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Need a Teak Freak!

One part science, five parts experimentation. Every wood boat veteran has their secret recipe for a showy finish. Share your trials and triumphs.

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Bad Ass Boat
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Need a Teak Freak!

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Fri May 08, 2009 10:54 am

I have a 81 Wellcraft that has a lot of teak on it. I need to refinish it. I am really stupid on this wood. I have grey wood on the back swim platform also a crack in the wood what can I use to fill it?. I was going to take every think off and lighly sand it and then put some teak oil on it. Some of the wood is dirty too into the grain, Can you sand this wood and clear coat it with poly urathane?This boat cost almost 20 grand in 81 I want to do it right. I just dont know what to do Thanks Roger

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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Fri May 08, 2009 12:11 pm

Roger,

Paul Pletcher posted some good information on Teak in "Finishing Technique", "Finishing", last post dated 12/8/06. It includes this link http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/m ... 1126975515 showing how it's done.

Al

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Post by cenger » Fri May 08, 2009 12:47 pm

Wash it with a good quality 2 part teak cleaner (I like Snappy Teak); you will be amazed how clean it comes with no sanding. When you apply part A use a brush to work it in, this will get the dirt out of the grain. Part B will lighten the wood to a nice golden color. As for bad wood, Famwood makes a teak filler but if the wood is too far gone its best to replace.

Teak oil looks great but has high maintenance as it only looks good for about two weeks before you have to wash and re-oil. Varnish will last longer and is a lot less work.

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Post by maritimeclassics » Fri May 08, 2009 2:47 pm

I have had my fare share of washing teak decks and that may be why my back hurts from time to time. I have tried a few different ways and always went back to a product called Teka A & B, this stuff is a two part that really lifts the dirt out, you have to be careful and scrub lightly, it will soften and lift the grain as all 2 part cleaners will, after that the best thing is to just let them alone. Oil is possibly the worst in my book, it attracts the dirt like crazy and if you have your boat outside it will look bad very quickly. Varnish is also not a good idea to me either, a teak deck acts like a natural none skid surface when wet that is why it is on so many boat. If you apply varnish it will be a skating rink when water gets on it and there is a pretty good chance of that. If you live and cruise in the ocean get your decks nice and clean then wash them every couple days with salt water and let them dry naturally. They will turn a beautiful silver color and then amber when wet.
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rpccc43
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Post by rpccc43 » Fri May 08, 2009 4:16 pm

Rodger,

My previous boat although fiberglass was loaded with teak trim, around the cockpit and the back of the cabin including the door. Once cleaned (any of the methods described above will work) and you want a bright finish, then Sikkens Cetal products are the only way to go as far as I am concerned. Depending on where you live the natural graying may not occur as planned. In the NE where we lack both sun and salt (in the air) more often than not you will get mildew and mold with the gray. Oils look good when 1st done but is very short lived and attracts dirt. I owned this boat for 12 years and tried them all. To answer your question, yes it can be sanded to close up the grain some if it is weathered badly. Once you get the gray off save the dust from your finish sanding and mix with wood glue to repair the crack. The Sikkens will last for years with an annual cleaning and quick refresher top coat. Good luck. Randman
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Bad Ass Boat
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Teak wood

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Fri May 08, 2009 6:52 pm

Ok I am out in the sticks I dont even know where go get this stuff. I went to the hardware the other day and they had nothing for teak. Can I sand and clean it and just spray urathane clear coat on it? Its just the trim in the boat. Its really dusty here and oil will just attract dirt. I am selling the boat so I dont want to go to extravagent I just want simple Thanks Roger

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Acetone and teak

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Fri May 08, 2009 7:16 pm

Ok I read to sand the teak then clean it with acetone do you use a rag with the acetone or what? Any help? :?

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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Fri May 08, 2009 8:33 pm

Jamestown Distributers www.jamestowndistributers.com delivers via UPS.

Al

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rpccc43
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Post by rpccc43 » Fri May 08, 2009 11:56 pm

Rodger,

You would only use acetone to wipe down the teak before varnishing which you could do to dress up the boat for sale. Wipe the teak with a rag dampened with acetone after you sand. Jamestown distributors sells a couple of teak kits from $35 to $45 plus shipping. Both kits have the cleaners and teak oils for finishing. They also have the Sikkens products if you want to gp that route. I would definitely not use hardware store urethanes as they do not hold up under the sun and will peel in relatively short time. With teak care there is no easy/cheap way out. Good Luck. Regards,

Randman

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Reponse to blog

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Sat May 09, 2009 12:05 am

The one link a member sent me said not to use teak oil it really attracts the dirt. He said to sand it then use acetone to clean the wood then use traditional varnish it holds up well and really brings out the grain of the teak. How can you tell if you got all the dirt out of the grain? Its really cool to have all these guys with all this knowledge to help you! Roger :) Thanks!

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57 chris
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Post by 57 chris » Sat May 09, 2009 5:48 am

Roger,
Teak is a very curious creature. It's a very oily wood that will not accept any kind of tight sealing finish. Teak oils do indeed attract dirt, varnish will last a very short time and any of the urethanes not long enough to put your brushes away, been there tried that! I've never had to deal with teak that was really badly weathered, just your average wear that needed a fresh coat so I was able to give it a light scuff with scotchbrite and 2-3 coats of Sikkens Cetol. This stuff is fantastic and it lasts! they even make a high gloss formula that looked great on my swim platform (and NO, it wasn't slippery when wet), by experience this is the best product I've ever used on teak.

Craig
1957 18' SeaSkiff #SK 18675 "Knot Sure!"
1958 18' SeaSkiff #SK18722 "Wreckreation"

Past projects: 1972 19' Lancer with 307 Volvo drive-Great Blue, 1968 23' Lancer Offshore with 283 Volvo drive-Narwahl
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It's good to have wood!

ed laning
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Post by ed laning » Sat May 09, 2009 6:09 am

I have to second what has been said about Sikkens Cetol. On my 37' Connie Express the aft cockpit sole and the entire deck was of teak. Once I wooded the deck I applied three coats. Every spring I sanded very lightly and applied a fresh coat. I liked the look and performance of this finish much more than any other. West Michigan doesn't have salt water nor enough sun to create the look that appears in Florida and California areas, otherwise I would have gone that route. My project for today is to apply a fresh coat of Cetol Marine Light to the mahogany components in our 15' Whaler. Same routine as I used to do on the Connie. Been very happy with this product as it can be used on more than just teak. Ed
1978 22' CC Dory outboard

Bad Ass Boat
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Sounds good where do it get it?

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Sat May 09, 2009 9:53 am

Ok how will I know if I have the wood clean enough with the sanding and acetone before I apply this stuff and where do I get it? Thanks Roger

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Post by Wood Commander » Sat May 09, 2009 4:23 pm

As pretty well covered already, a good soap and water scrubbing and possibly a light sanding will make a HUGE difference in the look of the teak. In my youth I put in many hours scrubbing the teak decks of our 46' Yawl. After just scrubbing a very grey deck, it would turn a beautiful gold that made all of that work worth while. But after about a week in just the Lake Erie sun, it would go mostly grey again. But soap and water scrubbing would bring it right back again to beautiful gold, then the cycle would just repeat itself. We never coated the teak on that boat.

Teak is a very oily wood and I don't recommend varnishing. I have seen it glued with WEST SYSTEM epoxy and that seems to work well if you clean the crack or break with acetone first. Get the WEST small booklets that explain wetting out the repair with straight epoxy first and then mixing up a glue powder to put in the crack and make the repair.

I have more recently used Cetol on teak and I think that is the way to go. I've got a buddy with a 1968 36' Trojan Flybridge Express with all teak decks that stay out in the Midwest sun all during the boating season and that's what he uses and it stays nice looking. I've used the regular Cetol that is a bit darker with good success, but I would use the lighter colored version if I was going to do it over again.

You can get both Cetol (I think it's made by Sikkens?)and WEST SYSTEM at the aforementioned Jamestown Distributors and and WEST MARINE stores, or on-line via your computer and mail order. But there are WEST MARINE stores near most major water areas.
Bret

1953 35' Commander "Adonis III"

1970 23' lancer project

Bad Ass Boat
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Great info guys!

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Sat May 09, 2009 11:45 pm

I just got my boat cribbed up today off the trailer! My buddy showed up to help him nor I knew our ass from a hole in the ground about cribbing up a boat! Man thats scary when you dont know what the hell your doing. Its a little wobbly going to shore it up better in the morning! The only way I found out how to crib one up was a email from some dude in Washington state 6 years ago! Scary Huh? Any way I guess I am going with sanding it lightly then acetone then I am going with the Cetal products. You guys sold me! How will I know when I have all the dirt out of the wood? Thanks again guys for all your help!

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evansjw44
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My Take

Post by evansjw44 » Sun May 10, 2009 2:21 pm

I haven't offered my take. Maybe no one cares but when I have bared teak, I just use plain old Comet cleanser to clean it. You have to flush it good with water to get the grit out but it leaves the teaks squeeky clean. Used to use linseed oil as a finish. Then went to teak oil. Now I use Sikens. I replaced my ratty looking toe rails a couple of years ago when I re-vinyled my deck so I don't have aged looking teak. On the new stuff I use one coat of Sikken color and then three coats of clear. That finish doesn't get the muddy Sikken look. You can't do more than that until you wait for it to cure. It stays sticky. Then you can use Sikken as you would varnish, but on teak its much better.

In general, if you want teak rails etc to stay nice you have to pull them off, clean the backside and apply sealer, Interlux 1026 or CPES or Sikkens will do but they have to be sealed from underneath or your going to waste a lot of time. Then re-bed them and finish the pretty side. This will last for years.

I find that I have so much to finish that I don't give my toe rails proper and timely re-coating with Sikkens so I have to sand off the coating and re-do it every 3 years or so.
Jim Evans

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Teak continued

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Sun May 10, 2009 3:30 pm

Yes your imput is important Jim! I am going to strip all the teak off the boat I didnt think about doing the back side good idea! So if I use like 220 grit sand paper and sand by hand then clean it with Comet and let it dry I can then put the siken on it how long will it take to dry out in the sun? Thanks Roger

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evansjw44
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Sanding

Post by evansjw44 » Sun May 10, 2009 3:55 pm

220 is Way to soft. Most woods do not finish well when sanded that smooth. Some finishers will call the line at 120. That's sort of my call but I feel the wood and decide. You'll find the scattering at 100 - 180. Experience tells you but unlike doing car body work, wood needs to be open to accept finish. Teak likes to be more open than mahogany.

The real key is keep water out from underneath. Hence, sealing and bedding.
Jim Evans

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Post by Wood Commander » Sun May 10, 2009 11:37 pm

I'm not sure what you mean when you are talking about, how you know when all of the dirt is out, we'd probably have to see a picture of that.

When putting a boat on the hard, "poppets" or screw jack stands work very well. These are kind of like a scaffold screw jack with a carpet covered pivoting piece of square plywood on the top of the all thread, and a triangular or square angle iron base. You can build your own or check out the marine supply stores to get them.
Bret

1953 35' Commander "Adonis III"

1970 23' lancer project

Bad Ass Boat
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Did I do this right guys?

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Wed May 13, 2009 12:22 am

Ok since where on the subject of blocking up a boat I wanted to post my blocking of my boat. Its the first time I have tried it a buddy came over Sat and we got it done blind leading the blind. What can I do to shore it up a little better? Its a little wobbly dont step on my go nads to bad guys I was going by some intructions from some dude from Seattle 6 years ago. This is very scary when two people dont know what the hell there doing!
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