Need Advice -- brightwork

[Mathias]

Wingreen,

I like the teak oil look. You made me think about doing my pin rails (for my belaying pins) in oil. I didn't want to varnish them because I can't varnish down into the holes. So, the varnish would have an "edge" at the holes and I figured that with the edge, the varnish would fail prematurely.

The other option was to leave them bare, as they are now. But teak oil sounds like an interesting option. And since I only have two and they are relatively small (about 18 inches each) it wouldn't be too much work to keep up with.

Does anyone else have any experience with how often teak oil would have to be applied to an exposed piece of oiled wood?

-Mathias

[trapper]

Below are some pics of my CD22 with teak oil except the grab rails and they are in cetol.

I cleaned the teak and applied teak oil. It did not last long in the southern sun.

http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/ftrapp/QT2/

That said, it was very pretty.

[Mathias]

Pretty indeed, Trapper. Nice job.
-Mathias

[seajunkie]

Does anyone else have any experience with how often teak oil would have to be applied to an exposed piece of oiled wood?

I am trying to figure out how to handle the teak on my new/old CD25. I use teak oil on lawn furniture in the back yard here in San Diego. It lasts a month in the sun before I need to pressure wash it and re-apply. It is easy to put on, but I wouldn't want to do that on a boat. The table that I have a canvas cover over has lasted years without re-oiling. I'm thinking if I can get a deal on a mooring cover that oil might be an option.

[trapper]

After looking at a lot of products and looking at pics and reading posts on this board I have decided to go with Honey Teak.

Zeida (a poster on this board) has a CD33 in Miami and she says it works great. It looks great and lasts a long time in S. Fl. sun. Look up her posts. I have had a little bit of a hard time applying iit--but I am getting there. You might want to check out Zeida's posts.

[wingreen]

I suppose it depends on how much exposure to the elements has everything to do with the longevity of a teak oil job. I keep mine under a tarp when it's not in the water, and I have only been daysailing lately. I think I spent about 20 days on the water last year. Every time I haul her out I use a gentle dish detergent solution and a soft brush to wash her down, dry her off, and then throw the tarp back on. With this treatment, the high spots on the teak just started to show a little discoloration after a year. So, from my perspective, given the needs of a daysailor, considering how easy and infrequent it is to maintain a teak oil finish, how nice it looks and feels, I believe oil is the way go.

Now, for a large boat that's in the water all year long, I can see that it might be impractical to rub a new coat in once a month. I have seen boats with custom covers for the brightwork, which would probably make the maintenance more like my current once-a-year schedule.