Posted: November 07 2003 at 11:28 | IP Logged

All my decks have been mahogany in the past and the varnishing thing is pretty well known. Someone tell me what is different with teak and specifically what is different with Cetol (sikkens) over the varnish? To appearance, the cetol is thicker with more solids. They recommend 6 coats total as to about 10 of varnish. I think the finished product with the cetol has a little less grain definition than the varnish. Then there are the oils!!!! Talk to me please!!!!

Bob

Posted: November 09 2003 at 17:45 | IP Logged

Don, what do you like about the sikkens?

Bob

Posted: December 01 2003 at 13:31 | IP Logged

Bob,

I have experience with Sikkens Cetol. It differs from varnish in that it is not clear, it has a bit of an orange hue to it, it is not naturally shiney, but it is very durable. Cetol dries with a semi-gloss finish. Sikkens makes a gloss overcoat that, when applied over the Cetol, gives it more of a varnished look.

Teak has a heavier grain than mahagony, but is similar in that it has a lot of oil in it. Its recommended that when you varnish bear teak, you wipe it down good with the thinner you would use with your selected varnish, thin the varnish to 25% strength with the appropriate thinner for the first coat, 50% for the second, 75% for the third, then full strength for the build up coats, sanding lightly in between coats. This allows the varnish to get into the pores and create a good bond. When varnish begins to go bad on teak you will see yellow patches around the darker good varnish. Time to sand and recoat.

I haven't really seen Cetol go bad. It doesn't flake and peel like varnish. You mostly have to keep up with the wear by sanding and reapplying in high traffic areas.

Posted: January 07 2004 at 09:05 | IP Logged

Over the 34+ years we have owned our 26 ft. Lyman Cruisette we have tried every teak oil and/or treatment on the market. Prior to the introduction of Sikken's Cetol Marine Coating, the best thing we had found was Deks Ole from the Flood Co. But, we had to do the Deks Ole in the Spring and again around late August or early September in order to keep it looking at all "decent".

Back about 10 or 12 years ago, Practical Sailor and Powerboat Reports (sister publications with no advertising) first reported on their two year test of teak treatments and coatings. The Sikkens won hands down!

Well, the next year we put Deks Ole on the decks and the Cetol on the swim platform and swim ladder. Now, our boat is in an open dock at Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland and the transom faces South, so it is exposed to the sun and weather all the time. At the end of the year, the Sikken's Cetol looked as good as the day we put it on, while the Deks Ole "looked like hell." We deliberately did not recoat the Deks Ole mid-season as we normally had been doing, as that would not have been a fair test of the two products.

We've been using the Cetol ever since. It is without doubt the best teak product on the market. Since their original test some years ago, Practical Sailor/Powerboat Reports Magazines have continued testing these products, and the Cetol is still "winning" the tests. Just recently they printed their latest report. In this one, they also used panels with marine varnishes. Cetol was the winner for the teak coatinngs and/or oils or "treatments" while the Epifanes High Gloss Varnish won the two year test of varnish on teak. We've been using Epifanes on our mahogany transom for years. We will not be revarnishing the transom next year, as it still looks "great" after seven years of use.

As for the teak decks, the only thing we don't love about the Sikkens's Cetol coating is the slightly yellowish color. It is not quite as good looking a color as the warm brown which most teak oils and the Deks Ole impart to the decks. But the long lasting qualities of the finish coupled with its easy maintenance more than outweigh my minor complaint about the color.

Not only does the Cetol hold up for more than a year, but when it has to be recoated for any reason, there is no need to sand it before putting on more. In fact, you just "scuff up" the surface with a Scothbite pad (like your wife uses in the kitchen) and then put on some more Cetol. If you get a worn spot, such as where a line goes over the surface, just scuff up that small area and recoat only that area. You'll never see that area look any different than the rest of it. It is so nice not to have to sand away any expensive teak anymore.

Until some manufacturer comes out with something better, I will continue to use the Cetol. In fact, all the brand new teak on our boat is going to be coated with it.

Sikkens has a "light" version of Cetol which they claim does not impart the yellowish cast which the original Cetol does. However, we've not tried it because all the teak, both inside and ouside has had the original Cetol on it and if we were to do some of it with the new coating it would not match the rest. So we've just stayed with the original product. And, reading the response from Michael, above, regarding the "light version" makes me not want to try it.

donemery@apk.net

Posted: January 10 2004 at 11:53 | IP Logged

Cabot's Australian Timber Oil - Honey Teak. Made for teak outdoor furniture, but works great on teak decks. I use a few more coats than is reccommended. I have had great luck with this.

Posted: January 10 2004 at 13:15 | IP Logged

Thanks for the reply!! Haven't heard of that one. Where do you get it? Cabots products are generally available in paint stores and hardwares so I guess that is a place to look. How do you apply it and what is the maintainence required? This is something new for us to look at!

Bob