varnishing teak deck around cockpit

[All_at_Sea]

Hello all
Just sanded all the cockpit teak decking and want to know what l should put on to protect it all. I was thinking a thin coating of epoxy followed by building up varnish layers? Any other ideas. The reason for doing this is that the cockpit teak is partially protected at all times and would look nicer than the teak going grey. I know this means lots of future work but l am happy to do this.

 

[pvb]

You must have lots of spare time! I'd always recommend simply treating it with Boracol 2 or 3 times a year - it'll go a soft silvery grey colour.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Don't put anything on it, especially not varnish !! Over a period of time it will look worse than plain teak, and will also become slippery when wet.

Plain teak is best, cleaned once or twice a year.

 

[FWB]

Just spray the whole deck with a solution of Patio Magic and leave it to dry and leave it alone for a year then do it again.

 

[maby]

A friend has recently done his with Semco and it does look very good. It does not appear to be slippery when wet and is retaining its colour. He does predict that it will need treating again in less than a year. I'm keeping an eye on it and may copy.

 

[VicS]

Hello all
Just sanded all the cockpit teak decking and want to know what l should put on to protect it all. I was thinking a thin coating of epoxy followed by building up varnish layers? Any other ideas. The reason for doing this is that the cockpit teak is partially protected at all times and would look nicer than the teak going grey. I know this means lots of future work but l am happy to do this.

The most satisfactory finish that I have used was Sikkens Cetol Marine.

Cetol Marine is NLA and has been replaced by International Woodskin q.v. I have not personally tried it yet but reports on the forums have been good

I would not use either for the cockpit grating though.

 

[KAM]

Varnished cockpit teak looks good and the wood is protected. It helps if it is covered during winter storage. I would not use epoxy or two pack as its too difficult to touch in and refinish. Standard yacht varnish has been on for 6 yeasr now with a touch up and extra coat every year or two. The adjacent non treated teak is looking decidedly worn by comparison. Talking about coamings and capping strips here. I don't think it would be appropriate for laid decks.

 

[Derm]

From my experience and that of many professionals, do not varnish. Use a two stage teak cleaner and then one or two coats of Semco. Results are quite amazing and lat a season or two.

 

[vyv_cox]

Our teak toerails and hand rails were always varnished when the boat was in northern Europe. When we entered the Med ten years ago we gave up with the varnishing and allowed the teak to weather. Since then it has silvered and all seemed to be well, until we realised that it had eroded so badly that plugs over screws were falling out. It has now reached the stage that its thickness in all dimensions has reduced by perhaps 10%, but unevenly with loss of the softer fibres being far more.

I used Woodskin in UK after reading Richard Hare's recommendations in PBO, and have found it to be excellent. Wooden spars coated with it look good after two years. Boat owners I know in Greece report good UV resistance, with recoating only necessary after three years. So I have now applied it to all my teak, finished it yesterday. Time will tell whether it lasts but hopefully it has arrested further deterioration of the wood. It is far easier to apply than varnish and can simply be overcoated when necessary.

 

[All_at_Sea]

Thanks all

I will try Woodskin and see how it goes. This is just for the coamings and having spent a lot of time sanding to get a good finish l want to preserve the look for as long as possible. I agree that decks should remain grey as with gratings but the coamings are more cosmetic around the cockpit. I'll post a pic once done.