Cetol vs varnish

[Patzonline]

After years of maintaining the teak on our Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 in varnish, we then left it unvarnished for 4 years. Now we are having it all returned to its former splendir and considering using Cetol teak marine + Cetol gloss overcoat. I'd like to hear if the downsides of this route rather than marine varnish. Eg. Durability from nicks and scrapes, touch ups, rich luster.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Patzonline

After years of maintaining the teak on our Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 in varnish, we then left it unvarnished for 4 years. Now we are having it all returned to its former splendir and considering using Cetol teak marine + Cetol gloss overcoat. I'd like to hear if the downsides of this route rather than marine varnish. Eg. Durability from nicks and scrapes, touch ups, rich luster.

Having used both , I didn't see a lot of difference on durability or longetivity between good yacht varnish and cetol, cetol seemed a little easier to apply , but was also very difficult to remove as to seems to penetrate more. I used both the tinted and clear Cetol , the tinted looked quite fake

Dave

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Patzonline

After years of maintaining the teak on our Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 in varnish, we then left it unvarnished for 4 years. Now we are having it all returned to its former splendir and considering using Cetol teak marine + Cetol gloss overcoat. I'd like to hear if the downsides of this route rather than marine varnish. Eg. Durability from nicks and scrapes, touch ups, rich luster.

Might be worth trying some in a hidden corner somewhere first. Very easy to apply and touch up. Doesn't have the same mirror finish as something like epafanes but to a practical cruisers eye it looks fine, just on it's own. Try clear first.

Can you still get it? They've stopped making it over here, though apparently international do a similar product.

http://www.boatpaint.co.uk/acatalog/...arine__31.html

[capngeo]

I am a fan of Cetol. I like to put one coat of the tinted followed by several of the clear. Typically I can get 3 years of Key West sun before a light sanding and new topcoat is required.

[Anzo]

Honey Teak beats the heck out of varnish for durability and Cetol for looks. Lasts for years with minimal touch ups.
Signature Finish and Honey Teak Products - Honey Teak

[AnchorageGuy]

We use 3 coats of the Natural as the base coat and 3 coats of gloss. Then it gets a maintenance coat once a year. We have lots of teak and have tried everything. The Cetol has been the easiest to apply with no sanding between coats, and has held up the longest of anything else we used. Touch up is also very easy and can't be picked out if done right. Have a look at either of our blogs for lots of photos of both boats. Chuck

[SV.Maverick]

One more vote for Cetal. If you were doing a museum boat I might go varnish but for a boat that is used Cetal will look very good and is easy to use.

[AnchorageGuy]

I forgot to mention that the boats have been in south Florida and the Caribbean so the sun and UV is intense. Cetol holds up very well in this area. Chuck

[wunderluster]

When I bought my CSY 2 years ago the teak was peeling or gone completely. I cleaned and prepped then applied 4 coats of natural teak cetol then, four coats of clear. After one year I very lightly sanded and apllied one coat of clear. It looks great to me. The boat next to mine has cetol that is seven years old. He cleans and applies a coat of clear at least once a year. The yearly touch up is very quick and easy.

The natural teak does not look yellow like the original cetol is known for.

My boat is in St. Pete FL.

[IdoraKeeper]

I have tons of bright work on Idora. The failure mode of varnish in PNW climate is not superior to Cetol up here. Items like cap rails and hatches get a minimum of 12 coats of tinted with no clear. Narrow surfaces get 6 coats. 6 coats will totally fail in 3 years. In the narrow spots that is desirable, the more you put on the harder it is to clean up when it fails. The idea is to minimize wood loss. Your gonna have to keep it up no matter what you use.

[Beersmith]

Just started putting Cetol on my rebuild teak fixtures and am happy with the results. 3 coats Natural teak, 3 coats gloss:

[Triton318]

When I restored my Triton, I used Cetol on all of the exterior mahogany (which was all new wood); I think four coats. Then, once a year, I washed it with a green nylon scrubby pad, rinsed, and put on another coat. I did that for ten years. It held up great. I think it's a great product.

[sailr69]

I don't recommend doing this but. it is a task to remove my varnished companionway hatch so I tried to find a way not to have to remove it for new coats of varnish. I then refinished the hatch in several coats of sprayed on clear IMRON. that was over 15 years ago and looks like it will go another 15 easy. incredible!

[Celestialsailor]

I use to use the older Cetol for my Tartan Blackwatch 37. Although it was opague, I didn't mind because of the longivity. I'm glad this thread came up because I've see the new cetol products and wondered about them. My teak is in "black" condition and I want to do them whilst in Mx. The Natural Teak sounds like a good solution for me.

[sailcruiser]

I'm actively in this project now. Using Citristip to remove old dark brown finish which may or may not be Cetol I don't know cleaning and reapplying Cetol natural teak. The natural teak is loads better looking than the orange stuff years back.

Celestial I suggest this article on teak cleaners:
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/teak-care.asp

I had some unvarnished dirty teak that the laundry detergent, bleach, TSP mixture worked well on. I let it set for about 7-10 minutes and scrubbed lightly with a stiff brush with the grain. It did wonders.
SC