Teak... Surely not the first time

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by JardiTancat

"teak loves sea water and hates fresh water, as fresh water makes it rot". So what am I to do to keep my teak decks clean and attractive in the great lakes? What about adding a bunch of salt to a bucket of water? And I'm told that SEMCO teak sealer is somewhat easy to apply (although darned pricey) and does a good job. Any other thoughts?

Yeah... it's a problem on boats that sit in the marina up here in the PNW where it rains alot. Turns the teak and ugly grey or even blackish sometimes. I've never thought fresh water makes it rot ... but maybe so.... would take some time though. Plain old untreated cedar fence posts have been known to last 50 years up here.... it'sx the oil in cedar just like in the teak that makes it rot resistant...

[zeehag]

grey teak is bad, a sis the teak wood powdering...it NEEDS to remain wood colored--so the sea water is very important.. semco is just another way to make more work, as it needs to be renewed just as does varnish and other methods of "sealing" it. is SOOOOO EASY to just do the old fashioned way. saves so much time for sailing and use of boat.

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

They always come and talk with you because you're always on your boat working on the teak... everyone else is out having fun! Hah! :>)

Hah! Yourself! How would you know? Your stuck in a sand bar up the Skagit river somewhere- Skagit City?
I'll be the 1st to admit to subjecting myself to some work - when you take on the care of a neglected 70 yr old boat, the 1st year was a little involved - I had to rebuild the mizzen mast, main boom, lazaret hatch, guards in a couple of spots, strip off miles of old varnish, install 100's of deck plugs, re-bed hardware, move anchor winch so chain didn't pile up, etc.
BUT WE'RE SAILING NOW - BY GOD!
Oh yea! Where can I get one of those tee-shirts in XXL??

[JardiTancat]

zeehag....you're spot on of course. I'd love to treat it daily with a washdown and gentle scrub with sea water but my problem here is that the great lakes are filled to the brim with fresh water only. So I need to find a workable solution. I like DSDman's idea of mixing some pool salt in a bucket in an attempt to replicate sea water but I'm not really sure that it would seriously work. I do think though that it's worth a try. Any other thoughts out there?

[Cheechako]

Hah! Yourself! How would you know? Your stuck in a sand bar up the Skagit river somewhere- Skagit City?

Haha... you're right! I was just giving you crap!

[David M]

Nothing works better than painting it. I haven't had to put any sort of coating on it in over 3 years. Can you say that with varnish or oil? I'm sure it still looks just as beautiful under that paint as well.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by minaret

"Wasted" is a matter of opinion. Personally I enjoy varnishing and equate it to a landlubber's gardening. My boat looks incredible as a result and gets maximum respect from all those who work on it or have anything to do with it. A tour of the interior is a special treat for most other boaters we run into. A few acres of perfectly bookmatched showroom quality teak varnished well has a lot of charm, and that's worth something to some people. Other's put a premium on their time going sailing to the exclusion of that sort of maintenance, which is just fine with me, but someone needs to keep the old arts alive. What would the world be like without a single real "yacht" all varnished and pretty? I think it would be a lesser place for it...

I've spent some time varnishing over the last year, but it's never been at the expense of time on the water. I sail whenever I feel like it and varnish when I don't!

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Hah! Yourself! How would you know? Your stuck in a sand bar up the Skagit river somewhere- Skagit City?

Haha... you're right! I was just giving you crap!

Yeah - I figured as much!
I'd like to know how you get your 6' draft boat up the river to Skagit City?
BTW - my boat has more teak on it than any Hans Christian - a nicer cockpit too!!
Now, I suppose, you're wondering if I'm bragging or complaining????
I'll keep you guessing!

[Cheechako]

Skagit City was evidently a port on the river many years ago.... it no longer exists... so I used it for my home port on the US CG Document!

[zeehag]

if you are in a fresh water situation with teak decks, go old fashioned--salt em with rock salt occasionally, like monthly.
i just returned from viewing a vagabond 47 with badly deteriorated teakwood due to neglect and improper care--even decking was cetoled. ugly and didnt do that which it was placed on there to do --prevent the teak wood from shrinking and breaking. the decks were shrunken and the polysulfide was non existent. the interior teak wood was rotted from ingress of fresh water under the hatches and ports. not pretty sight. prior to this , i believed that there is no deal breaker on garden ketches. this teak disrepair is a deal breaker. it will take much too much money to replace the teak and make the boat usable. is a damn shame. the asking price for boat was 130k...the disrepair makes the value so much less--and the owner will not accept anything under 120k. i figger is worthy of 60-80k max.
proper teak care will keep the value higher than does badly done teak. i could see where 1/8inch of teak was sanded off in th e years since 1990 --date of build and purchase. sad sad sad.

[JardiTancat]

Originally Posted by zeehag

if you are in a fresh water situation with teak decks, go old fashioned--salt em with rock salt occasionally, like monthly.
i just returned from viewing a vagabond 47 with badly deteriorated teakwood due to neglect and improper care--even decking was cetoled. ugly and didnt do that which it was placed on there to do --prevent the teak wood from shrinking and breaking. the decks were shrunken and the polysulfide was non existent. the interior teak wood was rotted from ingress of fresh water under the hatches and ports. not pretty sight. prior to this , i believed that there is no deal breaker on garden ketches. this teak disrepair is a deal breaker. it will take much too much money to replace the teak and make the boat usable. is a damn shame. the asking price for boat was 130k...the disrepair makes the value so much less--and the owner will not accept anything under 120k. i figger is worthy of 60-80k max.
proper teak care will keep the value higher than does badly done teak. i could see where 1/8inch of teak was sanded off in th e years since 1990 --date of build and purchase. sad sad sad.

Zeehag, this is the advice I've been looking for, thanks. My decks are in remarkably good shape for 1985 vintage; not sanded down and no rot or mould that I can see. Some of the caulking needs replacement and maybe 20 or so plugs but other than that they're pretty good. Perhaps because they are an overlay on to a solid Fiberglass deck and have had relatively light use. Now then, do I simply dissolve rock salt in fresh water and brush? Come to think of it, will rock salt dissolve in water at all? I'm looking forward to more chat. Cheers, David

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by JardiTancat

Come to think of it, will rock salt dissolve in water at all?

The salt in the rock salts will dissolve in the water but will leave behind some grit dependant on the quality of the rocksalt.

The majority of salt in the oceans is the direct result of the fresh water in streams and rivers running over NaCl laden rocks and dissolving it. The sun has evaporated the water leaving behind the salt over so many millions of years that the current average concentration of salt in seawater is what it is today - due to this slowly increasing concentration of salts.

[Nicholson58]

I found a product called Tropical Teak that is a creamy tan goo used like oil. It lasts longer than most oils and slaims a higher UV content. I hate varnish on deck.

[zeehag]

DONOT TREAT THE DECK as it is a nonskid that is negated with treatment and sealing. DO NOT BRUSH TEAK. just use a green 3m pad to clean. put the salt on deck. rinse. donot need to remove the salty stuff is good to stay int he teak.l protects it from dry rot and shrinkage.

i went to look at a vagabond 47 today that was in horrific shape because the deck and caprail and all the teak had been treated with cetol. cetol only comes off in sun. do not use it in tropix. is not a sealer. is a ruiner of teak when ye are not in the mood to varnish, do only salt water. the teak on the vagabond was rotted, some inside, most of the exterior. boat is in sad shape due to neglect of teakwood.

[ovrmyhead]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

BTW - my boat has more teak on it than any Hans Christian - a nicer cockpit too!!
Now, I suppose, you're wondering if I'm bragging or complaining????
I'll keep you guessing!

Sounds like bragging but I dont believe you. I've got a union, love my cockpit, cant imagine a boat with more teak.
Got pics? prove me wrong, love to see it!