Restoring exterior teak rails

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Acronyms!

So what's TDS?

We fill our cap rail seams w Sika Flex. Works well enough. I won't say it's the correct way to do it and it needs to be routed out and redone from time to time. Should probably try to remove oil and salt from the seams but we don't. Larry's Dremel Tool blade may do a fair job of that though. Much of our cap rail seams are curved so that may not work for us.

Mark M,
If you want to kick the can down the road you could varnish as usual and then mask off the un-uniform part in the corner. Then paint it w a solid color that's close in color to the teak. Most won't even notice it's painted. When you get ambitious hit it lightly w a propane torch and brush off w stiff natural bristle brush. Or a scraper of sorts. The color won't be in the wood as it's on top of the varnish. Then when you're wooded down make the color uniform w sanding, stain or whatever and re-varnish. If you think it's going to be a problem in the future for the same reason it is now use a varnish or coating that is easy to touch up .. like oil base.

Pack Mule,
You've got to keep the water from reaching the end grain. Perhaps an extremely flexable coating like nail polish (clear) painted on the seam and 1/4" to either side may help. Anyone done anything like that?
 
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Eric- TDS is Teak Deck Systems (or Decking Systems). Their seam sealant is what's used by Grand Banks, Flemming, etc and it's considered by a lot of experienced shipwrights to be the best deck seam sealant there is.

TDS also specializes in providing new teak decks for any kind of boat, pre-made at their plant. Outstanding decks but not cheap-- when we priced having a new main deck made for our boat in the early 2000s the cost would have been about $30,000.
 
MikeM said:
View attachment 38560View attachment 38561

Our cap rails are in pretty good shape except for areas like those shown in the attached pics. Is there anything that I can do to repair these areas, or do I have to remove all of the varnish and start with bare wood?


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
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On this I might would scarf in some new pcs if that area is soft and leave a decent gap for caulk . I used TDS ( Teak Deck Systems ) So far I really like it but we just do some sissy boating here ( fresh water and under cover ) compared to you guys .
 
This boat is new to us, and I'd like to do the cap rails with Awl-Brite or something like that. It is purported to last years. But I assume for that to be the case, I need to fix the seams as Larry and others suggest.

I plan to paint a lot of the other exterior teak trim, probably with Interlux Perfection. That should take care of it for a while.

What do you all think of that plan? Any experience with those two products?


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
Greetings,
Mr. MM. I, personally, like the contrast between "varnished" teak and a painted surface. What you plan to do is your choice and I can see the reasoning behind it. IF you do paint over the teak, please give serious consideration to my suggestion (post #26).
 
RT Firefly said:
Greetings,
Painting teak might be an option some choose BUT if you're going to go that route, please seal the teak well with a varnish of some sort first so, if in the future, you change your mind or a subsequent owner decides to go "au naturel" your name will not be cursed. Pretty well impossible to remove soaked in paint from raw teak. Thanks.
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Good suggestion. Thanks.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
manyboats said:
...We fill our cap rail seams w Sika Flex. Works well enough. I won't say it's the correct way to do it and it needs to be routed out and redone from time to time...
Click to expand...

Eric: We have never had to redo a seam after using TDS. A primer is not required but if you're caulking an oily wood such as teak, after the seam has been cleaned, a brush with acetone will help remove any oils before applying the caulk. Fisheries in Seattle stocks it.

I've started using white TDS instead of 3M 4000UV as an exterior caulk, which IMHO is of poor quality. The TDS seems to have as much adhesion as the 4000 and if it stands up to the UV as good as the black, it should be a winner.

Caution: TDS has a recommended one year shelf life. Every tube has a date on it which should be checked at the time of purchase.
 
MikeM said:
This boat is new to us, and I'd like to do the cap rails with Awl-Brite or something like that. It is purported to last years. But I assume for that to be the case, I need to fix the seams as Larry and others suggest.

I plan to paint a lot of the other exterior teak trim, probably with Interlux Perfection. That should take care of it for a while.

What do you all think of that plan? Any experience with those two products?


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
Click to expand...
Mike , check with Richard (Wxx3 ) on Dauntless . I think he painted his anchor platform one of those Caribbean colors. .
 
MikeM said:
...I plan to paint a lot of the other exterior teak trim, probably with Interlux Perfection. That should take care of it for a while.

What do you all think of that plan? Any experience with those two products?

Mike: Hobo's eyebrow, grab rails, name boards, stairs to the foredeck and exterior pilot house doors are all painted, some by us, some by the PO. We use Interlux's Brightside, one-part polyurethane over their Pre-Kote primer. Touch up is easy. I haven't worried about making sure that the sub surface was varnished with the idea that the next owner will want to go back to varnish. We left him enough.

If you paint the eyebrows, make sure they are sealed well either with CPES or equivalent first. They are laminated strips on Hobo. I just finished replacing the last 2 that weren't sealed and it's amazing what the paint can hide.
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I'll second, or third or fourth the rec for Teak Decking Systems calk. And while I am at it, Epiphanes Wood Finish, a wonderful product especially for those of us who hate 1) sanding and 2) having to re-finish all the time. I will also state my strong personal preference for having removable covers for the exterior rails, God bless our PO for having them made.
 
Larry,

What made you decide on Brightside over Perfection. Were you happy with it? If I prime with CPES, do I need to take everything down to bare wood?

Mike


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
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CPES is only meant to be used on raw wood. It accomplishes absolutely nothing if applied over a finish or primer. It is very thin so soaks down into the upper layers of wood cells and then cures, thus making the cells impervious to moisture. That is the only reason to use it.
 
MikeM said:
Larry,

What made you decide on Brightside over Perfection. Were you happy with it? If I prime with CPES, do I need to take everything down to bare wood?

Mike


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
Click to expand...

For brush work and/or touch up, one part is so much easier, ie application. Not as durable but for wood that moves with the elements...

I'm looking at trim work not hulls or major flat surfaces when I say that.
 
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We've done a lot of Brightside and although we're re coating some now we're not making any moves toward anything else. Seems a good product and user friendly. I have been coating some things on the boat w house paint too. Even more user friendly.
 
I used CitrusStrip chemical stripper after taking off most of it with a heat gun. The heat gun works best with two people; one gunner, one scraper. They're both a mess.
 
jbuck said:
View attachment 38422
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Unfortunately the teak rails on The Promise are in similar shape when we got her, and the PO unmercifully oiled them regularly leaving them very dark. I let the oil dissipate for a few years, cleaned them up the best I could and am now in the process of using Epiphanes on them. It's all coming out a little darker than I would like, but I can live with that.

What really pisses me off is like yours they sanded down so far as to expose the gate hardware internals.

In the pic below you can see what the wood on the rail and gunnel look after 3 coats of Epiphanes done last fall. The trim on the aft cabin has not been touched yet, but was almost black from the oil the PO used. The name plate and hailing port plate has not been touched either, but the PO never oiled those parts.

img_319798_0_d1a06151ef404d4093914953c6d8428b.jpg
 
I am repairing areas of my cap rail where water has intruded and caused a white blister. I have scraped/sanded to what I think is proper prep. See picture attached (I hope).
Would like any ideas or tips on the refinish part. To match the materials on the remainder of the rails I will be using West System epoxy as the base sealer and the top coat will be Alexseal 501 clear. This will be my first time using either of these coatings. image.jpg
 
Greetings,
Mr. BR. You may want to route out that seam and fill it with suitable caulk or you may be doing the same job in a couple of years. VERY recent thread on same and I can't remember the heading and I can't find it dag-nabbit!
 
Thanks RT. since every single place is either at a joint or attachment point that is something I had thought about. I think this very thread has some ideas of the best caulking to use.
 
Looks like the joint was too tight for the caulk to work . I think I would open up the joint first so you can get more caulk in the joint . I have never tried west system as a base coat but it sounds like it should work . You may need to use some acetone first to hold down the teak oil so the epoxy will set .
 
Rt you be at me to it . I used TDS caulk .
 
Greetings,
DOUBLE dag-nabbit. It IS this thread...I wish I was a drinker so I'd at least have an excuse...

cdtf.gif
 
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Route out the seam and caulk it. Then based on the picture I'd feather those edges out some more. You'll need to stain that bare area to get the color to match, or at least get closer to the color of the old finish.

Is what is on the rails now comparable with the product you want to use on top of it?
 
CaptBill,
Yes I am using the same products for both the sealer and the topcoat. The refinishing job that is breaking down was just done about 18 months ago.
 
Thanks Mule. Where do you purchase the TDS caulk?
 
I just finished reseating my flybridge deck with the TDS product and was very happy with it. defender.com and Jamestown Distributors sell it online. In Seattle, Fisheries Supply stocks it on the shelf so you might find it at a well stocked store locally. In my neighborhood West Marine does not stock it which stinks when you have about 6" on your last seam and your last tube hits empty......
 
I get it at Jamestown distributors . Also the guys at TDS are very helpful .
 
when I open the joints to caulk do I go completely through the board?
 
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