Teak Decks again - ( it's that time of year)

[maby]

We applied Boracol this spring and the results look very good. It is expensive compared with other products that are suggested, but a gallon at around £80 treated all the teak on a 43 footer with two applications (recommended for the first use) and left enough for a single reapplication next spring. It looks really good now - we bought a large bottle of cheap baby shampoo and use that in warm water to wash the deck from time to time.

There's nothing particularly exotic in Boracol and I'm sure you can find cheaper alternatives, but in the grand scheme of things, a £40 expenditure on a boat is pretty small - certainly in comparison with a replacement teak deck.

 

[[2574]]

Is BORACOL available anywhere for say £30 for 5litres? I might consider it at that price if I can't get hold of any more Patio Magic in another few years.

Yes. See here: http://acslimited.co.uk/teak-deck-maintenance-boracol/

IIRC I paid £37 for 5 litres. Magic stuff. And really nice people at ACS in Yeovil.


ps - just checked my old email and found this:

Yes you can collect from the factory in Yeovil.
Boracol 5RH is £31/5litres plus VAT (£6.20) to give a total of £37.20.
To send by courier (Fedex) would cost £10 +VAT to give a total of £49.20 Please let me know if you require any further details.
Regards
Bill Beauford
Advanced Chemical Specialties Ltd
9 Bofors Park
Artillery Road
Yeovil
Somerset
BA22 8YH
Tel : 01935 414012
Fax: 01935 414022

 

[Mistroma]

Yes. See here: http://acslimited.co.uk/teak-deck-maintenance-boracol/

IIRC I paid £37 for 5 litres. Magic stuff. And really nice people at ACS in Yeovil.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I'm stuck in future. EDIT: Perhaps not as I've just seen your updated figure of £49.20 vs. £18 for Patio Magic (which has more of the effective agent of interest to me).

I did do a quick check and BORACOL contains around 2% alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride vs. the 7.5% found in Patio Magic. So Patio Magic wins on that count. It does contain 10% Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate which has no direct action against algae and moulds. Documentation on the site says it has a synergistic effect in conjunction with the other active ingredient. It is included because BORACOL was original meant to control wet/dry rot in buildings.

The remainder of BORACOL is an alcohol, probably used as a carrier for the active ingredients. It will have low surface tension and will soak deeper into the wood before evaporating. Good for rot control but of slightly less interest for prevention of surface growth.

Actually, if EU ever decide to ban benzalkonium chloride for any reason then BORACOL would be affected as well. They do seem to be on a mission to get rid of all effective items and replace them with something pretty useless. Medical uses might save it from getting this attention.

 

[[2574]]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I'm stuck in future. EDIT: Perhaps not as I've just seen your updated figure of £49.20 vs. £18 for Patio Magic (which has more of the effective agent of interest to me).

Okay, just bear in mind that the £49 is inc courier costs so not a direct comparison with Patio Magic. The direct comparison is £37 vs £18.

 

[Mistroma]

Okay, just bear in mind that the £49 is inc courier costs so not a direct comparison with Patio Magic. The direct comparison is £37 vs £18.

No, £18 included delivery so it seems reasonable to make the comparison below. In fact it might actually be reasonable to use the price for 2.5l Patio Magic. Both use the same active ingredient but Patio Magic has has 7.5% versus 2% for BORACOL. The synergistic effect claimed for the borate should even things up so I just kept it to 5l of each.

1) £18 for 5 litres Patio Magic (makes 20litres soution) and keeps deck clear for 6 months (I've found more like 12+ months).
2) £76 for 5 litres BORACOL 5RH (used neat) and might protect for up to 2 years

I just picked the first price I found on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patio-Litres-Liquid-Concentrate-Killer/dp/B001VEJCMQ
It might be possible to pick it up cheaper elsewhere.

 

[pvb]

I did do a quick check and BORACOL contains around 2% alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride vs. the 7.5% found in Patio Magic. So Patio Magic wins on that count. It does contain 10% Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate which has no direct action against algae and moulds. Documentation on the site says it has a synergistic effect in conjunction with the other active ingredient. It is included because BORACOL was original meant to control wet/dry rot in buildings.

The remainder of BORACOL is an alcohol, probably used as a carrier for the active ingredients. It will have low surface tension and will soak deeper into the wood before evaporating. Good for rot control but of slightly less interest for prevention of surface growth.

There's rather a lot of confusion in this thread. Firstly, disodium octaborate is a very effective fungicide, and also works as an algaecide, whereas benzalkonium chloride is primarily an algaecide. The fungicidal property is important for teak decks - tiny specks of black mould are what make many owners think their decks are dirty.

There's no alcohol in Boracol 5RH or 10RH, it's a water-based solution.

Boracol 10RH is, I believe, no longer approved for amateur use, but Boracol 5RH is easily and relatively cheaply available from ACS (details already posted). I use 5RH which has about 5% disodium octaborate and 2% benzalkonium chloride. Used neat, it's very effective.

 

[maby]

Does anyone have long term experience of Patio Magic? I'm quite prepared to believe it is as good as Boracol - but given that the most recent estimate for replacing my deck came in at over £10k, I would prefer someone else to try it first and confirm that the deck is still looking great after, say, five years....

 

[maby]

There's rather a lot of confusion in this thread. Firstly, disodium octaborate is a very effective fungicide, and also works as an algaecide, whereas benzalkonium chloride is primarily an algaecide. The fungicidal property is important for teak decks - tiny specks of black mould are what make many owners think their decks are dirty.

There's no alcohol in Boracol 5RH or 10RH, it's a water-based solution.

Boracol 10RH is, I believe, no longer approved for amateur use, but Boracol 5RH is easily and relatively cheaply available from ACS (details already posted). I use 5RH which has about 5% disodium octaborate and 2% benzalkonium chloride. Used neat, it's very effective.

You can still buy 10RH - I used it on my deck this summer. There is something other than water in the mix - some glycol derivative, I seem to remember. I'm sure it is not significant in the fungicidal properties - I had the impression it was there to aid absorbtion. I think you'll find that the current data sheet for Boracol makes no mention of benzalkonium chloride.

 

[FWB]

Does anyone have long term experience of Patio Magic? I'm quite prepared to believe it is as good as Boracol - but given that the most recent estimate for replacing my deck came in at over £10k, I would prefer someone else to try it first and confirm that the deck is still looking great after, say, five years....

I've been using patio magic for a number of years. I just spray the deck once a year, it always looks clean. It's just so simple to use, spray on and leave. Magic !

 

[pvb]

I think you'll find that the current data sheet for Boracol makes no mention of benzalkonium chloride.

It's listed on the ingredients on the label of mine!

 

[xyachtdave]

Does anyone have long term experience of Patio Magic? I'm quite prepared to believe it is as good as Boracol - but given that the most recent estimate for replacing my deck came in at over £10k, I would prefer someone else to try it first and confirm that the deck is still looking great after, say, five years....

I thought the boat was new???

Surely you're not thinking of renewing the teak already?

 

[geoid96]

I think you'll find that the current data sheet for Boracol makes no mention of benzalkonium chloride.

The Boracol 10RH MSDS includes the following:

• Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate 10%
• 1,2 Ethandiol and other inert materials 88%
• Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride 2%

Patio Magic

• Benzalkonium chloride <10%
• Alcohols, C9-C11, ethoxylated < 5%
• Water >75%

Benzalkonium chloride is another name for Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride.

Last spring I finished off the last of a bottle of patio magic (left over from our patio) on the aft of one of the side decks and did the rest or the deck with Boracol 10RH. Both worked well. However the Boracol side seemed to end up lighter and is giving indications of having lasted longer.

 

[maby]

I thought the boat was new???

Surely you're not thinking of renewing the teak already?

The boat is new - and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible! The time to start treating your teak is when it is new - not when it is eight years old and so manky that it is beyond salvation! I should have explained that I had been chatting to someone replacing a deck on another yacht in the marina and asked out of interest how much mine would have cost-the answer was frightening!

 

[Marsupial]

The Boracol 10RH MSDS includes the following:

• Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate 10%
• 1,2 Ethandiol and other inert materials 88%
• Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride 2%

Patio Magic

• Benzalkonium chloride <10%
• Alcohols, C9-C11, ethoxylated < 5%
• Water >75%

Benzalkonium chloride is another name for Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride.

Last spring I finished off the last of a bottle of patio magic (left over from our patio) on the aft of one of the side decks and did the rest or the deck with Boracol 10RH. Both worked well. However the Boracol side seemed to end up lighter and is giving indications of having lasted longer.

you could use Dettol, very similar characteristics and ingredients, and like Patio Magic VERY toxic to fish.

 

[maby]

you could use Dettol, very similar characteristics and ingredients, and like Patio Magic VERY toxic to fish.

With all these things you need to be trying to minimise the amount that gets into the environment. The instructions with Boracol are to apply on a dry day with no rain forecast for several days and to lightly moisten the deck each subsequent day to help the active ingredients soak in.

 

[Stork_III]

you could use Dettol, very similar characteristics and ingredients, and like Patio Magic VERY toxic to fish.

Dettol Complete Clean Mould & Mildew Remover contains 2.59g Sodium Hypochlorite per 100g. Hardly similar to either Boracol or Patio Magic.

 

[Jamesuk]

No scrubbing, just mix with water,spay on and go home.[/QUOTE

What is the effect?

Is it the same as Borocol as that is the Hallberg Rassy recommendation for all there yachts.
http://www.boracol-shop.de/?q=node/85

 

[maby]

Dettol Complete Clean Mould & Mildew Remover contains 2.59g Sodium Hypochlorite per 100g. Hardly similar to either Boracol or Patio Magic.

It would probably have the same initial cleaning effect - possibly better - but not the longer lasting protection.

 

[xyachtdave]

It would probably have the same initial cleaning effect - possibly better - but not the longer lasting protection.

Seeing as the teak on our boat is 18 this year I'll be sloshing a bit of patio magic around this weekend!

Thats the great thing about the internet - trusting the advise from people you don't know - to put patio cleaner on your boat.

I'm thinking of buzzing a sander over it first. Anyone reckon that's a good idea?

 

[maby]

Seeing as the teak on our boat is 18 this year I'll be sloshing a bit of patio magic around this weekend!

Thats the great thing about the internet - trusting the advise from people you don't know - to put patio cleaner on your boat.

I'm thinking of buzzing a sander over it first. Anyone reckon that's a good idea?

A light sanding should be fine, I would think. I don't think Patio Magic will do any harm, but Boracol is probably better - it's what the user manual for your boat would have recommended!