Teak cleaner and topside paint

[dmksails]

Thinking of using a teak cleaner on the cap rails of my sailboat. I was thinking of using something like Star Brite premium teak cleaner as it's biodegradable and I'll be working on this on the water.

I've never done this before. How concerned do I need to be with my topside paint? Is it enough to rinse the paint well so the cleaner isn't sitting on it for long?

[neilpride]

Don't let it dry, keep it wet all the time.

Even before cleaning the teak and applying the cleaner, wet the topsides well.

[SV Confianza]

We have used both the star brite and the snappy teak nu, and prefer the star brite. It has never messed with our topside paint, but we do keep the surfaces wet.

One piece of advice is to keep the teak oiled properly afterwards, and don't let the oil fully wash out in places. The patches of oiled will stay the nice cleaned color, and the patches that lose the oil will start graying or getting dirty/moldy. Then you'll have a crazy splotchy problem that will take a few treatments to get right again.

[shimari]

I love Semco. Here's a before and after on our last boat.

https://postimg.cc/qh65pV13

https://postlmg.cc/cKbzq4BW

I used the two part Semco cleaner, and then the natural sealer.

Edit: I had to use URL's rather than IMG for some reason the images were not displaying.

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by shimari

I love Semco. Here's a before and after on our last boat.

https://postimg.cc/qh65pV13

https://postlmg.cc/cKbzq4BW

I used the two part Semco cleaner, and then the natural sealer.

Edit: I had to use URL's rather than IMG for some reason the images were not displaying.

I've been meaning to try Semco, but I keep getting afraid that a "sealer" is too permanent and might make me have to sand the teak to get it off...

[shimari]

Semco has a non-sealer coat. I've never used it. I believe the Semco cleaner will remove the sealer. It's varnish that you'll have to sand.

https://semcoteakproducts.com/semco_products.htm

[capt jgw]

Depends a lot on what kind of paint you have. 2-part polyurethanes are pretty chemical resistant, 1-parts not so much. You should probably test an inconspicuous spot first.