teak

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pathfinderstu

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i know this subject has probably been hammered but i have been away fom sailing boats for around 20+ years now and have just bought a nice yacht, what i cant understand is the fashion of silver coluored teak thats just been left to fade etc. to me it looks the same kind of thing as stainless steel that has been neglected and gone rusty.
not much teak on my yacht but the main hatchway louvre doors are teak and have just treated them and got the silver dead wood off , already they look clean makes the boat look smart and new with a much more pleasant colour, will be putting teak oil on tommorow when they have dried out and looking forward to seeing them at there best with the natural rich colour and grain showing through.
 
The trouble is that the golden colour doesn't last long. If you sand it you are removing a layer and on most modern yachts the teak decking is so thin it will be down to the fastenings in no time ...
 
Do not put teak oil on it - will be sticky and attract dirt. If you do not like the weathered finish then bite the bullet, rub it down to a nice even colour and varnish.
 
You can love up your boat too much!

There was a time when the coachroof rails were lightly sanded + oiled every year.we Ultimately, sanding removes valuable teak and the oil introduces unattractive dark marks.

I have learnt to love the silvery colour. I might have another go the day she goes on the market!
 
sailorman said:
there are better products available than oil
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ideally i would like 6 coats of varnish but that would last about 6 weeks in the intensive sun in the eastern med.
am lazy teak oil will do for me.
if you buff the excess oil of after it dries then its not sticky.
 
pathfinderstu said:
ideally i would like 6 coats of varnish but that would last about 6 weeks in the intensive sun in the eastern med.
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What are the stains like Cetol and Woodskin like in intensive sun, does anyone know ?

Thanks,

Boo2
 
Last edited:
Boo2 said:
What are the stains like Cetol and Woodskin like in intensive sun, doe snyone know ?

Thanks,

Boo2
Click to expand...

Not so good - but better than most other finishes. Track down the Classic Boat long term test on bright finishes by Richard Hares. Sikkens Novatech/Top performs best. Woodskin is supposed to be a similar product. The biggest enemy of bright finishes is the combination of UV and saltwater which degrades the film of conventional finishes and once it breaks it tends to lift and let water in. The porous woodstain type finishes slowly degrade, but generally don't break down.
 
I'm part way through replacing part of the toerail damaged in a storm. Its teak and uncoated in any way. Its a 1973 built boat, so that teak has done well, other than physical damage.

I read somewhere that teak lasts longest with seawater wetting and nothing else.

I gotta say though that this is my first time working in teak, and its fantastic to work. Just beautiful wood, and so easy to shape, cut, plane etc. But expensive!
 
They do say that sea water is best as the salt crystals leave a protective layer. Question is how to achieve this when the boat is in a marina. The Superstructure needs washing down with fresh water, which inevitably then washes the salt water off the teak. I would not want to get marina water up in a bucket onto the decks as in the Mediterranean marina , the water can be pretty stagnant

TudorSailor
 
Teak

having had a 45;) ft schooner with massive amounts of teak & oak topsides & below, I speak from experience,try Deks Olje you simply paint it on no skill needed one coat after another until you have about 15 coats on,you will have by then a superb finish,& after that I found that 1 coat every 9 to 12 mths kept her looking fantastic,
This was done for 7 yrs in the med & 5 yrs in the canaries when we arrived back in the uk the finish was as new.
As for the teak decks I simply threw 2 or 3 buckets of seawater on them daily
this preserves the teak & stops it drying out & cracking,& also keeps the silvery finish.The teak decks by the way were 30 yrs old,
When I sold the boat the surveyor commented that the decks were in perfect condition,as was the teak & oak deckhouse.
Hope this is of help. Stilroaming.
Fair winds & calm seas.
 
Teak

PS-I should have explained Deks Olje does not sit on the top of the teak like varnish.Each coat sinks into the wood until it cannot absorb anymore,you will know when that occurs as the treatment just sits on the wood & simply will not take anymore.
By the way I have absolutely nothing to do with the company that makes it.
I am just a very satisfied customer.
Stilroaming.
Fair winds & calm seas.:):)
 
laffinskip said:
PS-I should have explained Deks Olje does not sit on the top of the teak like varnish.Each coat sinks into the wood until it cannot absorb anymore,you will know when that occurs as the treatment just sits on the wood & simply will not take anymore.
By the way I have absolutely nothing to do with the company that makes it.
I am just a very satisfied customer.
Stilroaming.
Fair winds & calm seas.:):)
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I used Deks Olje when it first came to the UK in about 1984, my findings were the opposite to yours.
 
Tranona said:
Not so good - but better than most other finishes. Track down the Classic Boat long term test on bright finishes by Richard Hares. Sikkens Novatech/Top performs best. Woodskin is supposed to be a similar product. The biggest enemy of bright finishes is the combination of UV and saltwater which degrades the film of conventional finishes and once it breaks it tends to lift and let water in. The porous woodstain type finishes slowly degrade, but generally don't break down.
Click to expand...

Actually the Sikkens product came second to Coelan.

e6f6fad0901f8fb5729c6d98f8c8858e.jpg


Looks great on my boat after four years since application.

file-11.jpg
 
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