Teak deck maintenance

Reviving an old thread: It seems that neither Boracol products (10 or 5Rh) are available to retail customers now. What do the jury suggest as an alternative? Patio magic, algon or Wessex appear to be the most often suggested.
 
adwuk said:
Reviving an old thread: It seems that neither Boracol products (10 or 5Rh) are available to retail customers now. What do the jury suggest as an alternative? Patio magic, algon or Wessex appear to be the most often suggested.
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Used to use Patio Magic.
However, two years ago I switch to Wessex on the recommendation of a friend.
Have not regretted the switch.
Stunning and lasting result.
 
Patio Magic deals with mould and dirt. Wessex (and other similar) for more extensive cleaning and brightening. Most of them use Oxalid acid as the active ingredient for the cleaner.
 
adwuk said:
Reviving an old thread: It seems that neither Boracol products (10 or 5Rh) are available to retail customers now. What do the jury suggest as an alternative? Patio magic, algon or Wessex appear to be the most often suggested.
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I ordered online from Boracol 10 Wood Preservative / Timber Treatment

There may be cheaper options but these guys delivered promptly with no hassle.
I understand members of the HR owners association can get a discount on 5rh direct from ACS.
 
I’ve started using Wet & Forget instead of PM. More expensive but lasts much longer in my experience Effective on Hard surfaces as well as teak deck. You should be wary of using aggressive cleaning chemicals ( acid cleaners) on caulked decking according to Teak Decking Systems who supply caulking to the trade.
 
I have a very worn out teak deck. I sought advice from a professional and was told that the very most you should do is very gently scrub it with a soft brush and salt water across the grain. It will last forever that way.
 
CapPugwash said:
I have a very worn out teak deck. I sought advice from a professional and was told that the very most you should do is very gently scrub it with a soft brush and salt water across the grain. It will last forever that way.
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Regrettably no teak deck will last forever but nonetheless I do agree with your very gentle cleaning suggestion. I have found that Boracol has no negative impact and offers tremendous upside by keeping fungal and algal growth away which surely must help the teak endure....
 
For all those who say they bought Boracol direct from ACS, its worthy knowing that the rules changed as of 1/3/22 - now only available to professional users, and not DIY/retail customers. So I have ordered the Wessex 2 part product, along with their teak treat. Looking forward to see how well the teak cleans up now! At least I only have hand rails, capping rails and cockpit seating to do - not a whole deck.
 
It's my, very recent, experience that some of their resellers are not especially particular about checking the status of their customers.
Also may be worth noting that ACS say that 5rh is just as effective on decks as 10... which was not originally formulated for that application. I can't comment on that but their claim is plausibly justified, to the ignorant layman such as I, on their website.
 
Its the 5rh stuff that has been reclassified - see this blog Boracol 5Rh
Anyway, very happy to report that I ordered the Wessex 2 part cleaner on Thursday, it was delivered today, and has worked wonders on my boat's teak. There is a teak treatment in the kit as well, which I plan to apply tomorrow assuming that the weather holds.
 
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Tradewinds said:
I’ve started using Wet & Forget instead of PM. More expensive but lasts much longer in my experience Effective on Hard surfaces as well as teak deck. You should be wary of using aggressive cleaning chemicals ( acid cleaners) on caulked decking according to Teak Decking Systems who supply caulking to the trade.
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Yes used Wessex in my cockpit and the old caulking went soft and horrible - beware. FYI Boat dates from 1996
 
Caladh said:
Yes used Wessex in my cockpit and the old caulking went soft and horrible - beware. FYI Boat dates from 1996
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Yes, best thing for teak is salt water and nothing else, but that is purely my opinion, thankfully we’re all allowed differing views.....
 
What a shame re: Boracol 5RH. I guess it's Patio Magic for now, but seems there is light at the end of the tunnel, according to their product page:
Boracol 5Rh • ACS Limited "We are developing a new teak deck treatment but you can use our ACS Mould Wash Concentrate to help keep the mould and algae under control."

So... maybe some ACS Mould Wash, followed by PM?
 
Ive scraped off most of the lichen (I thought that stuff was supposed to be slow growing?) and moss and mostly uprooted the higher plants.

(Might have been an idea to leave this under a cover to promote deck-drying, but I didn't think of it and there was no one around saying "woodsman spare that shrub". Never an eco-freak when you need one)

Now want to take death a bit deeper into what looks to have been teak trim. When I was last doing this kind of thing, decades ago, one could buy reasonably toxic wood treatments in small quantities. I used Cuprinol Clear quite a lot. Cant remember what was in it but something moderately nasty.

Doesn't seem to be much in these enlightened times.

The big chains, BnQ/Wicks only have rather wimpy “civilian” wood treatment available in rather large quantities. Ditto “deck cleaner” (they mean “patio decks”) which seemed to have some kind of alcohol in it, but I couldn’t read the small print.

Know of anything effective one can STILL buy?

I think I've heard antifreeze mentioned, which I might be using to try and "winterise" the engine anyway.

Home remedy stylee, seawater might be some use as a start, but the yard is up-estuary (Boness on The Firth of Forth if that means anything) and probably both rather muddy and dilute.

Sump oil should be available shortly from the Yanmar, but hopefully it wont be used enough to be very toxic

Going nuclear I might be able to make something by electrolysing scrap stainless steel or chrome plate, but I dont currently have any, and the authorities might prefer me not to.
 
However, different route to my bus stop from the boatyard up a steep hill today revealed a full road/path salting silo, which should do nicely. Got some sand in it but that should settle out from brine, and any carry-over in the supernatant might usefully supply a fine abrasive.


Assuming this deal goes through, I'll have to leave the boat over the winter while I finish up in Taiwan. A few tubs/bags of this stuff around the deck, plus scatter, should keep things pretty saline even if the cover (yet to be acquired/improvised) leaks quite badly.



Not sure I want to put it in the bilges though, because keel bolts.


I'll probably also use antifreeze.


Both of them should reduce frost damage as well as inhibiting funghi.

This is teak trim, rather than teak deck maintenance, thanks be (the deck has very curly Treadmaster, though).

I did find some flat disks under overhanging cockpit coaming trim which I THINK are dry rot fruiting bodies,

I suppose its in the deck core too, though I dont notice any springyness yet,

I assume the cockpit coaming is also cored, though I dont know this for a fact. Trident 24
 
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