Trojan Boat Forum

I bought some Cetol light, for my swim platform,
I havent read the directions yet, so I figure Ill ask you guys first
any special things to do,
I did oil the wood earlier in the season, but all here seem to think this stuff is good, so Ill give it a try the teak oil just didnt do it, the wood always looks like its drying out and spotty. I did use the teak cleaner before oiling the wood, and it did help, but made a serious mess ,
the wood is in very good shape, no damage etc, just looks crappy, and dull with that gray haze
I always like the way some boats look when there brightwork is nice and fresh looking, it brings out my feminine side,,,lol

I just finished my swim deck with cetol light and it came our awsome. I sanded with an orbital sander, used the teak cleaner, applyed four coats of the cetol, allowing 24 hours between coats, on the third coat I sprinkled a non skid product on the cetol while it was still wet. I used a salt shaker to apply. the non skid acutally looks like small salt grains. I also used it on the swim platform ladder steps.

over all i think it really looks sharp.

Bill, Regardless what people say, oiling teak is fine for inside but UV will kill teak oil in no time on exterior teak. A coating of cetol will (and has for me for years) last, and look great. But it has to be done right. Use the 2 part teak cleaner first. It will raise the grain somewhat so sanding first is a waste of time. Let the wood dry completely than sand with 100 grit paper. I hand sand because by the time you sand within the grid you have sanded most if the platform anyway. You have heard the term "sand by the numbers" so 150 grit is next then 220. Before coating I wipe it down with Acetone. This will pull out the surface oil that is naturally in teak so the first coat will penitrate the wood instead of being repelled by the oil. Unlike varnishes, you do not have to thin Cetol. In fact you are not supposed to according to the manufacturer. I have used the satin finish for over 20 years and have never needed to use a non skid material for safety. It just isn't slippery. I lay on 8 coats initially and recoat every spring with a light 220 sand and coat. If you have an abrasion you need to light sand and re-coat (a few times) the area right away. The key is to apply a sacrificial coat annually, fix any scratches and you are good to go indefinately. Jimbo.

some people like bud and some people like miller...im a bud guy

Why bother with Cetoal, etc?

We have a lot of sun here - and have 2 boats with swim platforms .. too much work for me ... Teak Oil for a tournament is fine ...

cetol

rossjo
I dont understand what your saying? I should not do the coating on my swim platform, because its to much work for You? I dont get it

jimbo36 wrote:Bill, Regardless what people say, oiling teak is fine for inside but UV will kill teak oil in no time on exterior teak. A coating of cetol will (and has for me for years) last, and look great. But it has to be done right. Use the 2 part teak cleaner first. It will raise the grain somewhat so sanding first is a waste of time. Let the wood dry completely than sand with 100 grit paper. I hand sand because by the time you sand within the grid you have sanded most if the platform anyway. You have heard the term "sand by the numbers" so 150 grit is next then 220. Before coating I wipe it down with Acetone. This will pull out the surface oil that is naturally in teak so the first coat will penitrate the wood instead of being repelled by the oil. Unlike varnishes, you do not have to thin Cetol. In fact you are not supposed to according to the manufacturer. I have used the satin finish for over 20 years and have never needed to use a non skid material for safety. It just isn't slippery. I lay on 8 coats initially and recoat every spring with a light 220 sand and coat. If you have an abrasion you need to light sand and re-coat (a few times) the area right away. The key is to apply a sacrificial coat annually, fix any scratches and you are good to go indefinately. Jimbo.

If you want your teak to look great you will follow jimbo's directions.

As he stated, start with the 2 part teak cleaner. If you don't start with clean wood the job won't look good no mater how many coats of Cetol you put on. I also agree that you won't need any non-skid. It will only cause problems with recoating. If you want the teak to look great for years, don't skip that recoat EVERY YEAR.

thanks guys this really helps

Used Cetol Light and sanded off the old Cetol (not so light - sort of orange) with an orbital sander. Used two coats Cetol light and then final coat with a salt shaker filled with non skid. After drying I shop-vaced the loose non-skid and it's POIFECT! BEEEAUTIFUL!! I will touch up/recoat once a year if needed. I used CETOL light on the teak trim in the cockpit and got the same nice results. I've used Teak Oil on both the sailboat and the mighty Blue Heron and I'll never use Teak Oil again.

I got my swim platform new before any treatment was applied. I put three coats of teak oil on it and it soaked up and looked okay for a while just sitting in my basement. Then a few weeks later it looked all dry again. I decided to sand it and then apply Cetol. I put about 6 or 8 coats of Cetol on it three years ago and it still looks great. Did not use any anti-skid on it but it can be slippery when wet. It did try some treatment that I use on the front deck that I spray on the swim platform that is clear but gets tacky when wet. I forgot what it is called but I think it is called Woody Wax.

my regal had about 15 years worth of cetol on it and with wet feet u could launch off it...painfully so too

76 F-28