Teak deck Maintenance

[Russ Pagels]

PMY magazine had an article in the May issue regarding a product called Yachtshine cleaner and sealer for teak. they endorsed the product. Has any one used this product?....Russ

[PeterPalmieri]

Bought my ammonia and wisk as per capt pats suggestion. Will be down there first thing in the am

[Buju]

Saw the write up Russ... While Capt. Pike talked it up pretty good, the pics didn't seem to show a miracle product.
I'll be trying it though, at some point.

Speaking of that issue, I'm liking what Hatteras is doing these days... That GT63 is some Hatt.

[Russ Pagels]

Buju,I hear you on the Hatteras GT63,nice boat. If I only had a few extra million Bucks I could have one. the teak product left a gray look to it that I liked, better than oiled which is constant work....Russ

[bob lico]

one of the boys just rolled in with cabo after going back to factory. while tere he had teak cocpit installed they gave him a magic potion to use on teak cockpit to stay natural. when i see walter i will get name.

[Ironman]

recently alot of new cabo stuff showed up around here.. real good stuff,I then heard Hat bought cabo& didnt want their stuff ... I then heard Brunswick bought Hatterass..., anybody hear that?wow
Wayne

[Skipper Dick]

My wife and I just recently returned from a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on a Holland America ship called the Westerdam. It is over 900 feet long and most of the outer decks, the promenade deck and the top deck were teak. They had maintenance people working on this boat 24/7. One day at sea, I watched a crew of 3 guys cleaning the teak with soapy water and a regular floor buffer with a stiff brush. It pulled up all or most of the grime and they washed it off with fresh water. After it dried, it looked like a million bucks. I asked one of the workers if they used anything else on the floor and he said that they occasionally used a little ammonia with the soapy water.
The railing all around the ship on every deck was also teak, but they used a two part coating on it.

[Chanse]

any ole' sailors remember Holystoning the decks?

Was tied along side a cruiser in yokosuka once and watched
the morning ritual with a cup of coffee in my hand, glad not
to be on that ship.
Kinda of the same method as Captdick described only a little
more primitive.

[Rawleigh]

My Godfather who owned my B31 before me showed me how they used to do it in the Navy during WWII. It does not look like fun.

[Russ Pagels]

Some how I must have missed Capt. Pat's method for cleaning and sealing teak, can any one bring me up to speed. I don't have teak decks just covering boards. now that I think about it I don't even have a boat yet.But soon I hope...Thanks Russ

[Stephan]

If the teak is in good shape then a little Cascade dishwasher detergent (just enough to help break the surface tension without sudzing and washes cleanly away, no threat to polished metal or paint) and a white 3M scrubber across the grain (scrubbing with the grain is more likely to raise the grain of the wood and require more frequent sanding) will freshen it up.

[CaptPatrick]

Some how I must have missed Capt. Pat's method for cleaning and sealing teak, can any one bring me up to speed. I don't have teak decks just covering boards. now that I think about it I don't even have a boat yet.But soon I hope...Thanks Russ

The proper tool to use is an abrasive pad, such as 3M Scotch-Brite. Use only the fine cutting grade, (their's is color coded white), and use it with the plastic backing holder that's made just for these pads.

Wet the deck down and apply the wash solution in a back and forth fashion across the grain, using a very light pressure. Keep the wood wet and continue to move the soap and ammonia around for about 5-10 minutes. I prefer to do this chore early in the morning or late in the afternoon so that the sun isn't drying the deck out faster than I can wet it down. Overcast and even drizzly days are great for cleaning teak!

Do not use the 2 part teak cleaners that are available at most marine supply houses and ships stores. The Part 1 is an acid that literally dissolves a layer of wood. Part 2 is a strong base solution that neutralizes the acid; both eat up your deck and will attack the gelcoat or paint in surrounding areas. If you do need to use a stronger cleaner, try this: 2 quarts of sudsy ammonia and a 1/2 cup of Wisk, (or any other high phosphate liquid laundry soap). Wet the deck down and use the mix without adding any more water other than to mist the deck so that it doesn't dry. 10-15 minutes of moving this solution around should do the job.

If some how you get grease or oil on the teak, (hydraulic fluid from a helm leak, the kids dropping fried chicken crumbs, your friendly mechanic who doesn't remember to remove his oily shoes, etc.), use Marine Spray Nine cleaner in place of the soap/ammonia mix.

Once the deck has been worked down, rinse very well with fresh water, lots of it and don't use a hard jet of water, rather a moderate spray. Keep rinsing until no more soap is present. Remove the excess water from the teak using a chamois mop, string mop, or squeegee and let dry.

Comercial teak brighteners should be avoided, but if used, dilute them to 1:1 with fresh water. Once again, rinse very well. The sun alone will brighten the freshly cleaned teak, it just takes longer...

[Russ Pagels]

Thank you Capt. Pat....Russ

[PeterPalmieri]

I used capt pats method outlined above on Sunday morning had my wife pick up ammonia and wisk at supermarket. Looks great!