Rick et al,
OK, I guess I will be the voice of some dissent here (nothing unusual!). In
my 20 years of maintaining boats (professionally, as well as many of my own),
I have tried just about every coating material and method out there. I've
done teak oil, synthetic oils (Teak Wonder and others), Armada, Cetol, Armada or
Cetol over penetrating epoxy, Bristol Finish (small test only), etc.
As Connie frequently reminds us, the appropriate material is dependent on the
intended use, or in this case, exposure. An M-boat that is garaged or
covered when not in use will likely enjoy great longevity with virtually any
product, whereas boats/coatings left exposed in more extreme climates are subject to
an accelerated decay in coating performance.
For about ten years, I maintained several boats (large with extensive teak)
using conventional teak oils. Longevity varied by the boat. The boat in San
Diego required complete cleaning and recoating every three months. In San
Francisco, I could wait four to five months, but again, I had to wash/scrub the
wood to restore appearance prior to re-oiling. In Seattle, I could go six
months, but green moss/algae was a problem (same drill-clean/scrub prior to
application). I still like the look of a good oil (I liked 'Seafin' the best), but
most clients were not pleased with the lack of longevity.
Enter synthetics: (better living through chemistry?). When 'Teak Wonder' hit
the market, three out of six regular clients made the switch. The San Diego,
San Francisco, and Seattle boats would now go 6, 8, and 12 months
respectively. I did get some gripes about the orange color (not dissimilar from the
original Cetol), but most found the tradeoff worthwhile. When the time came to
recoat, I used the proprietary Teak Wonder Cleaner and Brightener (two separate
products). This was still a labor intensive process, and the longevity was
still questionable in high UV areas.
When Cetol first hit the market, I tried it on a construction project
(mahogany siding on a contemporary house). I was stunned when I returned two years
later to replace a faulty window unit, and the Cetol still looked new (southern
exposure/very hot site). I tried it on a friend's boat with similar results.
That boat still has the original Cetol (seven years +/-) with only light
recoats every second year (no stripping, just very light sanding and wipe down).
I then tried Armada on our then 34' pilothouse ketch. This boat had endless
teak (bulwarks, caprails, trim--you name it!), and I was not interested in
anything like the aforementioned oiling regime. The Armada looked great, and
lasted well (in Seattle area), but did not hold up as well to abrasion. Even
light brushes of a fender or line seemed to abrade away the coating. It did not
crack or flake, but rather just seemed to disappear in these areas. Recoating
was easy, and I still consider this a viable coating--though not with the
longevity of Cetol.
Ten years later, five out of six of the original vessels mentioned above have
switched to Cetol. They get one light recoat annually in California--every
two years in Seattle, and all still look like new. I did my M-15 in Cetol
shortly after purchase (1996?), and still get compliments on the original (never
recoated) finish (boat is garaged). I recently (six months ago) did another
large boat in Half Moon Bay, California, and have several inquiries from others
wanting me to do theirs. After six months, the teak looks as if it were done
yesterday while the surrounding boats with teak oil are covered in algae/moss,
etc. (Cetol is more of a 'closed coat' finish, and as such, does not support
'growies' in the grain as do oil and other finishes).
The aesthetic concerns of the various coatings are undeniably a matter of
personal preference. For me, the color and finish quality of a product are
components in the matrix to be considered along with longevity, labor cost,
climate/exposure, etc. I still have one friend who insists on annual sanding with
8-10 coats of hand-rubbed varnish (money no object) because he cannot abide the
orange pigment of Cetol or other high-tech coatings.
I fully agree that the rather orange color of Cetol is unfortunate. The
newer Cetol 'Light' is somewhat better, but it is still quite orange relative to
other finishes. If there was anything that performed nearly as well in my
climate, I would certainly consider it. To date, I have found no such product.
My initial test sample of 'Bristol Finish' (small block of coated teak thrown
on top of my garage) is not promising, though the initial finish is beautiful.
I would also like to suggest that the quality of the job (preparation and
application), as well as the relative ease of use of a given product make a big
difference. Cetol, alas, is not the most forgiving of products to work with.
That said, I have seen numerous Cetol jobs that rival a good varnish in
surface quality. This goes a long way to mitigating the, um, unusual orange tint.
One recent visitor to my M15 could not believe that he was looking at Cetol.
I have found a few tricks in using Cetol (original or 'Light'):
1) Thoroughly strip ALL previous coatings and clean/brighten teak (I still
use 'Teak Wonder' Cleaner and Brightener for initial prep--be careful of your
gel coat)
2) Sand teak to remove ridges/excessive open grain
3) Let teak dry FULLY before application
4) Mask around ALL teak with a high quality tape like 3M '14 day' blue, or 3M
green as if doing a high quality paint job.
5) Apply indoors when possible, and within temperature range suggested on can
(better on warm side of range). If you must apply outdoors, wait for a calm,
dry day (three days, actually).
6) Do not 'whip' air into the material prior to applying (the bubbles result
in surface voids)
7) Only pour out what you can use in fifteen minutes or less, and cover the
can (the solvents evaporate quickly, and the result is 'dragging' of the
material by the brush and/or excessive brushmarks)
8) Push the material into itself (rather than pulling the material out of
area just painted), and keep a wet edge)
9) Apply a total of four coats 24 hours apart. Sand 24 hours after the third
coat until surface is smooth. Final coat will lay down nicely as a result.
10) Remove masking tape by pulling tape out and away (flatly), not up.
11) Cleanup promptly. Hardened Cetol is difficult to remove!
Repairs to damaged areas can be feathered in at any time.
So, I know that this sounds like a lot of work. It is, but you can rest
assured that if you do it correctly, you will spend a lot less time in the long
run when compared to other coatings. Even though I garage my M15, I am still
glad I did Cetol. Cleaning is easier, and if the current trend continues, I
will not have to recoat for a very long time. When I recently bought my Flicka,
I decided it too will get Cetol on all external wood. I can live with the
orange. It helps brighten those gray Northwest days!!
A few comments on marine lumber:
1) Teak and Mahogany are the best suited readily available species for
external/above deck usage (with teak being better than mahogany in most instances)
due to natural rot resistance.
2) Plantation-grown teak is now available as an alternative to
destructive/non-sustainable harvest practices.
3) Letting teak 'go gray' is an option, but eventually the natural oils will
leach out/oxidize. Tight old-growth or vertical-grain teak (not what most of
us have on our boats) can last a very long time, but eventually unprotected
teak will dry and check/split/crack. Sealing at least the end grain will help
slow the drying process.
4) The high silica content of teak makes it highly resistant to pests (and
eats saw blades like crazy!)
5) Most oak species are poorly suited to marine use due to poor resistance to
rot. Beware structural oak with small black lines (along grain) or black
spots. This is often indicative of spreading rot. Pacific Seacraft used to use
oak for rudder cheek blocks as it is inherently stronger than teak. They
later changed to teak when these oak blocks failed regularly due to rot (even when
varnished!)
All usual disclaimers apply--Just my $0.02 worth.
Scott
M15 #478 'bebe'
PSC Flicka (unnamed)
In a message dated 6/28/04 8:13:08 PM,
montgomery_boats-request(a)mailman.xmission.com writes:
>I just finished removing "Cetol" from all my teak and replacing it with
>teak
>oil. It looks wonderful and I suspect very much like the original factory
>finish. IMHO, Cetol is about the worst finish one could apply to any wood.
>It might last forever, but forever is a long time for ugly. Instead of
>gray
>teak you get yellow teak and in the case of my boat, the one applying the
>Cetol gave me alot of yellow fiberglass.
>
>For many years I had a boat that stayed in a slip or on a mooring all summer
>and a hard finish made sense, but my current boat is dry sailed and covered
>when not used and my thinking is that a hard finish makes less sense.
>Also,
>eventually hard finishes have to be stripped when they are recoated many
>times and that is a major job.
>
>My hatch boards need to be replaced because the teak veneer has delaminated
>(which meant the Cetol came off easily). I am thinking of using some nice
>white oak that I already have, but I'm not sure about the difference in
>color. When oxidized and gray they (teak and white oak) look very much
>alike, but when cleaned up and oiled the oak is lighter and without any
>redness. Has anyone used oak with teak and have suggestions for me?
>
>Rick Langer
>M15 #337
>Hudson River
