Refinishing Teak

Ok first we have to share last night's sunset with you.

I know.  It is amazing. And this is an iphone picture.  Amazing.  It deserves its own post.

Secondly, we are refinishing our teak.  After 16 months, it is shot to hell.  The lacquer was very warm and inviting on the teak a year ago, but the elements have beaten the warmth out of it.  We sanded down the varnish until the black weathered teak could no longer be seen.  We are applying layers of high gloss varnish now.  How many layers?

Neighbor Wilson says he has 10 layers on his teak.  His 10-layer-job is only 4 months old.  We'll see what it looks like in one year.  Another dock neighbor said his have 4 layers.  His are a year old and they look it.

We have settled on a cordial 5 layers.  And we are just expecting to have to do this every 16 months.  Some online research has suggested that applying a single touch-up coat or even some basic teak oil every other month will make the job last longer. Not sure if that is more or less work but may give it a try.

Lil Wheels gets a Mast-lift

Lil Wheels got a facelift this week--or shall I say mast-lift!  The masts were completely sanded down, wood fill applied, more sanding down, and then finally a new coat of varnish applied.  Just 5 more coats to go . . . .

Cabin and Galley

I should really care about his post...because this is my domain.  I know I should be really passionate about the work that we did to the interior.  And here in lies the dilemna.  What do you post when you don't really feel like posting anything? 

It is not really true to the author and not really fair for the reader, but here goes.  I do have some pictures saved up on the galley.  I don't have before pictures, unfortunately.  Just, after pictures.  And a shameless plug for the GREATEST UPHOLSTERY BUSINESS IN THE STATE: Shannon's!

Ok, I do have a before shot of the NASTY OLD MUSTY cushions in the galley.   ewuuhhhhh!

The zippers were rusted out!  I don't even want to know what happened on these cushions in the last 40 years!  NASTY!

So, we looked through about 400 vinyl marine quality samples with Mr. Shannon!  We chose "Cardinal"....any surprise?  Yes, it fits well with the Captain's USC fettish.  Check them out!

We made a new teak table which we high-glossed the same way as the exterior teak.  We also high-glossed the Galley cabinets.  The cutting boards are just wiped down with teak oil.  The faucet is new. 

I like the way it all turned out.  There are some older blue vinyl cushions and the bright cardinal cushions.  All of them wipe clean easily.  The interior is warm.  It is cozy.  Even if I never go on an ocean sail, the boat has enough charm to keep me happy in the dock. 

It has been so rainy lately that we haven't been able to enjoy it.  I miss it.

Refinishing Teak

First and foremost, there is not that much wood on the Coronado 25. It is mostly fiberglass, but the teak we did have, we wanted to look good! We also added a teak table in the galley.

Teak is an interesting wood. I grew up with Oak antique furniture and a wood-burning stove, so I was familiar with refinishing hard woods and lugging cords. Teak is a whole different beast.

Teak is a hard wood, but it sands easily and seems much softer than Oak. Per wikipedia, "Teak, though easily worked, can cause severe blunting on edge tools because of the presence of silica in the wood. Teak's natural oils make it ideal for use in exposed locations and termite and pest proof, where it is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish."

Teak is universally used on boats. Varnishing it is highly controversial. Most teak is just maintained with teak oil. But, we went for the controversial look. What can I say? We are newbees at this whole thing, we are city folk, and we like the shiny glow!

We tried a few different methods for applying the varnish that we researched online. Applying a coat, letting it dry to the touch, sanding with high grit paper (180 or above) and then starting over for 6 coats worked well but took far too long. Instead we stuck with applying 4 coats in rapid succession not allowing each coat to fully dry, then sanding after the 5th and 6th coats.

We might have to refinish it frequently. The clear gloss coat that we put on it seems to wear off easily. Wearing off is ok though. We were more worried about it yellowing in the sunlight. I can report no yellowing after 4 months. We will have to report back to you in another year.

~Captain and Crew