Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
Mike Brantley
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 8:39 am

Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby Mike Brantley » Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:53 pm

Shown below are three links to illustrations of three coats of Cetol Natural Teak and two coats of Cetol Marine Gloss on a Reversible Pilot Seat back and on trim pieces.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WPkVwBjcsKDd4nQ7A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1K3XNk65ssr4FJqd8

Please comment on the apperance of the wood finish.

Years ago I had decided against Cetol because the version(s) that were on the market then produced a rather orange outcome when done. To my eye, the new Cetol Natural Teak variant does NOT suffer from the orange look.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GjcfdfbcZ2kan9xK8.

To prepare the wood, old varnish was sanded off with 80 grit and then 150 grit using a random orbital sander.

I used a two-inch Jen Manufacturing Professional Foam Poly-Brushes to apply all coats. Each coat dried for about 24 hours before re-coating.

The instructions said not to sand between coats, but i did a light sanding of some rough spots after the second coat of Cetol Natural Teak. I think the rough spots were caused by some dust or sawdust that got encapsulated in the first two coats.

Wood pieces were removed from the boat so this work could be done in my climate controlled kitchen during a heat wave in Alabama.

ASIDE: I am getting new louvered console doors and frames made by Bob Latourelle. The old ones are rather worse for wear so starting over with new pieces there.

Masbama
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Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:33 pm
Location: Mobile, Al

Re: Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby Masbama » Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:59 pm

I used Cetol on the wood of the 1977 17 Montauk I owned. It was great. Lasted a long time.

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby jimh » Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:54 am

The wood finish looks very nice.

What is the cost of the two products used?

Do these finishing products tolerate sunlight well?

Mike Brantley
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 8:39 am

Re: Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby Mike Brantley » Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:29 am

Thanks, Jim!

The Natural Teak was $47 for a quart, and the Marine Gloss was $50 for a quart from Amazon. I still have to finish the new louvered doors and frames and cooler chocks when I get them in a few weeks, but I should nevertheless have plenty of both Sikkens Cetol products left over.

I'm hopeful these products will stand up to the elements. Their exposure to the sunshine will be limited to a great extent because my classic Montauk purchase thankfully included a nice mooring cover for protection. The boat is stored in the open, so that cover is essential.

My "new" boat has a fiberglass bow locker cover, so there are no wood pieces that anyone will stand on and cause physical wear and abuse from feet and gear. There's just the RPS seatback, the console doors and console trim to deal with. And the cooler chocks. In my mind that's enough brightwork to add some class and style to the little vessel, but not so much as to be a burden. We'll have to see how it goes.

dtmackey
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Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:29 pm

Re: Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby dtmackey » Wed Jun 29, 2022 3:34 pm

jimh wrote:The wood finish looks very nice.

Do these finishing products tolerate sunlight well?


I used this finish on the ladder steps on my Nordic Tug and I'm on season-three without touching them. The finish holds up great, but does not have the same depth and clarity of varnish. Since these are teak steps, it's not a big concern. I have not used it on anything else.

D-

TFrere
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Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:16 pm
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: Refinishing Boston Whaler brightwork with Cetol products

Postby TFrere » Thu Jun 30, 2022 10:41 am

I used to own a 38 ft sailboat with teak caprails, handrails, and various other exterior teak exposed to the elements. Over the years, I tried many different products including varnish, oils, and Cetol. Of all the products I tried, the Cetol held up the best in the sweltering South Louisiana summers. It was not as natural looking as varnish (it had an orange tint) but required less time maintaining the boat which allowed for more time on the water.
1985 15’ Sport with Yamaha F70