Cetol on Teak

[brushfly]

O.K. this board has been a bit slow to say the least. Rather than chew the ear off the owner of my marine supply store, what is your feedback on refurbishing teak with Cetol. I've heard good things about the product.

Is it a long hard process?
How long will it last?

I have teak on my console rod holders, anchor locker and stern rails (to keep my son in the boat), and was thinking of brightening her up a bit. The boats celebrating her 25th season and needs a bit of sprucing to stay fresh.

Do I need access to a hose to work with the product? I took the rails off to winterize and want to get a jump a bit.

All replies appreciated.

[chainsaw42]

OK, I've used this product on two different boats. the first boat i finished some walnut (!?) that was exposed to the weather. the cetol lasted less than one season, it was all flaking off and looked terrible. i then needed to refinish the teak on my current boat. the teak had been neglected for a while and it was in a variety of locations--from swim platform to protected console trim. i wasn't going to use cetol again based on my first experience, but after a long conversation with a sailor that swore by the stuff, i decided that it must have been the 'walnut' portion of the last experience which gave me issues. so, i decided to give it another try.

i cleaned & brightened all the teak using west marine teak cleaner & brightener. I then sanded all of the pieces smooth. this meant different levels of sanding for different pieces. the swim platform inserts were deeply grooved and need 60 grit & a belt sander while the more protected pieces simply need a random orbit & 120. all pieces were finished to 120 grit. i spent A LOT of time sanding. the pieces looked like they were freshly milled when i was done.

i applied 4 coats of cetol to the pieces, lightly wiping them with #00 steel wool after each coat cured. when done, they looked really, really good. i was happy.

that was a year ago. so, how did it stand up? OK. all of the pieces on the boats interior/protected areas look exactly like they did a year ago--very good. but, the swim platform pieces & swim ladder look terrible. they need to be completely re-done. i guess it comes down to salt water resistance. it's not the traction thing because the footrests for the helm & companion got more 'traffic' than the swim ladder and the footrests look excellent. i guess the bottom line is that my experience says if the pieces aren't in constant contact with saltwater, then it works well, but if it is, then look elsewhere. btw, i used cetol light.

[brushfly]

Chainsaw,

Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. My main goal is the anchol locker cover and the stern rails which do get wet on a good head sea. Will contemplate taking it on. Thanks again.

brushfly

[moxie]

I have a Boston Whaler 1988. In 9yrs I have done it over. Last winter I
spent about 40 hrs on the teak. I would never use a sealer on this wood.
I have used all kinds of oil. The best IMO is "YANKEE TEAK OIL" you can get
it at "MILLS STORE" [an unfinnished furn store]
My boat is very clean and the teak looks better than new. I learned
that, the wood has to be real dry or it doesn't sand good. I finnish out to
240grit and use an air gun to clean out all pores.
Yankee oil is a lot different than anything I ever got from West-Marine
I put it on as heavy as I can, wait 45 min and wipe. now the hard part, You
have to wait a week to do it again. I have tried speeding up the process but
it doesn't look as good and won't last as long.
I put 400hrs on my boat in 05 and when I put it away it looked
like I just did the teak. When I uncover in a few weeks, The taek will be
real dry and I will give it a light rub with oil and never touch it again all
season. I also hot rinse when I come out of the water.
It's lots of work but I think it is worth it.

[venture]

Hi Brushfly,

Don't use sealer on your teak. Most professionals just bleach the teak a few times a year with straight bleach. This goes for every Buddy Davis or Garlington tournament boats. None of the teak is darkened with oil, which always fades unevenly and clogs the pores of the wood....so you have to strip it everytime with bleach and then do it again. It also gives it an unnatural look. True unvarnished teak should be a light flesh color, which greys as it ages.....until you bleach it again. All gunnels and decks are done like this....no oil, and especially no sealer.

Just wash the teak thoroughly with water, take pure bleach and scrup it into the wood with a stiff brush.... Let it sit and rinse it off and your done. Do this a few times per year and your set.

Sealers are the worst. It spots, peals, and fades unevenly. Bleach is the way to go....

Howie