Teak - Silver or Gold ?

[tangle]

thanks to all contributors...I feel much better about the project and will start this week. Keep this topic going as I am sure this is a common issue..

[Cheechako]

I had all the screws and caulking replaced on one boat. BIG job. and you are sealing the moisture that leaked in between the fiberglass and teak with the new caulk! (it's trapped...doesnt dry out over time) I had the teak Decks removed on another boat and put down Treadmaster. Nice way to take a few hundred pounds and a 1000 holes out of your boat! also a BIG job, and in the end you're asking yourself..."why did I worry about that again?". Not sure what the answer is, either fix will likely be OK....albeit not perfect. I assume your under deck is fiberglass... otherwise..all bets are off! The nicest Natural teak I've seen has been maintained with a daily flushing with salt water. It doesnt silver but stays a nice very light tan when done that way.

[HopCar]

Tangle, It sounds to me like you have pigmented Cetol on your deck. It can build up and peel like you have described. It's also a bear to remove the rest. Lot's of sandpaper is needed.

The most popular calk for teak decks in S. Florida, is made by TeakDecking Systems.
Caulking Products

As much as I love to sell various teak treatments, I vote for bare teak. Around here the captains seem to like Tip Top Teak crystals for cleaning bare teak.

[avazquez]

Once you remove the caulking make sure you use a powerful shop-vac to suck out the moisture. I also used a hair drier to make sure humidity in the teak was under control for applying the new caulking. There is no perfect fix for anything but done properly I have so far extended the life of my teak decks for four years and it looks damn nice. In four years I have light sanded my teak deck only once. I expect to have the teak decks for at least 10 more years. Then the final project: remove it and paint the deck. Dont be discouraged, do the work in sections one day at a time. The result is worth the effort.

[avazquez]

In the 90's someone had applied Cetol to the whole deck and the remnants were still there. I just sanded it carefully.

[avazquez]

Originally Posted by swagman

And I know lots of others do use waterbased stains but I think the orange resulting colour looks so un-natural if thats what you want, then best go for a synthetic covering instead of the real wood.
JOHN

That orange color is SEMCO Natural and it does look un-natural. Use only SEMCO-CLEARTONE which protects the teak and looks awesome.

[RSMacG]

FWIW: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ons-47080.html

[tangle]

RSMacG I got tremendous info from your link. Between you and Boatsmith I should have no problems...went scraping the first deck to be done on Sunday...when the cetol (I now believe thats what was on there) comes off the newly uncovered wood appears yellow...hope thats not gone punky...just wet still? Also I notice that nobody is recommending any kind of stripper. Is that not a good idea? If I decide to lift the boards I was thinking of getting them shaved on a planer...would that sacrifice too much material?

[Cheechako]

When I removed the unscrewed deck from my HC38 it came off in pieces ...not planks! White vinegar or there are acid based cleaners for teak. use only flat abrasives.....no brushes. If there's enough room to work... a belt sander will make those planks look like fresh teak real fast. Use a random orbit sander for the places you cant get with a belt sander.