With the myriad of teak finishing products available on the market today, it turns choosing the right finish into a time-consuming research project. Crowley’s own refinishing expert, Jayne Parker, offers Part One of her three-part series on choosing and applying the right finish for your fancy.
It is widely acknowledged that varnish provides the most elegant finish for a boat. No other product delivers the look or feel of varnish. Its high gloss and mirror-like finish has both depth and clarity, which shows off the grain and beauty of the wood. Nevertheless, varnish is not necessarily the right choice for all boaters.
When a customer asks me for help in choosing a teak finish, I ask them to consider three factors. If this customer wants to maintain the boat without assistance, a fourth consideration is necessary: ease of application.
1. Appearance - what do you envision your boat to look like?
2. Budget- how much money are you willing to invest?
3. Time - How long do you want the finish to last?
4. Effort – How hard do you want to work for the desired results?
After you have defined your vision and budget the next step is to take a close look at the wood on your boat. This will determine if your boat will require normal maintance or something more.
Generally, a boat that has a lot of uncovered horizontal wood surface will require a bit more maintaince due to these surfaces being constantly exposed to the sun. (Where applicable, a simple solution is canvas covers.)
If there is already an old finish on the wood it will tell you a lot, showing you what areas are going to need more care. Go around the boat and check for areas that are being continually beat up by blocks or anything else that might mar the wood during normal boating usage. Check to see if all the metal fittings mounted on the wood are well bedded and tight so they are not allowing water to seep underneath. Also look at the edges of the wood where they meet the fiberglass. You want a nice tight seal that can protect the wood from water leaching up under the finish. Evidence of leaching is water pooling by the wood.
If any of these conditions exist, you will see old, marred yellowing, lifting or a non-existent finish. If any of the above conditions exist and cannot be easily corrected, your boat will require more than normal maintenance to keep the finish looking like new.
Essentially, there are five different ways to treat your teak.
1. Leave it bare
2. Apply an oil
3. Apply a sealer
4. Apply Cetol®
5. Apply varnish
Oil and many sealers, although easy to apply, have to be reapplied as needed during the season to keep their finish in tact. Both varnish and Cetol® share the advantage of requiring only annual maintenance coats.
If you choose to apply a finish, each one has its own look and pros and cons. Currently, the two most popular are Cetol® and varnish.
Come back in the next week for Jayne’s subsequent installments when she discusses the characteristics and applications of varnish and Cetol®.
Jayne Parker can be reached at jaynep@prodigy.net or (773) 325-9271.
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