What do you put on your decks

[markpierce]

Love the looks of teak, but cancelled the option for teak decks when purchasing the boat. Decided I didn't want the expensive maintenance and reduced access to the Coot's steel decks. Used the money saved for a decent horn.

[HopCar]

Teak Wonder Sealer was very popular in South Florida many years ago. It is a very nice natural looking finish. Unfortunately it didn't last long in our tropical sun. We still sell quite a bit of it but not as much as we used to.

[Slowboat 37]

The PO of our boat didn't have a clue about the decks. He liked to use oil but couldn't remember which type or brand. He did not maintain it so we ended up with wear pattern on the side deck from the cabin door to the back deck where it then spread out. The whole main deck and the bridge as well looked like crap. There was no sign that the teak had ever been sanded so I had no problem going at it with three grits. 60,80,120. It turned out really nice. That was five years ago and I have used mild dish soap when I wash the whole boat and then of course rinse in fresh. If we are out for more than three days I dip a bucket and wash in saltwater . I think grey is good. It looked great wet when I hosed off the dust.

[MYTraveler]

slowboat -- your teak is fantastic. You must do something (besides the washing) to keep the color up. Please share you secret, and how long (were the pics taken) since you sanded. If its been a while, is there a more recent pic you can share please?

[Slowboat 37]

Those photos were taken five years ago. When I finished sanding I rinsed off the dust that the vacuum sander left behind. The wood was beautiful when wet and freshly sanded. Now the decks are a nice silver and low maintenance which is what I wanted. I'm sorry for the confusion.

[Marlinmike]

We like a light blond grey look, use Dawn and a little of Ammonia brush across grain and keeps any blackness away.

[Marin]

Originally Posted by Marlinmike

We like a light blond grey look, use Dawn and a little of Ammonia brush across grain and keeps any blackness away.

Never thought of the ammonia idea. Good tip, thanks.

[No Mast]

Originally Posted by Marlinmike

We like a light blond grey look, use Dawn and a little of Ammonia brush across grain and keeps any blackness away.

You can also achieve that look with diluted bleach

[Marlinmike]

Ammonia mainly consists of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms. Bleach is made from water, caustic soda and chlorine. When comparing the disinfectant quality of bleach and ammonia, the former is considered to be a stronger disinfectant than the latter.

Bleach is generally used in fabrics, especially white clothes and in washing dishes and kitchen utensils. Ammonia is better on hard surfaces than bleach, Â it also works better in cleansing tiles, glass and jewellery. In removing stains, ammonia is generally preferred. Ammonia can also be used as a degreaser unlike bleach.