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SEMCO

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/22/2011 : 16:33:50

Has anyone used Semco Teak Sealer - Honeytone color? Any pix?

I'm thinking of trying it in place of the Natural I used last year as it looks a tad anemic.

Dave Bristle - did you receive my e-mail re color choice or are you too busy playing with that new grandchild in Steamboat Springs?

Edited by - OJ on 06/13/2011 08:47:54

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/22/2011 : 19:59:32

I only wish I were still there playing with him... (He's still a little young to "play".) ...but no e-mail--when did you send it?

I'm wondering the same thing about colors--I'm about to remove the Cetol from my handrails and re-do them. SEMCO "Natural" is supposed to look "anemic"--or "weathered". Friends use a 50-50 combination of Natural and Brown, as I recall... I'll talk to them a little more about that. I don't know whether Honeytone or Goldtone would be similar--their website doesn't do much for me there.

More as it happens...

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/22/2011 20:07:10

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 16:30:07

Dave, I spoke to the founder's son the other day. I asked him what what were the more popular color choices for boaters and he said Honeytone.

I would be interested in hearing what color(s) your friends use.

Ahhh, so nice not to face sanding teak this spring - or ever again!

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2011 : 21:43:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 ...he said Honeytone.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Goldtone is only color Defender lists. I hope I can find a sample somewhere--their site makes them look identical.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/24/2011 21:47:23

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 06:12:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 ...he said Honeytone.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Goldtone is only color Defender lists. I hope I can find a sample somewhere--their site makes them look identical.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I'm not sure the Semco site did a very good job displaying accurate colors.

Apparently Honeytone is in short supply at this time - Larry said they would sell it to me direct.

I probably won't care for the Honeytone either and will try another color in 2012, LOL

Still easier than sanding, striping.

Still interested to hear of a winning formula from your boating acquaintances though . . .

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2011 : 09:08:47

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 Still interested to hear of a winning formula from your boating acquaintances though . . .<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I just talked to him... He mixes Natural and Goldtone for a soft, subtle color, and then top-coats it with Clear to add some weather protection without adding pigment. Semco's Clear does not add any gloss, but also doesn't provide any UV protection. His boat, a Mystic 30 cutter, has a very classic look with what appears to be very slightly weathered teak--quite a bit of it.

I'm going to dab some of each of his on a scrap of teak and see what I like. It's a matter of taste, of course...

He warns that it takes considerable and constant mixing to keep the pigment in suspension. He also suggests lightly wiping it with a cloth after applying each coat, to reduce the "painted" look.

Edited by - on

OJ
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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2011 : 09:44:32

Dave, that's quite a process. Thanks for researching this topic. Would be really interested in seeing the results if you have the time to post any pix.

This is the Natural which, again, I feel is pretty pale.

Edited by - OJ on 02/27/2011 09:49:29

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2011 : 18:28:45

Dave, have you done any experimenting with Semco this spring?

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2011 : 20:19:03

Nope--I decided to re-do my hand-rails with Cetol Marine--sanding down and starting over. I had used Cetol Natural Teak before, but it didn't hold up as well as I expected. Practical Sailor found the same thing--Marine holds up significantly better than Natural Teak. I decided I wanted the "wet look" instead of the slightly weathered look of Semco. It's just a matter of taste and the characteristics of the boat.

Edited by - on

GaryB
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4304 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2011 : 08:33:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 Dave, that's quite a process. Thanks for researching this topic. Would be really interested in seeing the results if you have the time to post any pix.

This is the Natural which, again, I feel is pretty pale.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Wow, your boat looks awesome! If you ever decide to sell call me.

What brand of furler do you have?

Edited by - GaryB on 06/13/2011 08:34:04

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2011 : 09:55:43

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Wow, your boat looks awesome! If you ever decide to sell call me.

What brand of furler do you have?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Thank you Gary, compared to when I bought this boat in the fall of 2009, it took many hours to bring it back to this condition. Shown here is the Furlex furler I sold via the Swap Meet earlier this spring. I'm upgrading to a Harken - you will recall I too shared my discontent with the rigger I used.

Edited by - on

Voyager
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5369 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2011 : 20:15:20

On the finish -- was reading a very informative and entertaining article by Don Casey in the recent issue of SAIL magazine. He compared Teak Oil to Varnish to SEMKO to Cetol and even brown paint!

I really had to laugh when he said [paraphrasing] "I have a strong preference for one product, however I will not express my preference as I will lose the respect and interest of most of my readers."

He boiled the discussion down to: the lighter preps show more of the grain and the beauty of the original wood while the heavier show less wood, but are more robust and resilient. SEMKO shows more wood, but does not last as long while Cetol is durable, but somewhat hides the beauty of the wood grain.

Edited by - on

OJ
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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2011 : 08:43:06

This conversation started over a year ago when I noted there a was C25 at our marina that had let their teak go grey - and how attractive I thought it was . . . not to mention how maintenance-free it would be. Then the great people of this forum explained that unprotected teak would deteriorate without some type of coating - and that's when Semco was mentioned. I too questioned the accuracy of the color chips on the Semco website. Too ensure consistency, Larry Serra explained they acquired a single piece of weathered teak - stripped and sanded it back to bare wood before cutting it up to apply their different colors. I have tried the Natural and the Classic Brown and they closely resemble what is on the website - and yes the brown can look like brown paint. Unfortunately in reality, on a boat with a white cabin top and hull, tan non-skid and rubrail, the Natural simply does not provide enough contrast to allow the teak to stand-out.
I provided a link to a university paper that was a several page dissertation on wood coatings in marine environments which all had the same mortality - just at varying rates.
As have many of us, I've spent hours and hours doing the removing, stripping, coating and reinstalling routine. Then in subsequent years having the Cetol bleed under masking tape onto white gelcoat. Then to skip one year only to have burn marks appear the following season - literally made me nauseated. Now with a newer model C25 with the teak eyebrows I am even more reluctant use to anything that will eventually require complete stripping - life's simply too busy an too short!
Though I have no desire to own one, I can understand (to a very limited degree) the Clorox bottle approach of the C250.

Edited by - OJ on 06/19/2011 06:50:55

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2011 : 10:43:14

For something like $1 per inch, you can get custom-made, teak-colored, plastic hand-rails and other pieces from [url="http://plasteak.com/osc/index.php?cPath=1_79&osCsid=82a06a1d4efb5927dbdb206db5f6165f"]PlasTEAK Inc.[/url] I got samples of their material, including teak & holly (vinyl) flooring and their recycled plastic "lumber". A friend has used some of their lumber to replace pieces very similar to the "eyebrows" on the sides of the '89-91 cabin. Holding the material, it seems pretty fake, but from 5' away, you wouldn't notice that it isn't teak. The texture is wood-like, the color is similar to Semco Goldtone, but there is no grain coloration. If my four exterior handrails need another complete re-do in a few years, I just might think hard about $200 eliminating that problem forever. I have enough of the real stuff down below.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 06/18/2011 10:52:25

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2011 : 18:32:50

Shared the above issues with the manager of the Pittsburgh WM store today. He owns a 30' cabin crusier with tons of teak - including a swim platform. I explained I had used Cetol back in the 1990s. He asked how many initial coats I had applied on the bare teak and I said two. He went on to explain that Sikkens had come out with a more UV resitant formula (as I have read here.) He felt that two initial coats wasn't enough to prevent premature hot spots - even if I had applied 2 coats in subsequent years. He said he applied 6 coats in year one and 1 coat in each subsequent year. That was 7 years ago and the Cetol Marine is showing no signs of breaking down.
7+ years between stripping down to bare wood I can live with . . . so I purchased 1 quart of Cetol Marine. As I will be applying it with the hand rails attached I also purchased a roll of the green masking tape to prevent bleeding underneath the tape.
So long Semco.

Edited by - OJ on 06/19/2011 06:49:40

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2011 : 20:09:15

From what I've gathered, the "new, more UV-resistant formula" (according to Sikkens) is being used in Cetol Natural Teak. Practical Sailor and I have found it to be less resistant--it did not hold up nearly as well on my exterior hand-rails as I have been used to, and it performed poorly in P/S's test--convincing me that my experience had some basis. So I reverted to Cetol Marine--I think I did 5 coats after taking the rails down to fresh wood (off the boat)--I believe Sikkens suggests four. You can do them in pretty rapid succession without sanding, or wait a little longer and "sand" very lightly with a 3-M pad.

BTW, I've asked reps for Island Packet, Sabre, and Tartan at boat shows about the finish on the exterior teak on their show boats... Cetol.

Edited by - on

glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2011 : 03:15:59

Granted we are only a few miles from the 45th parallel so UV is nothing like that in more tropical climes, but I applied Cetol Light (4 layers) 6 years ago with a clear topcoat and still receive comments about how great our teak looks. The handrails are usually covered but nothing else. This spring I began to touch up some pieces to renew the protection but most require no major work. I plan to remove the eyebrows this fall and I suspect that is needed only because I did not finish the underside of those pieces (why?). That said, a boat cover to protect the teak and keep the interior cooler is still a priority on my to do list.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2011 : 07:47:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 ...article by Don Casey... he said [paraphrasing] "I have a strong preference for one product, however I will not express my preference as I will lose the respect and interest of most of my readers."<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I think he just gave it away! Old salts love to denigrate Cetol.

To the Bristol Finish aficionados, I say more power to you--your brightwork looks wonderful... Just wait till that first crack appears. And as for the "gray look" from benign neglect (as opposed to Semco), I know from many observations that in no more than 20 years, that teak will be pitted, cracked, and probably mildewed, and the boat would look a lot better if it were an unadorned Clorox bottle. But I guess that's just my taste.

Happy Father's Day from a new grandfather!

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2011 : 08:28:04

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 From what I've gathered, the "new, more UV-resistant formula" (according to Sikkens) is being used in Cetol Natural Teak. Practical Sailor and I have found it to be less resistant--it did not hold up nearly as well on my exterior hand-rails as I have been used to, and it performed poorly in P/S's test--convincing me that my experience had some basis. So I reverted to Cetol Marine--I think I did 5 coats after taking the rails down to fresh wood (off the boat)--I believe Sikkens suggests four.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Good grief, WM sold me a can of "Cetol Marine Natural Teak." Does anyone know if this differs from "Cetol Marine?" Many product reviews on the Jamestown Distributors website are for non-boating applications. Most of these reviews pertain to recently applied product - not addressing longevity, durability.

Edited by - OJ on 06/19/2011 08:39:58

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2011 : 12:05:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 Good grief, WM sold me a can of "Cetol Marine Natural Teak." Does anyone know if this differs from "Cetol Marine?"<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Yup--it does. I didn't recall "Natural Teak" had the word "Marine" in the name, but it is different from the original Cetol, which is simply called Cetol Marine, printed on a yellow label. ("Natural Teak" is on a brown label--but the color of the finish is more yellow than plain "Marine"--go figure...) My advice would be to exchange it before you open it, unless you're not happy with the somewhat "oranger" tint of the original Cetol Marine. (In my view, freshly sanded and oiled teak is kind of a red-orange tone.) Your call (of course). It's the original that performed better for Practical Sailor and (anecdotally and not scientifically) for me.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 06/19/2011 12:11:29

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