Teak - Oil or Varnish - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
  Teak - Oil or Varnish

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Teak - Oil or Varnish

Taylor posted 08-15-2001 06:10 PM ET (US)
Now that I have my 88 Montauk, I need to do some refishinging. The wood is unfinished: probably it was oiled and has dried out. The bow hatch is warped up at the sides.
I'm thinking about just sanding and hitting it with some marine grade teak oil. The maintenance required might be more often, but is really really easy.
Or I could sand and then varnish. The great looking boats in the photo section look wonderful, but I'm concerned that if I let the varish go, I have to strip and refinish again.
Any advice on oil vs varnish? Any ideas for warped front hatches?
ValkariaKid posted 08-15-2001 09:21 PM ET (US)
Hi Taylor-
Congrats on your Montauk! I myself just bought my first Montauk 2 months ago (a '79)
The teak on my boat was in real sad shape when I got it, and my bow hatch was also warped as well.
To fix the hatch I clamped the upturned ends to the straight "caps" at both ends. I then drilled a small pilot hole for a stainless steel screw. Then I drilled a larger hole that will accept a teak plug to cover the head of the screw. After the holes were drilled I took off the clamps, and mixed up some epoxy and teak sawdust and injected in the gap where it warped. (I got that one from Ship Shape TV!) Then I reclamped it, and screwed it together. I let it sit overnight to be sure that the epoxy cured. The following day I just used regular wood glue and tapped in the teak plugs, and sanded everything smooth. It turned out great!
After alot of thought I decided to varnish all of my teak instead of oiling it. I used "Z-Spar Flagship Varnish" along with T-2015 thinner, and basicly followed the instructions on the can.
I have a few pictures of the before and after on my site in the photo album titled "Paul's '79 Montauk".
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/bostonwhalers
I followed the same procedure for all of the teak trim/hatches on the console as well, but I used twice as many coats of varnish on these peices. I'll post pics of these parts as well in a few minutes.
Hope this helps-
-Paul
Wild Turkey posted 08-16-2001 09:39 AM ET (US)
Taylor... Don't get these guys started on this subject. It has been debated intensely before.
For the record.... I like my teak oiled.
Chris
Landlocked posted 08-16-2001 02:10 PM ET (US)
Really just boiles down to personal preference. I oil the teak on my Montauk. For some reason - to me - oil looks more "classic". Shiny varnished surfaces always reminded me of a basketball court.
Everyone has a different opinion. Take a look a pics of both and pick the one you like. Its your boat afterall... Make it suit you. I feel the same way about drilling holes, attaching accessories, bottom paint etc. Make it the way You want it.
Ll.
Ll.
maverick posted 08-16-2001 06:58 PM ET (US)
ive used teak oil...lsnseed oil... and last time used an Ultraviolet varnish. None held against the sun for long. Friend old timer told me Tung oil...available at walmart for about $6. Wow...wish i had used it the first time...would have saved me time and labor! Looks GREAT...too. Mav
dfmcintyre posted 08-16-2001 08:28 PM ET (US)
taylor -
I use both oil or varnish depending on the area of the boat. If it's a surface that is going to get moderate to heavy foot traffic, I would recommend only using oil. If we're talking about trim on the console (doors, fire extinguisher insert, etc) or the RPS, I've had decent results using varnish (Larry will back me up on this...)
The key, again is the amount of traffic the surface will get.
Don

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Teak - Oil or Varnish
Taylor	posted 08-15-2001 06:10 PM ET (US) Now that I have my 88 Montauk, I need to do some refishinging. The wood is unfinished: probably it was oiled and has dried out. The bow hatch is warped up at the sides. I'm thinking about just sanding and hitting it with some marine grade teak oil. The maintenance required might be more often, but is really really easy. Or I could sand and then varnish. The great looking boats in the photo section look wonderful, but I'm concerned that if I let the varish go, I have to strip and refinish again. Any advice on oil vs varnish? Any ideas for warped front hatches?
ValkariaKid	posted 08-15-2001 09:21 PM ET (US) Hi Taylor- Congrats on your Montauk! I myself just bought my first Montauk 2 months ago (a '79) The teak on my boat was in real sad shape when I got it, and my bow hatch was also warped as well. To fix the hatch I clamped the upturned ends to the straight "caps" at both ends. I then drilled a small pilot hole for a stainless steel screw. Then I drilled a larger hole that will accept a teak plug to cover the head of the screw. After the holes were drilled I took off the clamps, and mixed up some epoxy and teak sawdust and injected in the gap where it warped. (I got that one from Ship Shape TV!) Then I reclamped it, and screwed it together. I let it sit overnight to be sure that the epoxy cured. The following day I just used regular wood glue and tapped in the teak plugs, and sanded everything smooth. It turned out great! After alot of thought I decided to varnish all of my teak instead of oiling it. I used "Z-Spar Flagship Varnish" along with T-2015 thinner, and basicly followed the instructions on the can. I have a few pictures of the before and after on my site in the photo album titled "Paul's '79 Montauk". http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/bostonwhalers I followed the same procedure for all of the teak trim/hatches on the console as well, but I used twice as many coats of varnish on these peices. I'll post pics of these parts as well in a few minutes. Hope this helps- -Paul
Wild Turkey	posted 08-16-2001 09:39 AM ET (US) Taylor... Don't get these guys started on this subject. It has been debated intensely before. For the record.... I like my teak oiled. Chris
Landlocked	posted 08-16-2001 02:10 PM ET (US) Really just boiles down to personal preference. I oil the teak on my Montauk. For some reason - to me - oil looks more "classic". Shiny varnished surfaces always reminded me of a basketball court. Everyone has a different opinion. Take a look a pics of both and pick the one you like. Its your boat afterall... Make it suit you. I feel the same way about drilling holes, attaching accessories, bottom paint etc. Make it the way You want it. Ll. Ll.
maverick	posted 08-16-2001 06:58 PM ET (US) ive used teak oil...lsnseed oil... and last time used an Ultraviolet varnish. None held against the sun for long. Friend old timer told me Tung oil...available at walmart for about $6. Wow...wish i had used it the first time...would have saved me time and labor! Looks GREAT...too. Mav
dfmcintyre	posted 08-16-2001 08:28 PM ET (US) taylor - I use both oil or varnish depending on the area of the boat. If it's a surface that is going to get moderate to heavy foot traffic, I would recommend only using oil. If we're talking about trim on the console (doors, fire extinguisher insert, etc) or the RPS, I've had decent results using varnish (Larry will back me up on this...) The key, again is the amount of traffic the surface will get. Don