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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Cape Cod Gray Teak Hatch Boards

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lwirth
1st Mate

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USA
35 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/15/2007 : 15:28:04

I've owned a 1985 Catalina 25 for one season now and the weather-sides of the varnished hatch boards are beginning to turn grey. I am OK with this wabi-sabi look, "acknowledging that nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect," but would like to know if the teak boards can take the sun and fresh water exposure naked, or should I be applying an oil finish and let nature otherwise take its course. If so, what is the best oil to apply on a regular basis to preserve the natural integrity of the teak. Thanks, Larry

Edited by - on

djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 15:45:34

Either way is fine Larry. If you like the gray look, leave them as is.....it won't hurt them. You can go with just Liquid Gold or tung oil, or you can use spare varnish. I don't know which is the best varnish as I just use Liquid Gold. Cheers.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 16:47:36

Teak is a naturally oily wood so they should be okay for a very long time. I've gone with a varnish like product recently. Prior to that we did the cleaner/brightner/oil process once at the beginning of the season. After that all we did was oil the wood periodically and the upkeep was easy.

Our boat was sitting untouched outside for ten years prior to owning it and the teak all came back to life without any problems.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 18:16:25

Here we go again...

There's "varnish-like" and real varnish--I recommend against the latter because when it eventually cracks and peels, you must remove it and start over. "Varnish-like" generally includes Cetol, West Marine Wood Pro (Cetol with a darker tint), and a couple of other similar products. Their advantage is that you can touch up worn areas with some light sanding and a quick swipe with a foam brush. Oil is good, but if you don't want gray, you must re-oil frequently. Gray is....... controversial. From my experience, it leads to cracking, splitting, mildew, and eventual deterioration of the teak. The seams in the hatch boards will likely start to open, and water will penetrate the joints. In cold climates, if that intruded moisture freezes, it's the beginning of the end for the boards. I see lots of older boats with gray teak--broken, split, and generally a mess. That's my humble opinion--there are certainly others.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 03/15/2007 18:50:07

Renzo
Admiral

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USA
621 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 18:26:56

Leaving them to gray out is fine but if they start to go black in some areas or if you want to at least keep from having a blotchy mottled gray, you can bleach them once every season with ordinary household bleach diluted with water(never done it myself but I know others who have). Then if you change your mind in the future and want to finish your teak with oil or varnish (or any of the other 10,000 finishes that will, undoubtably, be suggested in response to your question) You will have an easier job of it.

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 18:54:09

Rebecca Wittman's book [url="http://www.amazon.com/Brightwork-Finishing-Wood-Rebecca-Wittman/dp/0071579818/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-0808710-3723157?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174002235&sr=1-2"]Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood, [/url]She claims that if you want to leave your teak naked, you need to keep it clean. The pollution and dirt gets into the grain and that's what causes the problem. Her book discusses all the different finishes and the proper care and feeding of teak.
Duane is absolutely correct in that teak is an oily wood and tends to take care of itself. However, I have some old drop boards that are dry as can be. I have some new teak that is so oily that I'm afraid it'll slip out of my hand. So I think that even though teak takes care of itself, the oil will eventually dry out and will need to be replaced. It just depends on how old the wood is and how it's been taken care of in the past.

Edited by - on

Admin
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460 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 20:28:20

www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2F www.amazon.com%2FBrightwork-Finishing-Wood-Rebecca-Wittman%2Fdp%2F0071579818%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1174002235%26sr%3D1-2&tag=catalina25250-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

It is long but use this link instead - it has the affiliation attached to it to give the assn their cut.

Edited by - on

Turk
Admiral

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USA
736 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2007 : 21:21:35

I used 3 coats of cetol and 2 coats of cetol gloss when I had teak. I looks great (wet) and lasts several years. I have a c250 now and miss the experience. I still varnish the tiller each year.

http://www.elmhurstprop.com/kitty/Select/23187814.crw_8339.htm

http://www.elmhurstprop.com/kitty/webad/hatch.jpg

http://www.elmhurstprop.com/kitty/webad/misskitty.htm

Edited by - Turk on 03/15/2007 21:28:09

crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 10:51:55

For some reason, the "letting it go gray" solution seems to work best in salt water. I used it for a couple of years, and as long as you keep it clean and splash some salt water on it frequently it holds up well. The problem with teak begins when you let it get so dry and dirty that the grain begins to collapse. Then you have to sand it down to smooth, and every time the teak gets a litle thinner. Thats why the bungs sometimes pop out of teak decks. Salt has always been a natural wood preservative, and was used as such on the old sailing ships. I can't remember--too many years--where I saw it, but either on Old Ironsides, or on Pete Seeger's schooner, there were barrels of salt sitting around to be packed up to the gunnels as a preservastive.

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lwirth
1st Mate

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USA
35 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 11:42:52

Thanks guys, I will clean and oil my hatch boards this spring and keep oiling them during the summer and fall. They are in relatively good shape right now and I'll make sure that they don't dry out. I even sprang for a Catalina blue canvas hatch board case this past season, it's very spiffy looking with its own handle and helps to protect the boards while keeping things more ship-shape while sailing. Larry

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tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 11:56:56

Oh S%&T! here we go again.

I'm of the old school ( Navy) leave it alone and let it do what its natural for it to do, turn Cape Cod Grey,(matching the hull color). As Duane mentioned ,"it's an oily wood", someone else said, "its so oily it may slip out of your hand". I can't speak to teak ever having slipped out of my hand but it sure is oily. Yeah Duane!

It's hard for me think of myself as old Navy but back in '47 some of Uncle Sam's ships had teak decks and we never Cetoled them.

Thank god! It was hard enough to "holy stone" them. And all that accomplished was to give the younger tars something to do with their hands,

while at the same time adding some texture on deck so as not to be having any of us going over the side. Had they Cetoled the decks they'd have lost most of us and I'd not be busting your chops going OLD NAVY on you here

MY ABOVE DECK TEAK IS CAPE COD GREY

Val on the hard DAGNABIT # 3936, Patchogue, N.Y.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 13:03:52

Of course you don't Cetol teak decks, Val... you just replace them every 15-20 years.

I know somebody who makes a nice living replacing teak decks on boats... And a friend's 25-year-old, never-been-oiled teak handrails will give you splinters if you use them for their intended purpose. Different strokes...

Edited by - on

Renzo
Admiral

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USA
621 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 14:00:52

Like I said earlier Larry, Your question will generate 10,000 responses! It seems that, aside from religion and politics, no other topic is as hotly debated as how to finish teak. The only other subject that even comes close, as far as emotional attachments, is whether a boat should have exterior wood or not. It must be the nature of wood as a one time living organism that inspires grown men to impassioned rhetoric regarding it's use and care. You will never get as many responses nor engender as much violent argument about the aluminum or fiberglass that make your boat go and keep it afloat. It just goes to prove that sailors are not only a superstitious lot, but are also a bunch of esthetically sensitive individualists who, deep down inside, really believe that their boats are alive. And I personaly wouldn't have it any other way!

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 14:22:39

If you really want to get crazy you could also hold the debate that calling any wood brightwork is a misnomer as brightwork was reserved for polished brass. But we can keep that for another conversation.

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lwirth
1st Mate

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USA
35 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 15:23:08

I know what you mean Renzo. Before I took up sailing, I used to play golf every weekend with three other guys, two on the right and one on the left. Talking politics before, during or after a round of golf was a big mistake. I'm really glad that I bought a 20+ year old Catalina 25. She is still in amazingly good shape having sailed on the same lake all those years with four previous owners -- orginal sails, outboard engine, etc. Almost everything works as good as new, except for sporadic electrical connections, and I can usually just relax and go sailing. Buying a used boat also means that I don't have to worry about paying off a big loan either. I prefer to go "natural" with the maintenance wherever possible, as long as I don't do any long-term harm to the boat. Last season the sun was even kind enough to bleach out the red wine stains I couldn't scrub out.

Getting back to the hatch boards, is there any problem with having them dipped before finishing with Tung oil?

Cheers, Larry

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 15:27:54

Uh, this thread should be on the C25 forum. We 250 sailors aren't bothered with exterior teak.

On my C22 I let the teak go gray. It looks fine and does no harm to the wood.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 16:42:11

Randy - teak maintenance is still general sailing. In your case you had experience with a prior vessel. Unless there is blatant misclassification of a post I don't think there is a problem with it in the general.

dw

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2007 : 21:52:12

Sorry Duane, it was a joke.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 03/16/2007 21:54:02

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2007 : 08:25:10

no problem. I spend some time on other boards where the number one response is search the archives and the number two response is this is in the wrong forum and it drives me nuts...

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