quality teak deck finish needed

[dreyer]

Im currently stripping the teak decks on two 35 foot superyacht tenders as they have been oiled and the oil is just a maintenance nightmare, it turns grey/patchy in just a 6 weeks heavy use and then the deck has to be stripped and refinished for a proper job. Its only about a 10mm veneer so isnt going to last long at this rate. We really like a sealed finish as opposed to raw teak, its quick to dry & clean, and it stays stain free on boats that are getting hammered every day with guest use. The oil doesnt seem to leave the decks too slippery. How would products like deks olje or cetol or colean fare for this sort of application? If it looks good, doesnt make the decks like an ice skating rink & is relatively easy to strip when then time comes to replace it then we would be keen to give it a run.

One of the main factors is it needs to look REALLY good & be maintainable.

I know im asking a lot but something has to be better than regular teak oil. We need a finish that will stand up for up to 6 months at a time between heavy maintenance.

What are my options?

Cheers
James.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/2065/vikallimoka1.jpg
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/5688/vikalsporthh2.jpg

[Boatsmith]

Maybe you should consider Flexi Teak .

[Todd D]

Why not leave it natural. That is by far the least slippery option. A quick washdown with salt water every day or two will keep it looking good. When it starts to gray, an application of teak cleaner will bring it right back to that new teak look.

My experience with products like Cetol is that they are quite soft and frankly don't look all that good.

[kayakn]

i don't know much but i used this on my pram(not teak)

http://bristolfinish.com/

here is my pram

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83107&highlight=optimist+pram+restoration

[Todd D]

Another option would be to coat it with awlgrip, epiphanes or Interlux Perfection clear coat. You coulf sugar (use powdered sugar) the next to the last coat to get a good non-skid result. My experience with Interlux Perfection and Epiphanes 2-part clear coat is that you get a very durable finish that lasts for years.

[Dale Genther]

Leave it natural. Any finish I know of will reduce the non-skid properties and create a maintenance headache.

On second thought I do know of one finish that I put on a customers boat this summer that appears to have the ability to last a very long time with no maintanance. That is Coelan. Problem is, it is VERY expensive and miserable to apply.

[TimmS]

Those are some hefty "tenders"!

[Gary E]

What are my options?
I'm going to guess that you bought those boats new?
Ask the builder what they use... not a bunch of amateurs..

[MAGIC's Craig]

Check out a Spanish product marketed under the name Semco. They offer three "colors" - actually degrees of opacity - and we have found both in Mexico and British Columbia that this product, in the "natural" color seems to hold up quite well without going black or grey. It was invented by a wealthy Spaniard for his own superyacht when he could not find a suitable product. Not cheap, but a gallon puts two coats on our 40' LOD schooner's decks.

YMMV, of course.

Craig Johnsen

[C. Ross]

If you want non-skid, non-oil-matte look, consider a product called Ultimate Sole. It is intended to be low-skid gloss, and it is. It applies easily enough, but not sure about its UV resistence if you're going to be in a punishing climate.

[Bob Cleek]

Next to bottom paint, there is perhaps no marine product category more inundated with bull**** than teak coatings. Cleek's law number twenty-six: "The effectiveness of any particular marine product is in inverse proportion to the number of different products on the market claiming to solve the same problem." In other words, when everybody's touting their product as "the best," odds are better none of them work worth a damn. If there are only one or two products on the market for a particular purpose, you can figure it's a "mature technology" and the marketplace natural selection process is complete.

The ONLY way to really maintain teak decks and soles efficiently and effectively is to leave them bare. A regular swabbing with seawater will keep them clean and white. Now, today, few have the traditional "luxury" of swabbing the decks every morning, let alone holystoning them regularly (which would eat up think veneer decks in a hot minute anyway.) An application of a LIGHT concentration of oxalic acid ("wood bleach" at the paint store) sponged on and rinsed off every few months will serve as well as daily swabbing to keep the teak bright. (DO NOT use "teak bleach" or "teak cleaner" products sold in chandleries. They are WAY too strong and will eat the decks up and destroy rubber caulking compounds.)

Apparently, you have these boats in heavy commercial use. Short of a very expensive and suitably large maintenance crew (you?), it is very hard to keep a boat looking "Bristol fashion" in this sort of service. What you CAN do that WILL work to a reasonable extent is to seal the bare, bleached teak with a thin, low-buildup spirits based house deck and fence sealer. This is no miracle product. Been around forever. Flood markets "WoodLife." Thompson's has "Waterseal." (Don't get into epoxy based sealers, though.) Bleach the teak lightly and then apply the WoodLife or Thompson's Waterseal with a brush or garden sprayer. It will not discolor the teak. It will reduce the frequency of needed bleaching, repel water and oil staining (potato chips! the WORST) and make washing easier. The good thing about these products is that they are invisible and will wear off naturally. When the teak starts to look weathered, you know your sealer is worn off. All you do is bleach lightly and reapply the sealer. No stripping or scraping necessary.

I will say, however, that the fastest drying, most slip-resistant surface is going to be bare teak, hands down. The sealing method I described will give you the same skid proof surface, although, water and oil will sit on the sealed surface, so you get a theoretically more slippery surface when it's sealed, although not noticeably so.