Teak oil vs Cetol Marine Teak

[ChasRN]

This is really a general question but I couldn't figure out which forum was appropriate, so posted it here.

As things have finally eased up relative to the Covid-19 restrictions, I was finally able to title and register my new-to-me Sun Cat. While the boat is in great shape, she does need a good cleaning and polishing. As you might expect, the teak is a bit weathered and also needs some TLC.

My plan was to simply wash and scrub things with a diluted solution of Simple Green and after cleaning, to use some type of wood preservative. I reviewed the Practical Sailor article on the various wood products and Cetol Marine is one of the more highly rated. The PS comparison did not include general wood finish products like teak, Danish or tung oils however.

I've seen a few things on line recommending teak oil as a good alternative for marine teak, with the caveat that it requires more frequent re-application. Any strong opinions either way on teak oil vs Cetol?

[Ken J]

To me teak oil is the easiest to use if the boat will be kept outside - tape off and put about 8 coats on and it will look great - only need about 15 min between each coat.

[Reighnman]

I've done both and liked both outcomes. Do you like that high gloss sealed look or the more natural low luster open grain? If you're on the fence you should go teak oil first as it's easy to switch to cetol after a season or even at the end of the season.  Once cetol is on, it's on until you stripe it off or give nature several years to slowly eat it off.

[Jon898]

Relevant discussion here: https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=6871.msg49713#msg49713

Jon

[ChasRN]

Thanks to all for the replies. I think I am going to try teak oil, for a couple of reasons.

The low luster look of oiled wood is more appealing to me than gloss, and though teak oil requires several coats, it is easy to apply. The national hardware chain whose name rhymes with blows sells teak oil and provides a veterans discount, so it is the less expensive alternative. Of course, some of that discount is eaten up by the need for multiple coats, so it's not clear that there's really any cost saving.

Again thanks for the replies.

[Ken J]

I use watco teak oil you can get it anywhere and it?s not that expensive-I use blue tape around the wood and wipe the oil on with cloth - very easy and a can goes a long way - it lasts a lot longer on the wood than I thought it would - just be VERY careful how you dispose the cloth when you are done - I let it air out and make sure it?s throughly dry

[mikew]

Chas, another alternative to teak oil or Cetol is a water based sealer: Semco teal sealer.
This is a flat finish sealer that has UV and mildew protection in it. I did use teak oil in the past
on my 1983 Compac 16 but at about half season the teak was turning grey and needed to be sanded down and oiled again. The Semco seemed to last through a full season, although I have added another coat to freshen the color, the teak never turned grey through a full season. What's nice about this is every spring I apply a new coat and there is nothing to strip or sand off. The product is very runny when applied and soaks in quick so a few coats can be applied very quickly.
The web site is Semco.com and it comes in 5 shades. I bought it from Jamestown distributors.

Mike

[ChasRN]

I looked at Semco teak sealer after I was pointed to one of the threads here (thanks Jon) and saw it mentioned. It seems like a good product but is not particularly widely used, perhaps because it's British and not well-known in the US? At slightly more than double the cost of plain teak oil, it may be good value for money if MikeW's experience with it is the norm.

I wonder if applying tung oil as a finishing top coat over teak oil is worth considering. Has anyone tried this combination?

[bruce]

Just to emphasize the point that Ken made, any drying oil-based product has inherent risks and requires proper handling and disposal. It's not something that you'd expect, but left over finish, oily rags, brushes, etc., disposed of improperly with flammable materials, can spontaneously combust. Trash can fires in the middle of the night are a real possibility.

Spread the stuff out, let the oil oxidize and give off the heat in an open, inflammable area where it can't build up, and it'll be fine. Soaking in water will stop combustion, but then you've got a soggy mess to dispose of.