Stork_III
Well-known member
Works very well>
Teak treatment
- Thread starter mlthomas
- Start date
wazza
Member
We saw a Fantasi yacht, 37 I believe, with the polyurethane product Coelan on it's teak deck and I must say it looked very good! Didn't feel slippery, more rubbery... We have teak decks on our Najad 343 (30yo) and may well go with that and especially as I've heard it lasts for a long time, therefore increasing the deck's life.. we have to do something soon and re-laying teak IS NOT an option, don't really want standard GRP decks and Flexi teak is expensive.
Tranona
Well-known member
Doubt that is a viable solution if the deck is suffering from the usual 30 year problems of wear, seams opening and water getting underneath. It is not the teak surface that is the problem it is the method of construction. Coelan like most products has its pros and ons. It has to be perfectly applied and then kept completely intact. In this case it is flexible and hard wearing. If, however the film breaks for whatever reason and water gets underneath it will pull off in sheets.
There is only one answer for a worn deck that is glued and screwed to a ply or GRP substrate when it gets to the end of its life, and that is to take it off and either make good and paint or relay teak just glued and not screwed (as many modern boats are).
BrianH
Active member
The photo below shows a small section of my deck, after one year of Coelan treatment, where water had found an entry point and which was duplicated in many places. I had to spend two weeks sanding it all off again - a horrendous job.
When I first applied it the final coating was supposed to be matte but the degree of glossiness was hardly any different than the others and, as I passed swiftly over it in bare feet in a sudden thunderstorm, I suddenly realised as all grip underfoot left me, that I was traversing a lethal skating rink, far from the reassuring grip of the original wood. I knew then that I had to sand and add further coats of Coelan into which I must mix the glass beads from the same company for adding some degree of non-slip surface. When I saw what a winter had done that was when I decided to take it off and not apply the glass bead treatment.
I then applied what I thought was pure teak oil but which contained some form of varnish that the tin did not inform about. This caused a patchy darkening after two years that needed another sanding back to the bare wood. I lost another two weeks of cruising this year doing that. I now have tried the latest teak deck snake oil, SEMCO - so far it looks like I have found the solution, but only time will tell.
Tranona tells it like it is - make a bonfire of that absurd cosmetic and ponderous wood covering and put some proper deck paint down. I know, I should practice what I preach but ... maybe next year.
wazza
Member
Yep Tranona, I believe you and Barnac1e have the right solution (ok even though barnac1e hasn't done it, yet but I feel he's tempted) rip the sh*t up and lay something else... I bloody hate my decks BUT love my boat
Tranona
Well-known member
Yep Tranona, I believe you and Barnac1e have the right solution (ok even though barnac1e hasn't done it, yet but I feel he's tempted) rip the sh*t up and lay something else... I bloody hate my decks BUT love my boat
Think you have to be careful what you do with a boat like yours. Knackered decks are indeed s***, but not everybody dislikes teak - and on a boat like yours a buyer will expect it when you come to sell. So you are going to take a financial hit whichever way you go - either the cost of replacement now, or the lower value and probably difficult sell when you want to change.
Well laid teak decks should last over 30 years if they are just glued down and not screwed, so if you do it now you will at least get some pleasure out of it.
Glad its not my decision!
wazza
Member
You know I thought about this over and over and you are probably quite right about the resale aspect. BUT I'm 42, wife a couple of years younger, children 8 & 10 am I really going to want to get to know the ins and outs of another boat? No.. do I need a bigger or at some stage smaller boat? No.. so no real point in changing her..
On the other hand I have seen an older Najad, a 34 and she had to have had teak but now fiberglass decks, looking good..
What I need to do (which I'm currently investigating) is how much different alternatives will cost and which of them is viable, till then I'll just be a bitter man who hates his teak decks
London Pride anybody
nigelmercier
RIP
- Joined
- 20 Jun 2007
- Messages
- 16,234
- Location
- Live in Kent, boat in Canary Islands
I have black stains on my teak (and the surrounding gell coat), caused by the Sikaflex leaching. I'd be interested to know if this product would cure it, or make it worse.
I have found a product that cleans the teak very well, it's called "Sial Chiara Candeggina Profumata" and made in Italy. It turns out that this is just "Scented Bleach" for cleaning clothes.
BrianH
Active member
SEMCO is a sealer not a cleaner, there are plenty of proprietary oxalic acid based cleaners on the market that you should use.
Having finished my 2 litres of SEMCO and being pleased with the result, I wanted to expand the teak renovation to the handrails I have on pilot-house and cabin tops. SEMCO is not available locally but 'Teak Wonder' mentioned by another poster, also in Italy, is. Labelled as a 'Dressing and Sealer' I bought a 1 litre can for 19 euros - less than half the price I paid for a litre of SEMCO from the UK on-line.
The contents seemed identical to SEMCO, same liquid consistency, colour and smell. It applied identically too and the result looked similar. In all probability it is the same product packaged by another company, Barka srl, Italy.
Marine Reflections
Active member
Semco were the first in the UK to provide a 3 part cleaning and sealing system.
Part 1 is a deep cleaner.
Part 2 is a neutraliser of part 1 and a brightener.
Part 3 is the sealer.
The 3 parts have been copied many times here in the UK but all have failed to give the edge that Semco has.
I started using the 3 part system many years ago, it has never failed to get the right results.
In my opinion there is no better way to maintain the peak performance of the teak in terms of grip and water resistance and if applied properly offers good long term protection.
No affiliation, just a very happy customer many times.
Part 1 is a deep cleaner.
Part 2 is a neutraliser of part 1 and a brightener.
Part 3 is the sealer.
The 3 parts have been copied many times here in the UK but all have failed to give the edge that Semco has.
I started using the 3 part system many years ago, it has never failed to get the right results.
In my opinion there is no better way to maintain the peak performance of the teak in terms of grip and water resistance and if applied properly offers good long term protection.
No affiliation, just a very happy customer many times.
BrianH
Active member
Regarding the cleaning I stand corrected, I had assumed the topic was concerned with final teak finishing products and was unaware of other than the part 3 product. Looking back I see that other preparatory stages had entered the thread.
I am entirely satisfied with the part 3 - so far. But also I'm happy to have found locally what appears to be an identical product, at half the price.