Exterior teak prep

[Solmar]

Spic & Span also works well.

[Sea Hunt]

Hello Matt:

When I redid the toe rails and rub rails on S/V Tadpole I also had a few gray areas after sanding and scraping. These were completely covered over by the Cetol.

I was told by some folks at the sailing club that the black stains near the bungs are areas where moisture has seeped into a crack or space between the teak and the bung and that the only way to fully correct, depending on the extent of the black stain, is to scrape out all of the black stained teak and, if necessary, fill with epoxy mixed with teak dust.

As for finish, in March/April 2009, after sanding down the rails to bare teak and cleaning with acetone, I applied 3 coats of Cetol Marine Natural Teak followed by 2 coats of Cetol Clear Gloss. This was my first attempt at teak work. A little over a year later, after 24/7/365 in the Florida sun I am very happy with the Cetol. The only downside is that each application requires a 24 hour wait period. So, it took 5 days to do the job - after 2 days of sanding, scraping, etc.

[Troy Scott]

Cliff,

Which Epifanes product(s) are you considering?

[Dick Barthel]

Any comments on Cetol vs Epiphanes? I redid the teak plate around the tiller tube with Ephiphanes and it's held up well. Now, I deaparately need to to do the rest of the woodwork. Unfortunately, I have to be out of town the whole month of June on business so won't get any work done.

I assume you mean Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss their varnish alternative. I have been using it for the past 4 years and swear by it. It looks just like varnish and you don't have to sand in between coats. It is very durable with no in season maintenance required.

[Troy Scott]

Dick,

I'm trying to learn how Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss compares to Cetol Natural Teak (with their clear added). Comments?

[Markst95]

Troy, here's a pic to give you an idea of what the Cetol natural teak looks like. This is the second season and I've just added two coats. I did not use the clear cover and did have some wear through areas but I just scrubbed everything with a scotchbright pad and washed before applying. This is the original 38 year old teak that I had cleaned up with Te-ka teak cleaner last year and sanded.

[img]http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo99 ... 052310.jpg[/img]

[Troy Scott]

Mark,

The Ty looks great! The teak looks terrific. I think I might would prefer the added gloss for myself. But where's your boot stripe?

[Dick Barthel]

Dick,

I'm trying to learn how Epifanes Wood Finish Gloss compares to Cetol Natural Teak (with their clear added). Comments?

Troy,

Short of buying a small quantity of both are running an experiment like one of the boating product mags used to do I'm not sure what to do to finally decide. It sounds like the new Cetol product is a vast improvement. All I can say about the Epifanes varnish alternative is that when you put it on newly sanded teak it magnifies the beauty of the wood just like varnish. You can also put layers of varnish over Wood Finish Gloss if you've a mind to. I've never had enough time to try that.

It sounds like Cetol has made a leap forward though. You probably can't go wrong with either choice.

Dick

[Invictus]

The teak on INVICTUS is in need of TLC--dried out and furrowed from too much vigorous cleaning in the past.

I've already cleaned the teak and I intend to give it a good sanding to minimize the furrows as much as possible once she's back in the water next week. Then, it'll be oil and nothing but oil all summer (Danish Tung). I'll re-engage later this year (probably varnish).

I'm hoping that keeping it oiled for several months will bring the "life" back to the teak...and also delay the inevitable long enough to finally decide how to "finish" her brightwork.

Jeff

[Markst95]

I think adding the clear coat might be the way to go, it should help keep the finish from getting too dark with added coats and give it a nice gloss. I didn't add a boot stripe for a few reasons. I like the more traditional look of a boat without the stripe. Where I moor the boat I get alot of scum buildup at the waterline so I raised the bottom paint line up a little. Less maintenance with cleanings and one less thing to paint.

[Joe Myerson]

This spring, as I was adding the annual coat of Cetol Gloss to my brightwork, I had a chance to chat with Jason, the person who finishes most of the woodwork at Parker's Boat Yard.

Back in 2004, when Parker's finished my boat after sanding off the neglected coats of whatever left by the PO, they recommended one coat of regular (yucky orange) Cetol, two coats of Cetol Light and two coats of Cetol Gloss.

I've been touching up with Cetol Light and adding a topcoat of Gloss every year. It's a bit darker than natural teak, but still draws admiring comments (at least at the beginning of the season).

Now, with the introduction of Cetol Natural, Jason says the yard only adds the top coat of Gloss if customers specifically request it. If you are a Cetol user, it looks like Natural is the way to go, with or without Gloss.

--Joe