Bright work

[archimedes]

I was wondering how folks here re-do their bright work.  Sand is place or remove,  sand and re-install?  If you want to remove the wood is it glued as well as screwed?  Is it a bear to remove the wood?

[alsantini]

I do not sand since on my Eclipse I have not put any finish on that requires removal.  I use Semko natural.  It is an oil based really thin teak prep that goes on clean wood and is a breeze to re-coat.  It is absorbed almost immediately into clean teak.  I used a natural teak cleaner that I bought from West Marine.  It took two cleanings to get it really clean.  Two coats of Semko (on dry wood)and I really like the way it looks.  I have a rag with alcohol on to wipe up runs.  It takes about 20 minutes to re-apply.
On my previous boat I would remove the handrails to sand them clean and re-apply varnish.  Other small pieces of teak I would sand in place.  The handrails were screwed in with a little caulk (Boat Caulk) so they would not leak.  They were easy to get off except for the first time.

[relamb]

My 89 CP23 came to me with weathered teak in some spots, and flaking varnish in others, and solid varnish elsewhere. 
By the next spring a good portion was flaking off. I was able to scrape off a lot with a hand scraper and a single edged razor blade, but some spots were a real bear.  Next sanded with a palm sander, and by hand where the sander could not reach.  All done with the teak in place except I took out the teak boards from the bow pulpit and the swim ladder treads.
Finished with two coats of Cetol, which was based on recommendations from this forum and others.  No sanding between coats, and you can recoat over it later down the road.   It looked great, but can't attest to the long term because I only had the boat another year past that, but there was no visible change in that year/overwinter.   I went that route after I talked to a couple other people who were masking off everything and oiling their teak about once a month they said.
I'd just as soon get it over with and hope it lasts for a rew years, then have to remember to do it frequently.

Getting ready to do my current boat, maybe.  Same situation, varnish is all flaking, 95% is gone and the teak is just natural gray where its gone. I may sand off the rest and just leave it that way.  ..until I get ready to sell the boat, then I'll clean it up and make it look pretty.
Rick

[BruceW]

I used to use Semco also; I would alternate between clear and gold tone. This was on my Suncat. I havent' done anything to teak since then. My current boat, CP 23, is just weathered teak. I may go back to cleaning it like Al mentioned, and using Semco. I may wait a dozen years first, though,

[archimedes]

Good suggestions,  all.

Does Hutchins us the dreaded 5200 when installing the teak?  I can see how easy the screws are to remove,  but having never done it,   I was wonder how difficult the wood is too remove because of the adhesive.

[SpeakEasy]

On my CP23 I removed all but the very thin "eyebrow" teak boards to refinish them. The eyebrows seemed to me to be too delicate to try to remove them. I plan to refinish them in-place. The rest of the brightwork came off easily. I don't think there was any glue.

-Speak

[brackish]

I also removed everything on my 23 with the exception of the eyebrows and the companionway drop board brackets.  I left the eyebrows because they seemed too difficult to get off and the brackets because they seemed to be easy to finish in place.  I've done this a number of times, and on the last reinstallation the screws in the handrails finally turned when tightening them, so next time I'll have to pull the plugs, however, I have a plug cutter and some scrap teak. 

I'm currently letting the eyebrows weather to gray and will probably use Semco on them.  Tired of the Bristol work for the disappointing longevity, I may go with Semco for everything.

My teak was not glued on, only had a polysulfide type caulk such as Boatlife, and that is what I used to put them back each time.  No leaks and easy to get off.

[capt_nemo]

Did the "Varnish" thing on a large sailboat many years ago and wound up taking it all off and switched to another product tested and recommended by Practical Sailor - Sikkens Cetol Marine Finish.

Since then I've used Sikkens Cetol Marine finish on all my boats, both large and small, for many many years and am very satisfied with it's look and performance (longevity).

There are three important things to remember about Cetol to ensure satisfactory performance.

First, is surface preparation. After sanding down to your satisfaction thoroughly wipe the Teak down with a rag soaked in (fast evaporating) Acetone changing to a fresh section of the rag periodically. This not only serves as a "Tack" Cloth to remove the fine dust particles but more importantly IT REMOVES THE SURFACE OILS FROM THE TEAK AND THE PORES JUST BELOW THE SURFACE. This then allows the Cetol to penetrate deeper into DRY wood and form an air tight strong bond with the wood.

Second, follow the manufacturers directions and apply AT LEAST THREE COATS. Four coats is even better. Remember NO SANDING BETWEEN COATS - that is what makes Cetol so appealing to me.

Third, try to protect your Teak from damaging effects of UV and weather as much as possible. This means covering your trailerable boat with a tarp (preferably WHITE) when not in use, like I do, or putting some kind of removable covers on the exposed wood. If there's a will, there's a way. I've seen Sunbrella Fabric, other Fabric, PVC Pipe Sections, etc. used for this purpose. Takes only minutes to remove the protection working for you 24-7-365.

My original application of Cetol Marine Light to virgin Teak on my New 2010 Sun Cat was given a 2-coat "maintenance" application after 44 MONTHS because it was a convenient time (borrowed air conditioned man cave) not because it really needed it!

capt_nemo

[hoddinr]

Don, your teak looks great in the photos.  I think that Cetol Marine is what is on my Suncat, Nomad.  It needs a bit of a touch up.  I also have used it for years.

Did you have any problems with it seeping under the blue tape you put on?  And if so, what do you use for clean up?

Thanks,
Ron

[nies]

After years of using different things, finally found Cetol Marine......................Phil

[capt_nemo]

hoddinr,

I do get a few seeps under blue tape - especially if I don't press all edges down hard with my fingernail. Applying thin coats helps keep runs to a minimum - just apply more coats to achieve a good product film thickness on the wood surface.

Cleanup on a WELL WAXED surface is easier - worthwhile to clean and wax around exterior teak before taping and recoating with Cetol - using the least aggressive means first and proceeding to more aggressive methods if necessary. Sometimes it will rub off with just a rag with pressure or chip off easily with a carefully applied razor blade edge or X-Acto knife. Otherwise, try acetone, soft scrub, or more aggressive use of razor blade edge.

capt_nemo

[skip1930]

Use a heat paint stripping gun and a 3-M green scratch pad and gloved hands to remove all coatings from teak which I'm letting go to natural grey after words will come a cleaner/brightener and then nothing but many coats of Min-Wax.

Want to loosen the 3-M 5200 after the screws are removed and the teak is stuck on? Heat the 5200.

Life's too short for varnish.

skip.

[HeaveToo]

Another vote for Cetol here.  Use 3-4 coats of Cetol light and then 2 coats of gloss and it looks good.  I hate messing with bright work.  I would prefer stainless steel.  Sailing is better than wood working!

[brackish]

Sailing is better than wood working!

Au Contraire, as a long time woodworker I hold them both in high esteem.  However, what you refer to is not woodworking it is wood refinishing.  Now that I hate.

All I know is that ANY finish will work if all the wood is covered most of the time and protected from UV.  Nothing seems to work if it is not.  If someone can invent a coating that will give five years in UV with a single coat recoat where the finish doesn't fail all the way to the substrate even in small areas, the world will beat a path to their door.

[HeaveToo]

On my last boat I fabricated sunbrella covers to cover all exterior wood.  They looked pretty snazzy.  In fact, they looked so snazzy that I never removed them.  LOL 

I have a feeling that I will be doing the same in the future for this boat.  I hate doing the wood, no matter what wood I am doing!