Yellow cedar decks covered in Cetol

[jsh]

I have inherited a 48 year old 39' cutter. The boat was owned by my grandparents and their maintinence habits moderated a bit with age. The decks are Yellow cedar and covered in Cetol which apparantly was an aid in stopping water from penetrating. I am considering refinishing the decks as the look a bit industrial for me. I fear that varnish would be too slick. I am new to wooden boats do you put non-skid particles in Varnish? The mast (spruce) also has some seams opening and chafe from the wire halyards. The mast is also finished in Cetol (my granpa claimed that this way he did not have to refinish it every year). So I guess this is my question am I foolish change what obviously works because I want it to look pretty? thanks

[Ed Nye]

First, if seams are opening in the mast, it needs to be repaired. 48-year-old glue - that sounds about normal. There are processes to take the mast apart and re-glue it. Classic or Wooden Boat did an article in the last year or so.

Second, the decks, eye of the beholder, and the amount of continuous work you are willing to do and all that. Cedar does not need a coating of anything if the corking, pardon, caulking is sound. There are some mighty pretty cedar decks around the northwest. If you want it naked and it leaks, you have to fix that, or the whole boat will dissolve up here.
Ed

[Bob Cleek]

You are right. Cetol would prevent SOME water damage perhaps, and it does last pretty well, but it is butt ugly. Better to sand the cedar decks clean (but sparingly... don't take a 40 grit belt sander to them!) and either let them bleach, soak them in 50-50 linseed oil and turpentine, or use a decking sealer on them, like Thompson's Waterseal or Flood's WoodLife. Please, not orange Cetol on yellow cedar! LOL

Be sure to make sure the caulking is tight before you worry about what the deck looks like.

[capt jake]

Thompson's waterseal?? That stuff is nothing but volatile solvents. It vertually evaporates before you eyes.
I used one of Floods products on my Cedar deck, didn't last and turned milky after exposure to the weather. Have yet to find a decent sealer for the deck, it'll be yanked and replaced with concrete, but that's another story..
I am trying Varathane's Diamond Finish at present. Water based, UV inhibiters, dries fast and is much harder than varnish when it is cured.
Worked very well on the kayak paddle. We'll se how it works on the spars that I ma finishing up. :D

[SchoonerSaraB]

Deks ole matte finish. Clean the decks well before hand and make sure they are dry. Also make sure you have enough and a good 6 hrs. to apply.As it is absorbed apply more till it will not absorb any more.Wipe up excess and let dry.Periodically clean and do a quick touch up coat(once or twice a year. Been doing this on my pine decks for 6 years and they look great.The key is to make sure the original application really soaks in before it drys.

[capt jake]

Deks ole matte finish That is what Devlin is using. Must be good stuff. It is on my must try list. Ran into one of his people at the supply store, as he was buying it.

[Scott Rosen]

I vote for bare wood. It's the best non-slip surface you'll find.

[MAGIC's Craig]

FWIW, both of our boats have had yellow cedar decks and we left them bare for traction, primarily. It is a fine material for decks - IF -all your deck hardware is non-ferrous. Otherwise, in the presence of salt water, there is a tendancy for the deck to stain black.

We maintain the decks by regularly bucketing with salt water. They can be brightened a bit on a warm, sunny day using a slurry mix of an expensive marine compound (Comet) and salt water, but do not use a bristle brush on them!

Because we are based these days in the always-sunny Pacific Northwest and because lots of fresh water has a tendancy to cause a grey-black fungus to grow in the wood, we have occasionally given thought to finding a clear, non-slick "sealer" which will not attack the TDS seam compound. I would be interested to hear if anyone else has found such a magic "slush"?