Teak Sealer That Leaves The 'Grey' Look?

[johnalison]

Bit off topic but what do folks do with a teak cockpit grating. Years ago we used to Teak Oil them as they did not get much UV.

I Patio Magic all the odd bits of teak around the cockpit, which means the sole, handles and sheet track. If I had a grating I would also do that.

 

[The Real Flipper]

Bit off topic but what do folks do with a teak cockpit grating. Years ago we used to Teak Oil them as they did not get much UV.

Might as well ask now since we're talking teak. Mine are even worse than the rails! I even wonder if they can be saved. But it would be really cool if they could. Pretty squishy in a few spots, in fact I'm careful to only step on the supports, they really give in a few spots. I'm thinking of some way to reinforce (without messing with the drainage).

Lookin lovely right?

 

[The Real Flipper]

I Patio Magic all the odd bits of teak around the cockpit, which means the sole, handles and sheet track. If I had a grating I would also do that.

Patio Magic: Another product no longer available and reasonably priced in The Netherlands.

 

[Tranona]

Yep, looks pretty sharp! Not as glossy as the varnish types but like I said I actually prefer that more natural look.
After some searching I found the 'natural' Teak Woodskin from Sikkens:
https://www.amazon.com/Interlux-IVA316-QT-Natural-Fluid_Ounces/dp/B0017KQKX8

But then as with so many things here in Europe, either rebranded or entirely different products are actually available.
Since Brexit many if not most products I used to order from the UK are no longer available or have gone up so much in price it's silly.

Locally I've found Sikkins Cetol TGX, TGL, HLS, HLS 7, Filter 7 Plus, TC, etc etc.
None of which actually mention Teak.
This is what I'm spending most of my time with lately trying to translate recommendations into something I can actually buy at a reasonable price.
Generally speaking if it's in the UK it doesn't qualify. Not only is the price higher now, but they've jacked up the shipping as well.

Amazon will ship the Natural Teak to The Netherlands, for only $256. LOL
So I may be stuck with the Le Tonkinois for this round. Maybe I'll try turpentine watering down of first layers as Refueler suggested.

No need to trawl through Amazon!. That Cetol is the same as international Woodskin - both brands are owned by Akzo Nobel and they sell in different brands for different markets. If you want to go down this route simply go to your nearest yacht chandler and buy International. It is a myth that chandlers are more expensive - 750ml is £25 in the UK, same price near enough per litre as the comparable Cetol products which in the UK are aimed at the building industry. HLS and 7Plus is the top product for exposed woodwork - I used it for that mast and for the barge boards on my house but it is more expensive, comes with a range of tints of which only one goes well on teak and is two coat so takes twice as long to apply. On balance I find Woodskin the best compromise - but in case you don't like International, Epifanes have a similar product - bit more expensive but is specifically recommended for teak!

The teak in the cockpit including the grids will respond well to use of teak restorers and once you get the years of dirt out of the grain will only need cleaning once a year. Avoid aggressive power washing but a light pressure to rinse off the first coat of cleaner does no harm.

Have fun!

 

[The Real Flipper]

No need to trawl through Amazon!. That Cetol is the same as international Woodskin - both brands are owned by Akzo Nobel and they sell in different brands for different markets. If you want to go down this route simply go to your nearest yacht chandler and buy International. It is a myth that chandlers are more expensive - 750ml is £25 in the UK, same price near enough per litre as the comparable Cetol products which in the UK are aimed at the building industry. HLS and 7Plus is the top product for exposed woodwork - I used it for that mast and for the barge boards on my house but it is more expensive, comes with a range of tints of which only one goes well on teak and is two coat so takes twice as long to apply. On balance I find Woodskin the best compromise - but in case you don't like International, Epifanes have a similar product - bit more expensive but is specifically recommended for teak!

The teak in the cockpit including the grids will respond well to use of teak restorers and once you get the years of dirt out of the grain will only need cleaning once a year. Avoid aggressive power washing but a light pressure to rinse off the first coat of cleaner does no harm.

Have fun!

International Woodskin. Readily available and happens to be on sale. Sold!
International Woodskin vochtregulernde houtolie/vernis

 

[The Real Flipper]

So thought I would give a quick update. I spent some time on the teak making a closer inspection. And it turns out that they actually are screws in there. And it appears that Tranona is right again, the dark stains are not in fact rust. As the screws look fine, all the ones I could see, I'm going to assume they are stainless steel as there is no rust on any exposed screw.

So I measured the teak caps and they appear to be 14mm, which seems strange for an English boat, because that comes out to .55 inches. Probably have to check that again.

Then I counted them and there are a whopping 208 teak caps.

Tried to pull a few out and found that they are either literally falling out or are impossibly stuck.
There does appear to be some kind of glue under.
Trying to get a screwdriver in the side and pry out, seemed impossible without damaging the wood around.
So I'm thinking I might drill them out.

I'm wondering if the ones standing proud can just be hammered back in and held with the woodskin.

It looks like this is going to be a bigger job than expected!

Edit: Also I just noticed that the boat looks *much* better in the photos above than in real life. Modern camera tech I guess.

Good news- the International Woodskin arrived. Always nice to have new stuff for the boat

 

[The Real Flipper]

Checked again the teak caps are 13mm so I guess I'll order a bag of 1/2 inch as that's probably the correct size.

Edit: Actually one of these actually does look a bit like rust. But then you can see so does the color of the wood! I think I'll know more when she's cleaned up.

Also, as though I don't have enough to do, I noticed the teak rails are actually sitting a bit off of the sides in a few places (bottom pic). Should I just fill that with something?

 

[peteK]

Bit off topic but what do folks do with a teak cockpit grating. Years ago we used to Teak Oil them as they did not get much UV.

I use decking stain which is intended for house decking after cleaning the teak.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

Teak wonder cleaner and sealer is quite good for leaving a just cleaned look and lasts for around 4 to 6 months in UK weather .

 

[wilkinsonsails]

By the way, teak deck dowels should be glued in ,but you will need to put the screw in deeper,.Ideally 1/2 the width of the dowel deep .
Too shallow and they will split easily and come out .

 

[The Real Flipper]

By the way, teak deck dowels should be glued in ,but you will need to put the screw in deeper,.Ideally 1/2 the width of the dowel deep .
Too shallow and they will split easily and come out .

Yeah I noticed that too. Many if not all of the screws are quite close to the surface.
I've been afraid to screw them in any more and possibly cause a leak! And I really don't need another work item like that right now.
Some in the Westerly forum said they should be bolts, and fiberglassed in on the back side (to prevent leaks) and of course that's all under headliners and such which are a bear to deal with. So it remains a mystery what's going on here.

 

[The Real Flipper]

Latest updates I got news from a helpful fellow at the Westerly forums (which are fantastic in fact, thanks to all who recommended!) that the screws are in fact bolts with screw heads. But they have a nut at the other end fiberglassed in as previously suggested.

So that's sorted. Good. Moving on.

So I definitely don't want to bother taking the whole boat apart to access all of those bolts and cut them out.

I got my Oxalic Acid today and am about to clean up the boat and then see which teak holes really do need new caps.
Oh yes of course there's a drama, there has to be another drama, it's a sailboat! LOL.
So first I need to rebed and reseal the forward hatch which is leaking badly, before I clean the boat. Then I can do a proper job and not have to worry about it.

 

[The Real Flipper]

So for now I need to order new teak plugs. This is going to be tricky.
They need to be thin as there is literally only 3 mm or so above the bolts to the top of the teak.
I'm thinking I will fill in with a rubber cement to get an even supportive background, that can someday be removed without too much effort if necessary, and teak cap over the top, then woodskin to hopefully strengthen and seal it all in. If it lasts a couple years, at this point I'll be happy.

So how the heck to do find 2-3mm thick teak plugs 1/2 inch round???
One person on the Westerly forums suggested using a type of epoxy that can be combined with a wood filler that looks something like teak. It sounds like a decent approach but I'd like if at all possible to actually match the direction of the teak grain.

So I'm looking for:
1. Some kind of hole puncher that is non destructive to the punched out part.
2. Some kind of teak that comes 2-3mm thick.

Both seem a bear to find. Closest I've found are these:

Hollow hole punches (which are apparently made for leather):
High Hardness Hollow Hole Punch Set Sturdy Hollow Punch Set 24 Shapes Heavy Duty | eBay

Some kind of hollow drill bit (which may chew up the cap):
Amazon.com : hollow drill bit

Teak Veneer (but it's only .6mm thick and says not for outdoors):
TEAK | Teakhout massief in topkwaliteit
Teak original - fineer
Teak – Hout-Fineer.nl

Teak Roll (again, thin, but can be ironed on to something thicker):
Mprofi MT® (5m Rolle) Kantenumleimer-Echtholz Furnier Umleimer mit Schmelzkleber-Bügelkante für Regalbrett-Möbelbauplatte-Umleimer zum Aufbügeln-Teak SK 60mm TK/60/5 : Amazon.de: Baumarkt

So what do you folks think? Which would work best and look best for 2-3 years?
I thought I was just restoring a boat, and it seems like I'm off to engineering school!
As usual any thoughts much appreciated

 

[Tranona]

Thought they would be bolts so good to have confirmation. Originally they would have been countersunk about 5mm and plugged. They are now shallower because the teak wears away from being left uncoated for 40 years and 2-3mm of the thickness of the strake has been lost.

So, what to do? Drill them out with a 13mm drill making sure you centre it properly - a 4mm pilot hole might help centre the bigger drill. Clean all the crud out and degrease with acetone. Buy one of these screwfix.com/c/tools/drill-bits/cat12140001?drillbittype=plug_cutter (does not have to be this brand), get access to a pillar drill or a drill stand to take a 43mm chuck drill (I have one of these machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cds3-drill-stand-with-vice/ ), acquire an offcut of teak, say 20mm thick and make your own plugs. Make them about 6mm long mix some epoxy with a filler preferably microballoons which come brown coloured or create some fine teak sawdust by sawing off a few thin strips of your teak with a bandsaw and glue the plugs in. You may well need to tape them as they won't be a tight fit while the epoxy cures. When it is cured you can saw the excess off with a small pull saw like this amazon.co.uk/Draper-15088-240MM-Tri-Cut-Pull/dp/B0772N4VCL/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=57473892160&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoZynzJTO-QIVDOR3Ch39zQTeEAAYAyAAEgIF-fD_BwE&hvadid=267432812536&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006548&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6731998819751668992&hvtargid=kwd-355947521900&hydadcr=20355_1719690&keywords=draw+saw&qid=1660749167&sr=8-5
then trim with a very sharp 25mm chisel and sand flush.. The advantage of this type of saw is that it has no back so runs almost flush with the face and cuts on the upstroke. Takes a bit of practice but worth the effort.

If you get the grain of the plugs aligned then the repair should blend in well, particularly after coating with Woodskin.

The advocates of leaving teak bare should read this as decay is an inevitable consequence leaving the buyer 40 years down the line with a massive restoration job. On the other hand if the teak had been coated from new like mine the surface would be like new once the coating has been removed and every original plug in perfect condition. Pity you are not here as I have a pot full of coloured sawdust, mostly teak and offcuts of teak and iroko that would make good plugs. Just made some for the companionway steps I have made out of an old mahogany window board.

 

[Tranona]

Thinking a bit more about it, suggest rather than go down the epoxy route you could use a polyurethane like this toolstation.com/ct1-sealant-adhesive/p90006 I experimented with it on my steps and it was a success as you can see from the photo. These were 9.5mm plugs but the principle is the same. If you go down the make your own plug route this is what you get (second photo) and you just pick them out with a screwdriver as you need them. You may of course be able to buy ready made 13mm plugs.

 

[Hacker]

We’ve just used Collano to glue in all the hull plugs on the oyster dredger that we are restoring. Very easy to use and it is gap filling as well.

 

[The Real Flipper]

Thanks again for all the tips. I think I have enough to get the teak sorted now.
Funny thing about restoring a boat is learning about priorities.
I wish I'd fixed the leaky hatch first. Then I could clean it. Then I could see better what I'm looking at and move on to other projects.
Now it all seems common sense. This is what happens when you're a bit overwhelmed
I have a 'todo' list that's literally 50 items long.
Funny cause the vendor said 'wash it and sail' LOL!
Edit: at that point it literally wasn't even floating...

 

[Tranona]

As you go along you will find the number of jobs joining the list exceeds the number falling off as you complete them

 

[Minerva]

As you go along you will find the number of jobs joining the list exceeds the number falling off as you complete them

but then one day you will find that the list contains mostly "nice to haves" jobs. That's when you opt to go and buy another boat and start all over again!

 

[Tranona]

That is a distant dream. Boat with no stern gear or engine, Bow thruster tube installed but motor and controls in a box in the saloon, mast on trestles sans rigging and just about to buy the third new tin of varnish!

And to think I sold a boat that did not even have a list other than couple of cans of fuel and a new bottle of single malt for the booze locker.