Gouges in teak toerail

[jibstay]

I made a terrible mistake and hired someone to sand and varnish my toerail while I was out of the country.

They did a horrible job. While removing the old varnish they put several large gouges in the teak. The largest are 1/4” deep, and 1/2” wide by 3 or 4 inches long.

I’m going to redo the job myself and I’m looking for suggestions.

Do I remove the varnish, then fill the gouges with epoxy before applying new varnish?

Or, should I fill the gouges with several coats of high-build varnish?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[JPA Cate]

Hello, jibstay, yes, if you want perfect looking teak, you fill the holes (all of them) with epoxy, then razor shave them level. Then coats of UV protective varnish. It is tedious, painstaking work, but you can make it pristine again. Just stop when you start to fume, and do something nice for yourself. The boat can be concours d'e'legance .... Bristol fashion, but it takes careful work.

You also get to shine it one if it is just too much, ya know? It's only a toerail, and subject to all kinds of damage and wear.

Ymmv.

Ann