One persons fun...

[Jimlanza]

I looked in the Forums, and couldn't find anything on easy maintenance of teak decks, and as stated, some people might actually consider maintaining teak 'fun'.

We were on a boat the other day, a 44 Marine Trader trawler that was kept in incredible shape by a single 70 year old lady. When questioned about the appearance of her teak, which was awesome, she said the 'secret' was Australian Timber Oil. I was wondering if anyone else has used this product, and how come after 30 years of sailing, I had never heard of A.T.O?

Appreciate your responses,
Jim

[gamayun]

Nope, haven't heard of it. I am removing all the varnish from what little teak I currently have, and going to keep it oiled instead. I'd be interested in hearing more about this secret.

Ah, I just noticed this was your first post. Welcome.

[markwesti]

I have never used this product Australian Timber Oil — Hardwood Stain & Hardwood Oil | Cabot
I have used Cabot varnish and I really liked it , In the past I have used regular teak oil out side on hand rails and stuff like that , the only problem for me was the oil attracted dust . We don't have teak decks but if we did I would never use teak oil on them , maybe ATO is the answer . A friend of mine has a Grand Banks 32 trawler he washes the decks with salt water and a very soft brush , looks good and he retains that nice blonde look .

[StuM]

Anythiing "Australian" about it other than the name?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Jim.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by StuM

Anythiing "Australian" about it other than the name?

Made from freshly squeezed drop bears but I prefer the type with added hoop snake oil.

[JODA]

Hi. It is not a myth that some people enjoy maintaining teak. I do as long as there isn't too much of it. JODA only has teak in the cockpit and swim platform.

I used to refurbish teak for many boats in Florida and after trying all sorts of stupid products, I came up with what I feel was not only a better solution. Ut it also was considerably less expensive.

I've never heard of this Australian Oil although I am always up to try something new.

My regime:

Every 4-5 months
Put together a bucket of: 1 gallon of water/3 tablespoons of baking soda/8 ounces of white vinegar/8 ounces of "sudsy" ammonia. If you do not know what sudsy ammonia is, do not mistake it for plain ammonia. This product is readily available in most grocery stores in the cleaner section.

If your teak is not so damaged that it needs sanding then just wet the deck with water then take a flat green scouring pad ( like the one found on the backs of sponges) and liberally dip into
Your solution a scour the teak in a circular pattern. It works best if you kind of soak the area a bit with your solution and five it a couple
Minutes to start working on its own.

Scrub but try not to go with the grain too much. Stay circular. You do t want to dig out the softer teak strands. The residue will start coming up dark brow or black.

Once a section has been scrubbed, rinse off and move on to another section. You will need to keep rinsing because the product keeps working. Your wood will glow a beautiful amber color.

The oil I use - not a fan of varnish but that is a preference - is Teak Wonder dressing and sealer and a very dry oil and you can walk or
Sit on it an hour after application.
I apply the oil with a sponge brush which gives me exceptional control.

A little bit goes a long way. It seems like a process but once you have everything, its easy to
reapply.

[Jimlanza]

To answer your questions, I'm not sure where it is made, but I believe that it was originally formulated for Australian hardwoods. All I can attest to at this moment is how it looked on Nanatee, and that was fantastic. When we finally bring Encore home, we'll be using it on her, and I'll take some photos and let you all see for yourself.
Jim
(Note: Won't be getting Encore home till the first or second week in April)

[Sea Dreaming]

We have been using "Amazon" teak cleaner and oil. It's kind of pricey but we have been getting a lot of compliments. This stuff has restored "life" to the wood from very dull looking, dried out stuff.
By the by, this cleaner and oil is not related to the online retailer Amazon. Amazon is just the product name.