posted 06-10-2001 12:00 AM ET (US)            

I know I will get in trouble with some members of this forum but, for the love of God, don't use a teak cleaner! Chemicals bad. Sand paper and carbide good. I am a woodworker by trade and have owned three Whalers with teak. I have also used Te-Ka teak cleaner (twice, long ago). The two part cleaners provide quick results but at the expense of the wood itself, especially the soft wood. Even used correctly and gently they eat the soft grain out and leave the teak with pores and valleys that harbor dirt and accelerate the dirtying and deterioration of the wood in the future.

The best way to get rid of your current finish and prepare it for a new finish is to scrape and sand it down to bare wood. I have owned an 18 Outrage myself and refinished the teak twice during my ten years of ownership. Begin by removing as much hardware as possible. Remove the louvered doors from the console. Unscrew the teak trim pieces from the base of the console. Remove the stainless rub strakes from the gunwale boards as well as the hause pipes, rod holders and cleats.

I like to use Sandvik brand carbide scrapers to remove thick finishes that would likely clog up the sand paper. These are extremely good and sharp paint scrapers that are available at better paint stores and chandleries. Get the large and medium sizes both. For the louvers on the doors, use a furniture scraper which is a piece of steel which you square and hone to create a sharp edge. You will be able to get this into the gaps at an angle and remove much of the surface finish and soiled wood.

Sand paper will finish up the job. I used one of my belt sanders on the gunwale boards but I would caution you about using a belt sander unless you are good and familiar with the specific belt sander you are using. They can run amok in the hands of the inexperienced. A random orbital sander or palm sander will suffice for the smaller parts. If you have one or can rent one I wholeheartedly recommend the Fien brand detail sanders. They are great at getting into otherwise inaccessible places.

Once all the teak is sanded to about 150 grit, I recommend an oil finish. Specifically Daly's Sea-Fin Teak Oil. I have used this product for about thirteen years in my construction business and on my boats. I have to confess that it is a local product developed here in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle but it is now sold nation wide by West Marine. You just wipe it on! Actually on the first few coats use a disposable foam brush to lay it on thick, let it sit about twenty minutes then wipe off the excess. You can do as many or as few coats as you like. I consider three to be a minimum with not much of an improvement after six or seven coats. It is easy to maintain and renew by just wiping on additional coats and it does not mind if it gets a little wet before the oil film is fully dry.

posted 06-10-2001 10:56 PM ET (US)            

The Sikkens Cetol comes in satin and gloss finishes. I used the satin finish. The color tends to be be a warm golden color which I felt was attractive.

I finished all the teak on my Montauk by first removing it from the boat .According to the directions on the can the finish should be renewed once a year. The teak on my console doors and the RPS is still in fine condition after two years, but require renewal.Renewal consistes of cleaning the finish and adding a fresh coat. Unfortunately, I neglected the finish on the forward fish box cover too long and the finish is deteriorating (most exposure to Florida sun and rain). I shall have to scrape and sand it to bare wood and refinish with three coats. Requires 24 hours drying time between coats.

I felt that the maintenance requirements were far less than teak oil and worth the extra effort of application.Sikkens material seems to be a compromise between oil and varnish.

posted 06-11-2001 12:03 AM ET (US)            

I tried the AMAZON products teak finish. I'd seen the results on other Whalers from using this method, and I liked the look.

Their products come with some of the worst instructions I've ever seen. The instructions are not clearly written, simple English. I followed them as best I could. Here is what I did:

First step, wet the wood and surrounding area.

Next, apply the "One Step" CLEANER product and scrub. Use a stiff brush if needed. Rinse with water.

Repeat if necessary. Let dry overnight.

[I did notice that this tended to soften the wood. On follow up pieces I tried to limit the amount of water used to a minimum.]

[AMAZON does not mention this next step but I was advised by an old hand to add it.]

Second, sand surface with "fine" sandpaper and an orbital sander. The wood is soft and comes off rapidly. I was thinking about collecting the sawdust for use in thickening epoxy for some repairs I had to make, too.

I removed the hardware, too.

After sanding, vacuum dust off surface or wipe with tack rag.

[Now back to AMAZON's directions.]

Third, apply coat of TEAK PREP product. This is supposed to drive out any remaining moisture in the wood (the cause of dark streaks) and to neutralize any residue from the CLEANER. Let this dry overnight.

Fourth, mix TEAK PREP and TEAK OIL 1:3 and apply coat. Let dry 5-6 hours.

Repeat another application of TEAK PREP/TEAK OIL mixture. Let dry 5-6 hours.

Finally, apply coat of TEAK OIL full strength. Let dry 5-6 hours. Repeat if desired.

The results are quite nice, but I think the biggest improvement in the wood came from the sanding. Sanding really gave the wood a nice renewed surface. There was still some dark threads in the grain, but I think this might be a bit natural.

The application of the first coat of TEAK PREP really gave the wood a wonderful appearance. I was very impressed with how fine this cabinet door looked! It was furniture grade now!

Of course, as the oil is absorbed the wood loses the gloss. Each coat gets the wood a bit darker, too. I was using the GOLDEN TEAK OIL product; there are two other grades.

I have about 4-5 coats of oil on the cabinet. It looks great.

I'll let you know how the finish holds up at the end of the summer.

--jimh

posted 06-11-2001 12:23 PM ET (US)            

Do you need to use teak prep with new teak as well? I have some Amazon cleaner and Golden oil, but not the prep.

Your thoughts?

Bob

posted 06-29-2001 10:18 PM ET (US)         

Recently bought a '78 Montauk. Teak was in poor condition - I repeat POOR. While researching how to restore, ran into a guy with a 70-something Choy Lee Trawler who was working on his wood. Twenty questions ensued since the wood on that trawler was absolutely beautiful. His advice:

posted 06-30-2001 10:15 AM ET (US)            

I'd follow Tom's advise to the letter. I've BTDT with the teak cleaner.

However, I prefer varnished teak, except on the gunnels, or places where someone is gonna put a shoe.

I use Interlux Clipper Clear Varnish, over their varnish prep. Follow the instructions. Sand lightly between coats. I wait 24-48 hours between coats.

This year, based on an article I read Show Boat (?), I tried buffing out the final coat.
You sand with 1500(!) grit wet/dry paper and then buff with a new foam wheel, using 3M's "Finesse-It". It turned out pretty well. I was impressed. _Very_ smoooth. I noticed that there are _very_ minute scratch marks, which slightly dulls the overall appearence. The guy who I learned varnishing from said that I needed to go one finer sandpaper grade, to 2000, then buff. Will try that over the winter and report back.

Jim can attest to the finish so far.