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In this article we will look at the several alternate
methods of restoring and preserving teak on your boat
in order to give you a more informed position to decide
on which method best suits your situation.
Whether it be a lovely piece of teak furniture sitting
elegantly on the aft deck of a luxury yacht, or a
12 by 12 inch pad under a sheet winch on a daysailer,
there's just something about teak that says "salty."
It has been said that nothing so brightens the nautical
appearance of a boat so much as well maintained teak.
Having made such a sweeping generalization we are now
faced with numerous variations on just what makes teak
well maintained.
If our boats lived in clean air we could let the wood go.
Over time, it would weather naturally to an attractive
ash gray and we could concern ourselves with other things.
Unfortunately the assault of modern-day air pollutants,
the proximity to the sea, and old father sun himself quickly
turn bare teak nearly black. Scrubbing only removes some of
the stains leaving a mottled look.
As beautiful as it is here on The Emerald Coast where I
write this, it only takes a few days to see the effects of
air pollutants and intense sunlight on anything left outside.
Preparation
Regardless of the method of preservation used the first thing
which must be done is to clean and restore the teak to its
natural state.
At BoatDocs1 we believe in accomplishing this in the
gentlest way possible. If the teak is just dirty a
thorough cleaning with laundry detergent, chlorine
bleach, scrub brush, and a little elbow grease will
do the job. If the wood has weathered for long, has
remnants of previous sealer, varnish, lacquer, or the
like, and/or if mildew has set in we will have to use
oxalic or hydrochloric acid to kill the organisms and
deep clean the wood.
If you are doing this yourself the main thing to remember is
that anything remaining from a previous product will interfere
with the bonding of the new coating. This can cause anything
from a minor color shift to causing the new coat to not stick at
all and actually peal away from the surface.
So take your time, use plenty of water to rinse away all of the
soap and residue of previous products and allow at least 24 hours
drying time before your first coat.
As with any paint, lacquer, or varnish, it is the preparation
that sets the professional results apart from the want-to-be
attempts. If you figure on about a 75%/25% ratio for preparation
to application you should be pretty close.
Everybody and their dog can swing a paint brush but it takes a
little savvy and a good bit of patience to hold off on the brush
till the wood is ready. Without that forbearance the job is
doomed before the can is ever opened.
Now the choices begin.
Teak Oil
Teak oil is one of the oldest and in many ways easiest
methods of maintaining the natural look to teak.
More choices, linseed or tung oil. In
general, tung oil is a more refined version of linseed oil.
The higher quality/price is an individual call depending on
the application.
Our main concern here is the various additives including
pigments, UV filters, and mildew retardants. The additives
are a must here on the Emerald Coast and anywhere you have
the combination of sun, heat, humidity, and sea air. The
choices should be based on the exposure to the elements
the wood will be getting with the highest concentrations of
additives and corresponding darker pigmentation for any wood
which will be exposed a great deal of the time.
Characteristics:
Gives the wood a matte finish without shiny spots. Requires
recoating periodically, 1-3 months depending on exposure
factors. While teak oils, when properly applied and maintained
resist and displace water they do not completely eliminate
it's getting into the wood. (works well but requires frequent
maintenance or will tend to turn black and degrade rapidly)
Teak Sealer
Teak sealers are actually an adjunct to Teak Oil in that they
seal in the oil and lengthen the time between applications. We
have had excellent results with several products in our climate and
the choices are mostly related to desired look and durability.
Sealers are a good choice for those who don't mind doing a little
extra work at the beginning and end of the season in order to not
have to worry about it during.
Characteristics:
Teak treated with sealer is more water resistant than if
treated with teak oil, has a more uniform appearance, and
doesn't tend to turn black. Slightly more preparation required
than with oil but if maintained will only have to be done once.
(when wood is well prepared and the sealer applied correctly it will
last up to a year between maintenance application)
Varnish
Ah, the beauty of a newly varnished teak deck.
On the plus side:
Offers real protection for the wood.
Wood will not dry out and split
" will not absorb moisture and rot
" is unaffected by dirt and pollution
" will not be stained by spills
The not-so-plus side:
* Varnishing any wood requires thorough and painstaking
sanding and preparation.
* The standard for a ship-shape job is 7 coats with
sanding between each coat.
* Additional coats, with sanding between, are required to
maintain the look.
* The humidity must be low or a milky appearance will
result, requiring more sanding.
Characteristics:
Poems have been written about the beauty of well varnished
teak and I'll leave it to them to do their job on this one.
From a purely practical point of view, if you have the
time to do-it-yourself or the money to have a professional take
care of it for you then varnish will preserve the wood better
than any other method and at the same time be a beautiful
accent to your yacht.
Having said all that, if you have an eye for the beauty
of well varnished bright work, BoatDocs1, and other fine
shops around the world proudly offer custom varnishing on
a limited basis.
The Road Less Traveled
I should mention one more possibility before going, one that
I've used myself on a couple of occasions. If you watch old
seafaring movies you've seen this one too. Teak decks can be
scrubbed periodically with sea water and a stiff brush and will
actually last about the same length of time as an oiled deck.
The main drawback to this is that without any protection the wood
will absorb everything which is spilled on it, and many modern oils
and greases, to say nothing of not so modern wines and berries will
leave stains which will be just about imposable to remove. On the
other hand if you have a lot of teak on your boat you could likely
write a book with the time you would save, as compared to keeping
up the varnish.
Whatever you decide, may all of your boating adventures be happy ones.
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James "Doc" Lewis has been "messin about in boats" for as long as he can remember.
He is owner/operator of BoatDocs1, a full-service boat detailing-yacht maintenance
business serving the Emerald Coast region of Florida. To learn more about boats and
keeping them looking their best visit his website at: http://www.boatdocs1.com/
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©2004 BoatDocs1
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