Thoughts on brightwork

[Davemwd]

Greetings, I'm wanting to restore the teak on my boat. when I bought the boat the teak was in fare to bad condition. It appears previous owner sanded it- but never got around to the oil or varnish (what ever they used). My thought was to sand the wood back to its natural color- do a base coat of Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy then two or three coats of varnish - My thought is that the epoxy will be a good strong protector of the wood - strengthening any weaken areas and filling any small cracks or voids in the wood. Tonight I watched a video on Sikken Citol. It sounded similar in that the base coat is applied in two to three coats then a glossy top coat is applied. But I still think the epoxy would be better for the wood. However- I'm really new at this boat stuff! I'm not sure my approach is solid so I thought I'd post it here to see what my peers thought about the idea! Thanks in advance for your comments! I truly appreciate them

P.S: I'm also planning on removing my mast and refurbishing it as well. I found some dry rot at the base where the electrical is secured. I was planning on stripping the mast and coating it with the penetrating epoxy as well - then either repainting or varnishing. anyone else tackle a mast refurbish/repair ?

 

[Mac2]

Look at Git Rot for the mast repair. Then you can build it back up with thickened epoxy. On my previous boat, I tried all kinds of solutions for teak. I found that penetrating epoxy or thinned varnish didn’t make a difference. The number of coats of varnish is the only real solution. Number of coats ranges from 6-10. Thinned 50/50 to start the 75/25. Then full strength (add thinner as the varnish evaporates). Epifanes is the best in my opinion. You need to wipe down the sanded teak after sanding (acetone) and immediately get that first coat of thinned varnish on. Teak is oily and you won’t get the penetration if you wait to long to varnish. All of the above is why I have a steel boat now

 

[Insequent]

Use Awlwood

Alwood Application Process?

I am nearly at a point where I will go ahead and use the Alwood system for the teak on my boat. It has all been stripped to bare wood and sanded with 80grit so far. Doing research to ensure I have the best chance of a good outcome, have come up with the following; Alwood MA Primer Yellow...

www.trawlerforum.com

 

[Robertmark]

Have anyone used Cabot Australian Timber oil? Just redid my cap rails and window frames with it. Looks amazing. Stripped old varnish, cleaned with starbright teak brightener and Lightly sanded. One coat, super easy. Other boats in my marina have used it, has been over a year for them and still looks great

 

[Ron Stevenson]

I also have a "day boat" a mahogany 1948 20' Chris Craft Custom. On bare wood, after staining, we ALWAYS seal the wood with Smith's penetrating epoxy (CPES). It flows easily, and seals each cell of the wood. We then start building varnish. Teak is naturally oily, and nothing really works as well as it should.

 

[Ron Stevenson]

BTW, I don't finish my teak, I let it silver. The PO severely pressure washed it so often it is impossible to bring back.

 

[alormaria]

I leave mine silver. Just like me.

 

[Cigatoo]

Greetings, I'm wanting to restore the teak on my boat. when I bought the boat the teak was in fare to bad condition. It appears previous owner sanded it- but never got around to the oil or varnish (what ever they used). My thought was to sand the wood back to its natural color- do a base coat of Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy then two or three coats of varnish - My thought is that the epoxy will be a good strong protector of the wood - strengthening any weaken areas and filling any small cracks or voids in the wood. Tonight I watched a video on Sikken Citol. It sounded similar in that the base coat is applied in two to three coats then a glossy top coat is applied. But I still think the epoxy would be better for the wood. However- I'm really new at this boat stuff! I'm not sure my approach is solid so I thought I'd post it here to see what my peers thought about the idea! Thanks in advance for your comments! I truly appreciate them

P.S: I'm also planning on removing my mast and refurbishing it as well. I found some dry rot at the base where the electrical is secured. I was planning on stripping the mast and coating it with the penetrating epoxy as well - then either repainting or varnishing. anyone else tackle a mast refurbish/repair ?

The epoxy makes a nice base for 6-8 coats of varnish. However if you let the varnish go or moisture gets under the epoxy, which it will, stripping the epoxy is a real bitch.

 

[Mark Room]

Epoxy outdoors will break down quickly from UV unless protected with many coats of varnish on top.

 

[Duvie]

On my boats now I do 2 coats of penetrating epoxy followed by two coats of Ephanies dado brown paint. I get 10+ years on this. Davemwd, the plan you describe will last two seasons and need to be redone. As others have stated you will need 6+ coats to get any longevity.

 

[Unclematt]

I use Semco Teak Sealer. I wash it and then give it two coats. Its water based so no taping just wipe off the drips. I use the golden tint.