Varnish or Cetol? Best way to fix teak rails?

[Al]

After reviewing all of the wonderful history on removing varnish and applying the fresh coat of what ever, thinking back at the hours and hours between rain squalls in making the boat pretty taking up to two weeks to complete the spring painting /varnish opera only to watch the guy next to me come down with his pressure washer and in the space of two hours have his fiberglass boat clean from top to bottom . Unless it is a China CHB with the usual tons of fancy wood rails, and leaking windows. Then he/she is in a class by themselves dealing with the same issues expressed within this thread .

I had mentioned in a earlier post here that elimination of what bit of varnish on our current fiberglass boat (one hour with a pressure washer-thank you) with dark brown paint. To that comment I add- The paint is water based! Wash the brush and done.

Al

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Was it very soft wood? .. like cedar?

Or was it fast growing wood like Hemlock that has wide soft wood between the hard "growth rings"? And I suppose brushing w the grain could easily rout out soft wood. The more I think about it the more I see it your way.

No wire brushes!

 

[Nomad Willy]

Bill,

OK

Was just an idea.

Can't recall if I'd ever done it .. hence the question.

 

[alormaria]

Remove all the coatings and let go grey naturally. Works on beautiful women and boats.

 

[Wmiii]

Has anyone used Semco Natural teak finish? Our new to us trawler has unfinished teak rails. I've thought about finishing them, but after 18 years with our Island Packet sailboat and refinishing the
all the teak on her, I've been hesitant to start that process again.
I'm looking for options....


Wm Mayberry
OPTIMYSTIQUE
Mariner 40

 

[Nomad Willy]

The problem with Tungsten Carbide scrapers is that you can't shape the edge. As Pack Mule says it is the burr that does the cutting. A carbon steel edge can be sharpened and then shaped with careful filing.

Doug,
I think I've used a straight blade TC scraper but it probably was the first one or thereabouts. I always buy the slightly curved blade TC scrapers and corner gouging almost never is a threat. Can happen as a result of the shape of the working surface so one needs to be at least a little bit aware.

Wmiii,
New teak? Wow. I'd probably just varnish it laying out several coats of very thinned varnish first. There is a good book on varnishing that is slanted toward the boat show finish but the basics are certainly there. It's "Brightwork" by Rebecca J. Wittman. I'm sure there are many others as well. There's no magic finish and painting must be done but knowing how to do it makes it easier, better looking and much longer lasting.

With new teak it could be a good time to use CPES and a specialty coating like Bristol. But w anything not tried and done one needs to do a certain amount of research. Some products need a lot of research. You need to see the "must use the manufacturer's primer" or similar things that are specific and unusual or unpleasant surprises can/will happen.

Most people feel that what they are using is far better than what the other guy uses. Kinda like boat brands or anchors. Not sure why (I have ideas) but since so many people are ultra happy w what they do or use it says to me that it really dosn't matter that much what one does or uses. How and when you do the doing and using is important but it varies. How and when you apply the coating is the important thing. Like they say painting is 90% preparation. And prepping is more than sanding .. it's mostly knowledge.

 

[Wmiii]

Manyboats,
OOPS! My bad, the teak is on our 2007 trawler and as far as I know has never been varnished.
I'm looking for ideas to protect it and keep it looking as good as possible without going to Cetol or varnish. We keep our boat in Bradenton, FL, so I would like some type of protection.
I had heard of the Semco, natural teak finish and wanted to know if anyone had used it on their teak rails?
Thanks,


Wm Mayberry
OPTIMYSTIQUE
Mariner 40
Wm Mayberry

 

[Nomad Willy]

Wmiii,
You mean it's never been coated after being manufacturered?
Do you mean it's been bare wood since 07?

I made my own "teak oil" (mostly linseed oil and turpentine) and it worked OK in Alaska but would probably be too sticky in FL. When you see a product called "Teak Oil" that's basically what it is. It could also be called varnish very heavy on the oil. If you're going to go w a natural oil finish you could start by applying turpentine to the wood either w a rag or brush. Then add a little oil on subsequent coats and then Eventually varnish (or add a little varnish to the above) or stop anywhere along the road.

If you want to avoid the dreaded refinishing just adjust the contents of your oiling so as not to acquire any build. If there's any build you'll eventially need to remove it.

There was a great thread on TF some time back on a pure 100% Teak oil finish.

 

[Marin]

The problem I've observed with leaving teak bare, particularly round pieces like hand, cap, and grab rails, is that it weathers (of course) and will eventually start to crack or develop rathe deep crevices. This tends not to happen on the planking used for teak-surfaced decks because of the way it's sawn.

I have seen many boats in our marina, power and sail, with unfinished teak rails and trim over the lasts 17 years we've been doing this kind of boating. For the first few years the unfinished gray teak looks okay (if you like that look for rails and such). But as more years go by, the cracks and crevices begin to appear, and eventually they start growing black mold or whatever it is, down deep inside.

In the end, they look pretty bad and they are hard to impossible to resurrect because of the depth of the cracks and crevices. Better to seal the wood with varnish or whatever and then paint it than let it weather gray and stay that way. Even an oil finish is better than nothing in this respect.

Again, I'm talking about rails and other round or rounded items where the grain of the wood is exposed all or most of the way round as opposed to deck planks.

 

[BruceK]

The problem I've observed with leaving teak bare, particularly round pieces like hand, cap, and grab rails, is that it weathers (of course) and will eventually start to crack or develop rathe deep crevices.....

I agree, untreated cappings etc will develop ugly ridging, softer wood material wears away leaving harder material in ridges. Then you have to deep sand, or leave it as is, which looks lousy. It is better to do something than nothing. My compromise is Deks Olje 1 & 2, a half way house between nothing and varnish, easily maintained, saves a lot of hard work after the initial oil saturation.It looks ok, just ok.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

I've mostly used Semco on decks. It's just a stain. I've only put it on rails and trim if an owner demanded it. Looks like crap on rails and trim to me.