Teak.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Is that a two-part varnish? I've only ever used the standard spar varnish, and not always of the same type or brand. Like I said, I'm not very particular about varnishing. When needed I'll scuff the area up, and slap on whatever's on hand. On a hot day I can usually get three or four coats on. It's never perfect, but it does protect the wood, and generally looks pretty good -- from a distance .

Cetol... I used that on a previous boat. It seemed fine, but I don't recall it being much easier or more long-lasting than the basic spar varnish. But it's been a while since I used it. Maybe I should give it another try...

Yeah, perfection plus is a 2 part polyurethane varnish. It's also completely clear, so if the wood looks good, it'll look good after coating. It's a bit pricey, but from everything I've read, it lasts quite well. Prep-wise, I sanded the old Cetol off my pulpit, sanded a hair more to get the wood smooth, then wiped it down with the fancy Interlux thinner to get any oils off. Let the thinner dry, then put on a thinned coat, then I did 5 more coats after.



For Cetol vs varnish, the newer Cetol versions look better than the old orange stuff. And it's a little more forgiving than varnish in terms of application method and re-coating, but nothing major. The big thing is not needing as many coats to look good.

[Kenatsea]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

The only way to have more wood on a boat that mine is to have a wood boat . Teak decks, teak rails, teak cockpit and everything down below is solid teak. I bet if I sold all the teak on my boat separately it would fetch a higher price than my entire boat .

I didn't buy the boat for the teak, but I do love the warmth, the look and feel, and the function. Teak decks are the best non-skid around. But yes, they have their drawbacks. Especially the old style screw-in type (guilt ).

People constantly complain about the amount of work it takes to have teak. I guess it depends on how persnickety one is. I view my boat as a floating home, not a work of art. So I'm not very fussy about making the teak look museum-perfect. My aim is to keep it protected and functional, so I slap on a few coats of varnish as needed. It doesn't take long, and I'm not all that anal about the type, brand or even how perfect it goes on. It only takes a few hours every year.

Teak decks need almost no effort for their general maintenance. Try to keep the grit off, and throw a couple buckets of salt water over them if they haven't been self-washed in a rolling sea in a while. No varnish or oil ever touches them. They remain beautiful bone beigeish.

Down below we have beautiful teak cabinets, rails, doors, hatches berths, and even the compression post. It's richly finished with a lovely deep varnish. I've owned the boat for a decade now and have had to do exactly zero maintenance to the finish down below. Only now am I contemplating touching up a few high-touch areas. I might get around to it in the next few years.

So in short, I think a lot of people have this perception that teak is hard to maintain, and takes a lot of time and effort. If you are maintaining a work of art, then I suppose it could. But if you are keeping it safe, and aesthetically pleasing, then it's really not a lot of effort -- not compared to a lot of other boat chores.

Ditto for me, lot's of teak like Mike and it was a requirement when I bought the boat. I love it, yes it takes some work to keep it up but my boat is my asylum.

[markpierce]

I adore my non-wiggle, stainless-steel handrails.

[AndyEss]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

It appears that not a single poster has acknowledged the absolutely critical function teak serves in the proper operation of transoceanic cruising hovercrafts.

Originally Posted by mglonnro

Please do!

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ght=hovercraft

It’s an 8 page thread so it may take a bit of time, but if you start at about page5.....

[wingssail]

Teak looks great when it is new and glowing yellow. It looks sad when it has become dirty and grey. For looks, if you are willing to do the maintenance by all means, go for it (however, no screwed down teak decks, that maint is too high).

Teak decks make fairly good non-skid surface.

Teak decks get HOT on the tropical sun and burn feet.

Teak decks absorb heat and make the interior hot as well.

Teak decks are heavier than good, painted, non-skid decks.

We have a bit of Teak trim outside, it lasts a long time but only rarely looks as nice as we'd wish it always did. But our deck is epoxy painted with antiskid compound mixed in. It is white.

[gonesail]

teak decks and teak trim are 2 totally different animals.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ght=hovercraft

It’s an 8 page thread so it may take a bit of time, but if you start at about page5.....

ahhh...gotcha

a teak opportunity well spotted !!

(for a horrible second when saw your original comment thought it was serious !)

cheers,

[mglonnro]

Originally Posted by chrisr

ahhh...gotcha

a teak opportunity well spotted !!

(for a horrible second when saw your original comment thought it was serious !)

cheers,

It's clear now. And I agree!

[coopec43]

When you guys talk of "teak" what teak are you referring to? (apparently Burmese teak is no longer available)

There is Burma teak (the real teak wood), Asian teak wood, Indonesian teak wood, Chinese teak wood, African teak wood, Golden teak wood, South American teak wood, Philippines teak wood, plantation teak wood, Thailand teak wood, Indian teak wood, Malaysian teak wood, and so on and so forth.

https://www.homestratosphere.com/types-of-teak-wood/

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by coopec43

When you guys talk of "teak" what teak are you referring to? (apparently Burmese teak is no longer available)

There is Burma teak (the real teak wood), Asian teak wood, Indonesian teak wood, Chinese teak wood, African teak wood, Golden teak wood, South American teak wood, Philippines teak wood, plantation teak wood, Thailand teak wood, Indian teak wood, Malaysian teak wood, and so on and so forth.

https://www.homestratosphere.com/types-of-teak-wood/

In creating the original post, I was referring to the stuff on your deck that turns grey if you don't work on it a lot.

[sailingdutchboy]

I know that teak is all for the looks / aesthetics and that traditional image, but I think that it does look great (especially with the carvings). Granted, it does take more work than I would like it to. Even if it has been neglected, it can generally be restored. Of course the interior teak requires less maintenance.

[brettnkay]

Originally Posted by WoodenKetch

If the teak decks are fastened down to a wood core deck with screws, run away! If the teak is glued down with no fasteners over a glassed deck it is beautiful and relatively low maintenance.

I get a bit queasy spending long weeks staring at a bunch of plastic between me and the scenery , YMMV!

Agree with this comment - is there a good place to get this information about which boats have screws and which are glued? I would like to eliminate any boats with screws from my search criteria but not sure how to find that list of "screwed" decks. Is it the case that boats made after a certain era no longer use screws?

[jezza1956]

A few photos of my Vagabond 47, which is fairly well-blessed in the teak department, below and on deck. The exterior is treated with International Woodskin, 3 coats, applied by someone else.

[scareygary]

I have always owned smaller boats...i.e. 25-30 feet, so my thoughts might be different with a larger vessel, but I couldn't own a boat that had NO exterior teak (whatever nation it comes from!). I've seen trailerable small cruisers with aluminum tillers, for crying out loud, and thought them the ugliest things I'd seen. While teak decks are beautiful when maintained, I'd never go that route, but maintaining handholds, even the cleate on my Albin, hatchboards, tiller, and pads for hardware and instruments is well worth the few hours a year they take. I've got varnish on most things now, but have used Cetol on previous boats. It's not as beautiful or glossy, perhaps, but it's MUCH easier to maintain. About an hour or so each season or two to put on a maintainance coat and 'voila', you're done! I love sailboats PARTLY because they ARE 'works of art' to some degree. Could never own what I felt was an UGLY boat!

[makoman]

Originally Posted by WoodenKetch

If the teak decks are fastened down to a wood core deck with screws, run away! If the teak is glued down with no fasteners over a glassed deck it is beautiful and relatively low maintenance.

I get a bit queasy spending long weeks staring at a bunch of plastic between me and the scenery , YMMV!

I had Plas Teak on my Mainship, it was gorgeous and the maintenance was almost nill. I would occasionally need to deep clean the walkways, but Simple Green and a pressure washer made this an easy task!