethanol (its meant to penetrate better) mixed with water, or just water?

 

[pvb]

Borax powder, what is the difference, dissolved in ethanol (its meant to penetrate better) mixed with water, or just water?

It doesn't contain benzalkonium chloride, the other active ingredient in Boracol.

 

[ip485]

This is true, but isnt Borax a very effective fungicide and algaecide in its own right?

 

[pvb]

This is true, but isnt Borax a very effective fungicide and algaecide in its own right?

The combination of the two chemicals in Boracol means it's highly effective - more so long-term than benzalkonium chloride on its own (eg Patio Magic).

 

[ip485]

The combination of the two chemicals in Boracol means it's highly effective - more so long-term than benzalkonium chloride on its own (eg Patio Magic).

I guess mixing Boracol in Patio Magic would have a similiar result.

 

[pvb]

I guess mixing Boracol in Patio Magic would have a similiar result.

I can't imagine why you'd want to do that.