Teak, Marine Ply and varnish advise please

[aquaholic]

So I have cut a new washboard from marine ply which I would like to varnish so that it can take the bumps and knocks, my old one was ply as well but was coated with sadolin, looked nice but not that hard wearing, the problem is that the edging on the hatch and the pieces it slides into are teak so i would like it all to match, is there such a thing as a teak coloured varnish?

 

[pcatterall]

What colour is the face of your ply? I have used mixes of stains before ( provided that your face is lighter than the teak) and mixed them to acheive the right colour. dont forget though that as you then add varnish this will also also darken and yellow the wood. A nice 'natural' contrast may be better than a 'synthetic' looking match though?

 

[Lakesailor]

Another point to ponder is that if you stain, or particularly use coloured varnish, knocks and scratches will be a nightmare to correct.
Ive just done the same with some natural varnished ply and re-did the mahogany tracks on a friend's Prelude and it looked very pleasing.

 

[aquaholic]

so is it better just to use clear varnish on everything, or just the washboard and rub down the teak?

 

[VicS]

My washboards are "teak" faced.
I varnish them every year.

I do the surrounding "teak" with Sikkens Cetol Marine Natural. It all matches as near as it needs to.

As LS says maintaining stained and varnished woodwork subject to any wear and tear or weathering will be a problem. It's OK for internal woodwork that does not get kicked about or weathered.

 

[aquaholic]

Thanks chaps, something to think about.........