Teak care and maintainence

[optimystic]

The teak on out SO 379 model year 2012 is very blond and looks untreated. When I wash down the boat there is a yellow tint to the water. It appears that the coach roof teak grab rail is leeching something amber colored. I don't think there has been any oil applied but I'm not sure. Any ideas of how to stop this and what is causing it? The teak on the cockpit floors also rinses off with a yellow tint but not as severe as the grab rail. I'm concerned that with the winter rain coming soon I'll end up with a rather nasty looking yellow boat if the leeching continues. 

[On y va]

That´s normal optimystic. Don´t worry about it and you cannot stop this. 

I suppose you used some detergent when washing the boat down?

[zofiasailing]

We would consider slight leaching of colour in raw teak to be normal. It even happens on our teak garden furniture. Teak is best left raw; varnishing and oiling will only create headaches. Additionally it will diminish the value of teak as a non-slip surface.
To restore the nice pinkish look use a 2 part teak cleaner. Part A is an acid and Part B is an alkaline that neutralises the acid. Use protective gloves and follow instructions. Zofia gets this treatment twice a year and lots if sea water washes in between. Teak l o v e s seawater. When scrubbing, a large flat scourer pad works well but only rub across the grain to prevent the teak from getting ridges. It's quite soft. 
Our toe rails get black looking/mould in the Marina, particularly on the 'shaded' side and we use diluted napisan (also great on the teak garden table).
Zofia is now 7yo and the teak looks great.
Brian and Eva

Zofia - 42 SO DS

[Trevor]

Hello optimystic,

I think that yellowish colour is perfectly normal. I simply scrub the teak across the grain with a stiff brush using lots of salt water and it comes up like new.

Trevor

[optimystic]

Thanks everyone.. Great feedback. 

[On y va]

Sorry to comment, but never ever use a stiff brush as stated by Trevor . This will cause the afore mentioned ridges as stated by zofiasailing. 

Best to use a special teak scowering pad.

[3buoys]

I have used a product called Semco on my Nauticat for 14years. I bought the boat new and applied it when it was 2years old and and it still looks like new teak. It's easy to apply I could do my Nauticat 331 including decks an one day. It's an American product that is also available in the UK and Spain. They will post to you I swear by it and regularly get comments on my teak even people think it's anew boat. It does take a little maintenance but it's well worth it. Semco do a kit so if your teak has gone grey they can supply a proper cleaner which you only have to use once. Never scrub your teak with a stiff brush use scotch bright type pads that contain an abrasive and clean with soapy water rubbing with the grain. When dry apply Semco with brush cloth or sponge (brush is best)
Semco do different colours but the nearest to natural teak is called "Natural" don't be tempted with any other colour if you want it to look like teak!
Hope that is a help
Paul

[rxc]

I am also careful not to use a brush, to avoid the dreaded "ridged teak". I use a black scotchbrite scrubbie pad, which does not raise the grain. Just boat soap and water, scrub across the grain as much as possible, and it gets it all nice and clean. After 8 years I almost have all the old Cetol off. I did varnish the cockpit table, and will also probably varish the cabin doors, but do nothing but clean the handrails and wood on the sides of the hatch.

[dralyagmas]

So I have the aforementioned ridges on my teak coachroof 'rails'. Should I sand this flat and then use the scotchbright scourers going against the grain or is there another way to rejuvenate the teak?

[rxc]

I think I would try the scotchbright first. If you go to a hardware store, they have them for woodworkers, in various degrees of aggressiveness. I used to use the black ones, which were the coarsest grit, until I could not find them in France, and now I use the green ones, which work well. They are basically stiff open cell plastic foam, impregnated with sandpaper grit. In time, the grit goes away and you have to buy new ones, just like sandpaper. You may even have a relatively mild version in your kitchen sink. If this doesn't get the ridges down, then try some sandpaper. Be careful about the fiberglass, though - they will scratch it just like sandpaper.

I once visited a boat that had the "ridgies", and it was very unpleasant to walk on. Good lesson to avoid the stiff brushes.

[svsecco]

I second 3bouys recco of Semco. It goes on super fast and does a nice job of keeping the teak looking good. 

[Anwen (Deep Joy)]

My experiences with teak, cleaners etc are as follows:-

My Sun Odyssey 32, Deep Joy, had teak seats, cockpit floor and coachroof rails. Almost from new I used Semco 2 part cleaner and the natural sealer on the seats and cockpit floor, but found that they needed a deep clean and seal in the spring and then again part-way through the summer. As I learnt more about it, I realised that there were some pitfalls that could catch out the unwary.

Firstly, however carefully you treat the teak, (and all the advice on going across the grain, not using bristle brushes etc is all good and correct), it will ridge eventually unless covered when the boat isn't being used. The reason is normal weathering from rain. The rain will erode the softer parts of the teak away over a number of years leaving the harder ridges. The weather also causes the grey discolouration, from atmospheric pollutants through oxidation and fungal spores that cause the black spots. So if you want the teak to last and not get ridges, consider a cockpit cover. I have seen boats with cockpit tents have teak seats and soles that look immaculate year on year because they are protected from the weather.

Secondly, the part one cleaner is a strong alkali - either potassium or sodium hydroxide. These chemicals attack aluminium, and will readily etch the anodised surrounds to the opening port lights and the toerail trim on the deck to hull joint. Once this has happened, there isn't anything you can do to remove the white staining of the aluminium, so be careful. However, there is a bigger concern. Strong alkalis will react with cellulose and chop up the cellulose strands. The impact of this on teak is that the softer wood in between the hard edges of the growth rings is readily attacked, and if care isn't taken, will accelerate the formation of ridges in the teak. The solution is to ensure that an excess of part 2 is used, which is an acid and neutralises the alkali of part 1. I believe that the acid is oxalic, and therefore readily available from the chandlers if you run out of part 2 and still have plenty of part 1 left.

Thirdly, the 'teak' used these days doesn't seem the same as that used in previous generations of boats. On my 379, I have had the same issue with the yellow stain leaching from the wood, which one year in has stopped. This makes me suspect that it was a stain applied at the factory, as I never had this problem with Deep Joy. However, I have deliberately stayed away from the deep cleaning & Semco cycle that I got into on Deep Joy, and allowed the wood to go grey. My intention is to try Patio Magic which contains a strong fungicide and when used on teak gives a very pale silver colour to the wood. I was rafted up with a 439 this summer with teak decks treated with Patio Magic and it looked fabulous.

Deep Joy always had varnished coachroof and hatch rails, and I think I must have tried almost every varnish and wood treatment on these - International Varnish, Epifanes, Decks Olje, Ronseal Garden Furniture Stain, etc etc. They all failed in a season and had to be stripped the following spring and something else tried. In the end, I came across International Woodskin and have to say that this is fantastic by comparison. It is very easy to apply, and just seems to stand up to the weather way better than anything else. I have used this on the coachroof and hatch rails on Anwen, and they still look great after 2 summers.

For sorting out ridged teak, I would use sandpaper and a block. This is the only way to guarantee a flat surface.