Scrubbin' me decks matey

Spring cleaning in full force this weekend. Scrubbed the rails and caps, fordeck, side decks, poop deck and any other deck I could find. The results blew my mind, railing and toerail went from black to amber.

I'm thinking about keeping it all natural, but keep can totally envision the railing and toerail all varnished and shiny too.

PS - that is one dirty, hard, tiring job. I don't know when the PO last cleaned the teak but it was filthy.

Looks good.
I suggest some kind of finish, your choice, on rails and caps. Teak left unprotected can/will ridge as softer material gets removed, leaving ridges and fissures. Though leaving the deck alone is not a bad idea.
I like Deks Olje 1(oil) & 2 (polyurethane gloss),in 8 years I`ve not needed to go sand back to "green"teak, but varnishes and other finishes could be just as good, and look better. I just like the easy maintenance.

Just in case you are thinking of also cleaning the deck, bear in mind that the better it cleans, the more wood is removed in the process. Chemical cleaners give an instant change from shades of grey to golden, but in the process shorten the useful life of the teak dramatically. Leaving it alone will eventually get to the same worn state, so only if you really like the golden look should you repeatedly clean with anything harsh.
In the lower picture, you cant see what the cleaner is, but if that was the British Navy, it would be a block of pumice called a "Holy stone" (The block started out the same size as a bible) that would take off whatever teak was raised above the rest. Navy ships were built for a short useful life, so the deck thickness could be sacrificed to cleanliness and good looks.

Bought some of this to try on my new to me boat with natural teak decks. Will let you know how it goes.

The World's Leader in Pre-Manufactured Custom Teak Decks - Teakdecking Systems®

KapnKarl said:

Bought some of this to try on my new to me boat with natural teak decks. Will let you know how it goes.

The World's Leader in Pre-Manufactured Custom Teak Decks - Teakdecking Systems®

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Looks interesting. I'd like something less caustic for cleaning the decks and will likely apply a sealer.

For the rails I'm interested in Deks Olje.

Regular cheap ammonia will clean the teak nicely.

...and salt water

We use liquid Cascade Dishwasher soap and a white 3M Scotch pad. Lena does the decks twice a year and she swears by it. There’s something in the Cascade that seems to lift the dirt and the white Scotch pad is the least abrasive/aggressive. She uses about a cup of Cascade for 5 gallons of water.

Just ordered Deks Olje D2 (Gloss) for the rails, caps, general brightwork etc. I'll post pics.

Airstream345 said:

Just ordered Deks Olje D2 (Gloss) for the rails, caps, general brightwork etc. I'll post pics.

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Are you using it without the oil component (No.1) first? I only ever used 1 & 2,so don`t know how that will go,but it could work. Fortunately it doesn`t peel and bubble as it ages,just seems to disappear, hopefully no hard prep before next recoating.
I just did half of my teak,a quick redo of oil with the scratchy side of washing up pad before the gloss, actually restored the gloss to a degree, it still got 2 coats of gloss.

BruceK said:

Are you using it without the oil component (No.1) first? I only ever used 1 & 2,so don`t know how that will go,but it could work. Fortunately it doesn`t peel and bubble as it ages,just seems to disappear, hopefully no hard prep before next recoating.
I just did half of my teak,a quick redo of oil with the scratchy side of washing up pad before the gloss, actually restored the gloss to a degree, it still got 2 coats of gloss.

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You're correct BruceK. I just ordered D1 as well. Thanks for the catch!

KapnKarl said:

Bought some of this to try on my new to me boat with natural teak decks. Will let you know how it goes.

The World's Leader in Pre-Manufactured Custom Teak Decks - Teakdecking Systems®

Click to expand...

They are not cheap but very good company and local to us

If you are happy with the color and appearance of your decks, a daily (or frequent) application of salt water will keep them looking nice for a long long time. For the rails and brightwork above the deck, nothing beats a good varnish finish. But, of course, it is maintenance intense, keep the rails covered with and expect a touch up once a year.
Your decks look great to me from the pics
Good luck

When I was a kid, my father had me clean and oil the teak rails a few times a summer. I don't recall it being a big deal, but I do recall being bored a lot on the boat as a kid.

Then again, I found sitting around with a bunch of boaters who ranged from middle-age to retired, watching them drink, didn't seem as fun at 13 as it does now.