Teak... Surely not the first time

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by ovrmyhead

Sounds like bragging but I dont believe you. I've got a union, love my cockpit, cant imagine a boat with more teak.
Got pics? prove me wrong, love to see it!

Sorry to disappoint you but the "EASTWIND" is ALL teak, hull, frames, floors, timbers, decks, cabins, bow sprit. The masts & spars are mahogany. Copper rivited.
This boat was built in Bangkok, Thialand in 1941.
If it ever washes up on someones beach, they can go into the teak furniture business!

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Skagit City was evidently a port on the river many years ago.... it no longer exists... so I used it for my home port on the US CG Document!

Cheechako - The last time I was on that part of the river, "Skagit City" was the hang out for Old Hippies & River Rats. There was a collection of old boats, rafts, docks, house boats, etc. tied up to the shore.
I dont know if it is still this way, It has been about 10 years since I was up river duck hunting. I used to keep my troller at Bob Coe's "Hole in the wall" down stream from La Conner and got to know some of the people who lived in the "City".

[Ocean Girl]

Scubbing with bristle brushes digs out your soft grain, leaves brittle dry slippery teak. Have you ever seen pretty silver teak? How about dark dingy grey teak? That is the difference between having your soft grain intact, the soft grain weathers to a light silver. The soft grain has the nonscid properties of the teak.

Listen to Zeehag she knows, salt your decks down. I went to aquarium shops and bought the ocean salt, but I'm sure was unnecessary. Anyways, made batches of salt water in watering cans like you find at gardening stores. Then I'd douse the decks and all bare wood with the salt water. I did this once a month to all my teak boats that I was caring for.

scrub with 3M pad No bristles not even soft, nada, zip.

If you need a good soapy scub try Murphy's oil soap, it loves teak and fiberglass ( won't eat up your nice wax job on your fiberglass either) If you have a bad stain on your teak try tide with bleach ( powder ) scrub with...? You got it, a 3M scrub pad . If all the stain is not lifted just wait. Most stains will get pushed out by the soft grain of the teak over time ( it carries the oil to the surface) just wait a few weeks and it will be gone.

Whew! I will get off my soapbox, oh wait, first let me recap

1). No bristles to clean teak 3M pad or sponge/washcloth

2). Salt the teak at least once a month, I did it early morning so it had time to bake in the sun

3). Murphy's oil soap for cleaning, won't strip the oils in the teak. Oh, and it's good for varnished surfaces too!

Cheers,
Erika

[Cheechako]

If you are in fresh water.... how about putting salt in one of those auto mixing garden sprayers that connect to a hose? maybe that would work..?

[GorillaToast]

Originally Posted by Craggles

I use beeswax. It makes the teak more water repellant and reduces staini g. Its not slippery either

How do you apply the beeswax? Just rub the block on the teak, or is there a commercial product in a tin like Collinite?

[Jbaffoh]

I'm also in So Cal, and I don't have teak decks. I do, however, have lots of what was formerly bright work, but is now 1/2 grey raw teak and 1/2 peeling orange crusty crap (not sure if cetol or old varnish). I'm about to strip and bleach all the exterior teak, and I'm leaning toward's Awlgrips's three-part "ultimate brightwork" system. Comments?

[JardiTancat]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Scubbing with bristle brushes digs out your soft grain, leaves brittle dry slippery teak. Have you ever seen pretty silver teak? How about dark dingy grey teak? That is the difference between having your soft grain intact, the soft grain weathers to a light silver. The soft grain has the nonscid properties of the teak.

Listen to Zeehag she knows, salt your decks down. I went to aquarium shops and bought the ocean salt, but I'm sure was unnecessary. Anyways, made batches of salt water in watering cans like you find at gardening stores. Then I'd douse the decks and all bare wood with the salt water. I did this once a month to all my teak boats that I was caring for.

scrub with 3M pad No bristles not even soft, nada, zip.

If you need a good soapy scub try Murphy's oil soap, it loves teak and fiberglass ( won't eat up your nice wax job on your fiberglass either) If you have a bad stain on your teak try tide with bleach ( powder ) scrub with...? You got it, a 3M scrub pad . If all the stain is not lifted just wait. Most stains will get pushed out by the soft grain of the teak over time ( it carries the oil to the surface) just wait a few weeks and it will be gone.

Whew! I will get off my soapbox, oh wait, first let me recap

1). No bristles to clean teak 3M pad or sponge/washcloth

2). Salt the teak at least once a month, I did it early morning so it had time to bake in the sun

3). Murphy's oil soap for cleaning, won't strip the oils in the teak. Oh, and it's good for varnished surfaces too!

Cheers,
Erika

Thanks Erika. I think you and Zeehag have got this project properly nailed down. I'll do the first of the monthly salt treatments next week. Also, I'll take a series of before and after photos to remind me of the proper way to treat a teak deck the next time someone tells me I ought to spend more money and use whatever new miracle product is the current fashion. And one other puzzling question.....how come all of the really good advice I've received over the years has been generously offered by women?

Cheers,

David

[zeehag]

david--that is a good question.mebbe is due to our ability to listen and sail at same time, especially in our youth......
i believe beeswax may not truly be your best answer.
grey teak is not good teak. keep it just one stage before grey with buckets of sea water. works. and after grey comes CRACKS. not good.

[Geoduck]

About the dumbest thing I've seen people do is wash their teak decks with fresh water when they come in after sailing - as if they think that nasty old salt water is bad for them!!
If you want to see how NOT to take care of teak decks - come take alook at my boat - the previous owners didn't have a clue! The decks are rougher than hell from all the scrubbing with a brush - but I like them that way - better non skid.
You should have seen the decks on Don Streets old boat - now they had class!
Old boats with worn out decks, masts & booms with dutchmans and scarfs, short planks & patched up toe rails & guards have class - they've been somewhere!

[panfiltp]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

About the dumbest thing I've seen people do is wash their teak decks with fresh water when they come in after sailing - as if they think that nasty old salt water is bad for them!!
If you want to see how NOT to take care of teak decks - come take alook at my boat - the previous owners didn't have a clue! The decks are rougher than hell from all the scrubbing with a brush - but I like them that way - better non skid.
You should have seen the decks on Don Streets old boat - now they had class!
Old boats with worn out decks, masts & booms with dutchmans and scarfs, short planks & patched up toe rails & guards have class - they've been somewhere!

Geoduck,
If you like the rough nonskid, maybe the PO did have a clue.
Tom

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Jbaffoh

I'm also in So Cal, and I don't have teak decks. I do, however, have lots of what was formerly bright work, but is now 1/2 grey raw teak and 1/2 peeling orange crusty crap (not sure if cetol or old varnish). I'm about to strip and bleach all the exterior teak, and I'm leaning toward's Awlgrips's three-part "ultimate brightwork" system. Comments?

I've done this on masts, it is one way to go but you must swear on your boat bible that you will alway keep the sacrificial varnish way ahead of schedule. If you allow the epoxy to break down you got a real mess.

Cheers,
Erika

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by panfiltp

Geoduck,
If you like the rough nonskid, maybe the PO did have a clue.
Tom

Well, Tom, I'm pretty sure they didnt have a clue. The irreparable damage done by using a stiff brush to clean the decks over the years is obvious and the 1oo's of deck bungs I have had to replace is also pretty obvious. The sad part is that it didnt have to be this way if the previous owners new how to care for wood decks. I'm just lucky that they dont leak and there is still plenty of wood left. The people who owned this boat somewhere down the line, should have owned a plastic one.

[Craggles]

Well I have learnt something new about teak. I will not cintinue with the bees

[Craggles]

Bugger, the fat fingers on iphone posted too early. Stopping beeswax and reverting to 3m pad and salt water treatment. My boatt is three years old so it should survive. I will pass this info onto a boat detailer who uses the bees wax and recommended it to me as i have had all fibreglass boats for the last seventeen boats. Thanks for the education :-)

[Z1Krider]

Thank you to all for the candid and colorful input. I am about to mount new hand rails. Debating on how to go about curving the rail to match the shape of the boat. Can I just bolt in the first two then start bending and placing bolts or is there prebending that needs to occur before mounting?

Cheers!
Clayton