Maintenance Tips
Care of Teak:
"...our WW-24 was a real wreck when we got her. The teak toe rail was a gray as ashes. I got the best ever "teak' cleaner at our local Home Depot. It is Bear Wood Cleaner (green bottle). You can buy a gallon for the price of a pint of teak cleaned that you get at a marina and it works five times better. Just use it full strength and the oldest, grungest teak will once again be golden brown."
From The Paceship Cruising Yacht Manual:
"THE CARE AND UP-KEEP OF TEAK NORTHWIND, ACADIAN, WESTWIND, PACESHIP 23, BLUEJACKET:
Teak is a remarkable wood. Even so, it has its peculuarities (sic) and if you are to get the most from it these must be taken into account.
True, this wood requires no protection against the weather and it is remarkably durable. Even when left bare, it doesn’t check easily and is highly immune to rot. Yet if utterly neglected, it can look drab, giving a boat an unkempt appearance. Some owners have asked “How do I get that clean, silvery look?” The more you rely on the washing and bleaching action of the sun, the better. Unless your location is particularly dirty, an occasional scrubbing should suffice. Don’t overdo it. A wire or other stiff brush will tend to cut down the softer wood of the grain and leave the harder ridges standing high.
The various bleaches made especially for teak do a good job, but avoid getting it on adjacent paint or varnish. Where sanding is necessary, also be careful not to overdo it. Usually light sanding will reveal clean wood immediately beneath the dead surface. Too fine a sandpaper tends to rub surface dirt into the wood. Actually, teak should be scraped with a cabinet scraper, but few persons have the skill for doing this, without removing too much wood.
To treat outside, the newer teak treating products are available in a wide choice of name brands; two of these are “Kuhls Teak Oil” and”Penta-Var”. Retreating should not be necessary for several months. A thorough cleaning ordinarily is enough to ready the surface for brushing or wiping on a fresh coat. For those who cannot obtain teak oil, a mixture of raw linseed and turpentine will suffice. Do not apply too much or the wood will not absorb it and it will lay on the surface and collect dirt."
Restoring Oxidized Deck and Coachroof
From Duncan Cameron:
" After wasting a lot of elbow grease on the dull, yellowed surfaces, with '3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax (for heavily oxidized surfaces)', I almost gave up. Just for the heck of it, I tried some 'Vim Thick Bleach' - I rubbed lightly, left it on for about 20 minutes, and rinsed it off with a hose - what a difference!
This was followed up with a two-part cleaner and polish - 'West Marine Fiberglass Cleaner/Protector Kit'. This worked far better than the 3M product. People quit saying 'Geez, I guess you got a lot of work', and started saying ' Hey, nice boat!' "
Restoring Faded Colour and Gloss
From Duncan Cameron:
There's a lot of ideas and commercial products out there, but not all of them are effective- what do you use?.
Here's one idea from the Pocket Cruisers bulletin board - Penatrol - anyone tried it?
An alternative to wax on older, faded hulls is Poliglow - I saw two boats that had been done this summer, and they looked very good
The Paceship Cruising Yacht Maintenance Manual
This is available to download at The Paceship Website
(It's under the heading of "Paceship Larger Boat Maintenance Manual")
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©2004 Larry Boutilier, Duncan Cameron and Jim Shroeger
