Advice for refurbishing teak

[CapeDory22]

Hello -

I have a really sweet and original Cape Dory 22 and would like to return the teak to 'as new.' I heard from someone of a recipe of (maybe) Murphy's Oil Soap and very light (non-metal) abrasive sponge. This is done to clean. Wait a few days in the sun to dry and then take sandpaper to it. Finish by applying teak oil.

Does this seem a reasonable approach?

I don't want to Cetol and from what I can tell, it's never been varnished.

Does anyone have a favorite teak oil? Is Amazon's (from West Marine) the top choice?

[CapeDory22]

I had a nice conversation with a fellow yesterday who will only use Semco teak sealer... he says it goes on like water and two coats will create an impervious surface that leaves the teak in its natural state, while preventing dirt and water penetration. I'll report results!

[Skipd]

Over the years, on different boats, I’ve used varnish, Cetol and left the teak raw. A few years ago I decided that Cetol, though a huge labor improvement over varnish, was still too much effort, especially the initial application steps. Decided to try Semco and have been very pleased with the results after a few New England seasons.
Attached are photos of a before and after. The get to the raw teak I scraped, used a heat gun and then lightly sanded. After this I used Semco 2 part cleaner, but not rigorously, and then 2 coats of Semco. Each season since I simply clean, maybe do a light 120 grit sanding and then apply the 2 coats.

[Tom Keevil]

I think Semcoe would work well if your boat is used seasonally. Our boat is in the water 12 months, and we found it was difficult to keep it looking good through the winter. When new it was very nice, but it became blotchy with time. We’re now leaving it gray.

[CapeDory22]

Thanks so much for these comments and reassurance. My boat is a 1981 CD 22 and has been a lake boat from new... indoor stored each winter. So, my baseline is quite good and will continue to be seasonal under my tutelage. Vermont's season is woefully short.

[nbush01]

I went with the Amazon's products. Used the teak cleaner (painted on with a sponge brush and scrubbed with a scotch scrub pad), Teak prep, and then their teak oil. I'm 100% new to sailing and sailboat care though. My cousin thinks the teak still came out a bit dark even when finished. However, I know I did not go nuts trying to clean every spec of dirt off of it (I liked the look that I got with a few semi darker spots). I guess it depends on what you like the looks of. Anyway, my boat is a 1974 CD25. Here's a few pics for you to take a peak at-- one showing how dirty it was (never treated before to my knowledge) and then half cleaned, but still wet.

IMG_9468.jpg

IMG_9511.jpg

[brooksey4018]

We are also currently refurbishing our CD25 teak. We went with AWL Grip primer and gloss coats (8 coats) very happy with the results.