Bright Work Cost?

[Cigatoo]

I didn't see any mentions of Cetol? Everyone I asked here in Maryland recommended the new Cetol Natural Teak. I have just started using it, but the color is almost identical to the Helmsman Spar Varnish I was using. It cost more but only require 3 coats and supposedly last at least twice as long. Anyone have any negative experiences with this before I go any further?

Thanks,
Ken

Used Cetol for almost 20 years. 3 coats of natural and 2-3 coats of clear. No sanding between coats. A couple of maintenance coats every 3 years. Holds up much better than varnish. Does it look as good as 8 coats of varnish? No, but it’s a great compromise with less than half the work. When it’s time to strip the varnish on our new to us GB 36 it will be replaced with Cetol. No doubt.

 

[DDW]

I wish the Jamaicans would get up to the PNW. On the east coast around Newport they are readily available in the spring and summer. Good work and inexpensive. I guess they don't like the rain in the NW?

Doing it yourself in the PNW the weather presents a significant challenge, unless you are in a boathouse. I did the small amount on my sailboat there indoors, took a week for 4 coats. Outside, it can be too sunny, too wet, too dusty, etc. I am EXTREMELY happy the trawler has no exterior wood.

 

[Sweet Dreams]

Not sure where you keep your boat and how durable varnish is there. If the bright work is Teak I would leave the varnish off. Once moisture gets under the varnish it looks terrible. Sun and heat degrade the varnish causing discolorization. I prefer teak oil and apply it often. Much easier and cheaper to sand when it's time. If your looking for the gloss of varnish then there is going to be alot more labor and expense involved.

 

[ghost]

Teak oil in the northwest is a good recipe for failure if used externally. The mold critters will feed on the oil and it will turn black.

 

[Portage_Bay]

$6K for toe rail and cap rail on a 40' Tolly. I know from experience watching the yard it would have come in higher than that in the end.


Rusty & sunchaser, you've both had work done in Sidney BC. Care to tell us the name of the yard(s) you've used? With the closing of Dunato's, Vic Frank and Jensen a lot of the Seattle options have disappeared.

 

[Choices]

I have a three year old awlwood job I did myself. Stripped with a heat gun bleached, light sand, then started back.

After three years only the joints are bad, will scuss sand with 400 and recoat all teak.

Awlwood is only way to go if you want the best. Three years on Gulf Coast is brutal.

An estimate back then was $6k for a 36GB.

 

[syjos]

I agree with Comdave and FF. Paint it once and forget it for 15 years.

And it makes the boat more modern looking.

I've removed most of the exterior teak and replaced with a wood - epoxy - fiberglass part.

The rest that was not removable was sanded, coated with epoxy and painted.

 

[sdupleich]

Used Cetol for almost 20 years. 3 coats of natural and 2-3 coats of clear. No sanding between coats. A couple of maintenance coats every 3 years. Holds up much better than varnish. Does it look as good as 8 coats of varnish? No, but it’s a great compromise with less than half the work. When it’s time to strip the varnish on our new to us GB 36 it will be replaced with Cetol. No doubt.

Does the original varnish need to be stripped before Cetol can be applied? Our varnish is in pretty good shape and I've been told it only needs a coat or two a year to keep it in good shape. I would definitely be inclined to choose a method that requires less maintenance. We have varnished teak on our cap rails and around the stern rail as well. All other teak has been left bare and we're maintaining it using a cleaner/brightener. Just not sure what to do about the cap rails and definitely don't want to wait until it deteriorates and needs to be fully stripped.

 

[Bryant]

Varnish

I’ve had my boat four years. It was done with cello and I haven’t touched it yet. It’s just now needing attention. If you keep up with cetol you will save yourself a lot of labor. The one down side to cetol is that next to Epifanes, it’s ugly and dull. Epifanes only lasts half as long and is much more labor intensive. Which one you go with is a matter of priorities.

 

[Cigatoo]

Does the original varnish need to be stripped before Cetol can be applied? Our varnish is in pretty good shape and I've been told it only needs a coat or two a year to keep it in good shape. I would definitely be inclined to choose a method that requires less maintenance. We have varnished teak on our cap rails and around the stern rail as well. All other teak has been left bare and we're maintaining it using a cleaner/brightener. Just not sure what to do about the cap rails and definitely don't want to wait until it deteriorates and needs to be fully stripped.

Yes Need to start fresh with Cetol. Just stay with the 2 coats of varnish until it needs stripping. Then start with Cetol. That’s my plan anyhow

 

[SeaBreeze]

For those of you who have painted teak what paint did you use and what was the color? Does anyone have any pictures of the results? I have painted interior teak with success using Topside paint.

 

[Comodave]

We painted our teak handrails on the sundeck. We used Interlux Brightside. 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of Brightside. It looks great and really updated our boat. Have had several people tell me it looks much better white than the varnished teak.

 

[syjos]

To paint exterior teak, I apply three coats of epoxy resin, sand and paint with whatever paint I'm using.

I primed the teak with oil based primer and applied paint, when I first started to deteak, but it tended to chip in spots. Primer has a tough time sticking to oily teak even after washing it with solvent. Chips has to be constantly touched up to keep water out.

 

[RonR]

Lets pretend I had a 32-34' CHB tri-cabin. After my first 150 hours of strip and re-varnish with 8 coats. About how many hours a year does one spend to keep it looking good? This is for an uncovered boat in the Pacific Northwest. And how long till I would need to invest another complete strip and re-varnish?

 

[kchace]

Similar to here (NH) I would say 2-3 coats per year will keep it good. Not sure about the second part - it hasn't happened to me yet (5 years on)

Ken

 

[Comodave]

Lets pretend I had a 32-34' CHB tri-cabin. After my first 150 hours of strip and re-varnish with 8 coats. About how many hours a year does one spend to keep it looking good? This is for an uncovered boat in the Pacific Northwest. And how long till I would need to invest another complete strip and re-varnish?

The varnishing is bad enough, but wait until you have to recaulk the seams. I just spent 250 to 300 hours on my knees recaulking and refinishing my sundeck.

 

[Bryant]

Brightwork

I’m a fan of exterior painted teak. It looks great and is much easier to maintain. My teak deck is removed and the deck painted. I’ve painted some of my exterior teak. Thinking about painting all of it.
As far as hours per year in the PNW, if the teak is in good shape now, about an hour per month to keep up with issues will suffice. In a few years you may have to repeat.

 

[Simi 60]

We don't have teak but do have merbau that was varnished but in a sad state when we bought her.

. Merbau is not just durable and stable, but also excellent at resistace against termite. ... As merbau hardwood price is 40%-50% lower than Burmese teak hardwood (also extremely resistant to termite), more and more people prefer to use merbau wood decks to replace Burmese wood decks for outdoor use.

I simply machine sanded with 60 grit and rolled on two coats of Sherman Williams self priming exterior acrylic paint tinted to a colour close to what it was.
3 years on in direct sunlight and daily use and it still looks as good as the day it went on apart for a few spots where we drag things across it.

Was poo pooed by some when we did it but the results don't lie.

 

[Comodave]

We also started converting varnish to paint. So far we have done all the railings around the sundeck and we love the look.

 

[Snapdragon III]

I don't have any exterior teak on my boat. But reading this thread has made me feel better about the hugely expensive/time consuming paint issues on my aluminum trawler that I have been worrying about for the last couple years. There is always something on a boat to spend all your time and money on.

 

[ghost]

Painting aluminum, ugh. Varnish is way easier.

 

[nobles9596]

Could you show pictures of teak wood you have painted? I am thinking about doing the same.

 

[Comodave]

So far we have done the railings on the sundeck and this winter we did the toe rails. I don’t have photos of the toe rails yet. If I can remember I will take some tomorrow...

 

[Choices]

Sacrilege on a Grand Banks.

 

[Comodave]

Here are photos of the toe rail. Next winter I will do the teak below the rub rail. I love it!

 

[Pack Mule]

Here are photos of the toe rail. Next winter I will do the teak below the rub rail. I love it!

Looks pretty darn good .

 

[Comodave]

Thanks, we love the look. I think it makes the boat look newer.

 

[syjos]

Thanks, we love the look. I think it makes the boat look newer.

That looks good Dave. The only thing on Sandpiper that has not been painted is my toe rail. After seeing yours, that might be my next project.

 

[Comodave]

I wish that I could have painted the teak below the rub rail this winter but my back was not up to it. So next winter...

 

[Duvie]

Epifanes "Dado Brown"

I have a combination of varnished teak and teak painted Dado Brown. The cap rails, window frames and handholds are painted. The doors, handrail and pulpit are varnished.

Just the other day my boat neighbor in the boat shed commented how good my varnish work looked. He didn't even notice that more than half was painted until I pointed it out. I got the same response from my insurance surveyor last year.

The two pictures are not great but they give you the idea.