RJ
02-03-2003, 11:14 AM
HOW-TO: REFINISHING YOUR TEAK
By Rich Johnson
So you’ve ready to put the boat back in the water yet? She’s not quite looking up to par? You’ve spent most of your time tinkering with new fishing tackle or boating paraphernalia and have fallen behind prepping the boat. The weather this spring season sure hasn’t helped either...has it? Now is the time to put one of the grinding chores of being a boat owner behind you, and help make next season’s work a little easier as well.
DO IT NOW. One of the most time consuming and knuckle punishing chores of being a boat owner, is keeping the teak on your boat looking new and fresh. Teak is a natural wood that dresses any boat in style and most larger boats and some smaller ones have some sort of teak steps, railings or cabinet & storage borders. The time is now to get that teak work done! The larger teak work can be done on the boat, but if the weather goes down the tubes, take the smaller pieces home and finish them in the garage so you don’t fall farther behind. Working at home allows you not to miss the important games, but more importantly, gives you more valuable fishing time on the water instead of doing your teak work!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED. First, evaluate the condition of the teak itself. If you’ve kept up with it by giving it a coat of teak oil a couple of times during last season, the job at hand shouldn’t be too tough. However, if you fished as a human being possessed as I did and let the teak fend for itself, then there’s quite a bit of work ahead of us. Don’t worry it’s not as bad or sounds!
Let’s go on the premise that your teak is in pretty bad shape. Go down to your local marine supply store, Boater’s World in my case, and pick up a complete Teak Care Kit. I used the Star Brite Teak Care Kit and it worked wonders. Included in this kit are bottles of Teak Cleaner, Teak Brightener and Teak Oil, all 32 ounces in volume. Along with this kit you’ll need a scrub brush, sponge, rubber gloves, rag and a paintbrush to complete the chore at hand. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind before getting started!
TIP 1. If you’re working on your teak while on or near the boat’s fiberglass, work wet! By this I mean rinse the entire work area down with a hose before applying both Step 1 & Step 2. This keeps the area clean and the dirt, grime and stain coming off the old teak will not stain or mark the fiberglass.
TIP 2. Teak MUST be completely dry before applying Teak Oil later in this process. If not, the teak oil will not penetrate the wood for full maximum protection.
STEP 1. Remove any teak you can to take home.
STEP 2. If you have sensitive hands, make sure you use the rubber gloves. Generously apply the Teak Cleaner directly to the dry teak wood. Use the scrub brush to gently work the cleaner into the teak with the grain. Allow to set for a few minutes, then go back and scrub with a heavy dose of elbow grease and rinse with water. I repeated this step again and you may have to also.
STEP 3. While the teak is wet, apply the Star Brite Teak Brightener with the sponge. This is where rubber gloves really come in handy. If you have any scrapes or cuts, the brightener will sting and dry out your hands. Apply evenly with the grain, Allow to set for five minutes and rinse with water. I again repeated this step to brighten my teak as much as possible. When done, you’ll have to allow the teak to thoroughly dry before applying the Star Brite Teak Oil.
STEP 4. After teak has completely dried and it is important that it does, use the paintbrush to apply the Teak Oil lightly, yet thoroughly, again with the grain. Allow oil to soak in for a few minutes and wipe off excess with the rag. Allow to dry and repeat process. I applied up to three & four coats because my teak was so weather worn. End result is a beautiful display of teak that brightens any boat.
There you have it, the simple approach to getting just one of the boat chores done before fall sneaks up on you. This should assure you extra time on the water this season to enjoy what it is we own a boat for, pleasure time on the waters of Long Island. See you there!
By Rich Johnson
So you’ve ready to put the boat back in the water yet? She’s not quite looking up to par? You’ve spent most of your time tinkering with new fishing tackle or boating paraphernalia and have fallen behind prepping the boat. The weather this spring season sure hasn’t helped either...has it? Now is the time to put one of the grinding chores of being a boat owner behind you, and help make next season’s work a little easier as well.
DO IT NOW. One of the most time consuming and knuckle punishing chores of being a boat owner, is keeping the teak on your boat looking new and fresh. Teak is a natural wood that dresses any boat in style and most larger boats and some smaller ones have some sort of teak steps, railings or cabinet & storage borders. The time is now to get that teak work done! The larger teak work can be done on the boat, but if the weather goes down the tubes, take the smaller pieces home and finish them in the garage so you don’t fall farther behind. Working at home allows you not to miss the important games, but more importantly, gives you more valuable fishing time on the water instead of doing your teak work!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED. First, evaluate the condition of the teak itself. If you’ve kept up with it by giving it a coat of teak oil a couple of times during last season, the job at hand shouldn’t be too tough. However, if you fished as a human being possessed as I did and let the teak fend for itself, then there’s quite a bit of work ahead of us. Don’t worry it’s not as bad or sounds!
Let’s go on the premise that your teak is in pretty bad shape. Go down to your local marine supply store, Boater’s World in my case, and pick up a complete Teak Care Kit. I used the Star Brite Teak Care Kit and it worked wonders. Included in this kit are bottles of Teak Cleaner, Teak Brightener and Teak Oil, all 32 ounces in volume. Along with this kit you’ll need a scrub brush, sponge, rubber gloves, rag and a paintbrush to complete the chore at hand. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind before getting started!
TIP 1. If you’re working on your teak while on or near the boat’s fiberglass, work wet! By this I mean rinse the entire work area down with a hose before applying both Step 1 & Step 2. This keeps the area clean and the dirt, grime and stain coming off the old teak will not stain or mark the fiberglass.
TIP 2. Teak MUST be completely dry before applying Teak Oil later in this process. If not, the teak oil will not penetrate the wood for full maximum protection.
STEP 1. Remove any teak you can to take home.
STEP 2. If you have sensitive hands, make sure you use the rubber gloves. Generously apply the Teak Cleaner directly to the dry teak wood. Use the scrub brush to gently work the cleaner into the teak with the grain. Allow to set for a few minutes, then go back and scrub with a heavy dose of elbow grease and rinse with water. I repeated this step again and you may have to also.
STEP 3. While the teak is wet, apply the Star Brite Teak Brightener with the sponge. This is where rubber gloves really come in handy. If you have any scrapes or cuts, the brightener will sting and dry out your hands. Apply evenly with the grain, Allow to set for five minutes and rinse with water. I again repeated this step to brighten my teak as much as possible. When done, you’ll have to allow the teak to thoroughly dry before applying the Star Brite Teak Oil.
STEP 4. After teak has completely dried and it is important that it does, use the paintbrush to apply the Teak Oil lightly, yet thoroughly, again with the grain. Allow oil to soak in for a few minutes and wipe off excess with the rag. Allow to dry and repeat process. I applied up to three & four coats because my teak was so weather worn. End result is a beautiful display of teak that brightens any boat.
There you have it, the simple approach to getting just one of the boat chores done before fall sneaks up on you. This should assure you extra time on the water this season to enjoy what it is we own a boat for, pleasure time on the waters of Long Island. See you there!