teak vs mahogany 69 seavoyager...which is which?

oldwood69 · Post by **oldwood69** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:01 pm

Hi Guys and Gals...in the process of fixing up a 69 36' SeaVoyager. The decks and railing were covered in some sort of peeling sealer (not oil...more like polyeurathane). We have sanded down the decks (teak for sure) and oiled them...look amazing. I have several questions before proceeding with the other areas of the boat. Are the top plates (around edges of deck and all upward facing surfaces on stern) and hand railings teak or mahogany?...either way, what is the preferred method of treating these surfaces once sanded. I like the look of the teak oil, but I know the reapplication will become a hassle. I didn't want a super slick surface on the decks to avoid slippage which is why I'm okay with oil on them...but railings and top plates wont be walked on and would look better with a little more gloss as far as I'm concerned. So, how do I tell which wood is which and what should I put back down once sanded? (and where to get products).

Really loving boat and looking forward to making her beautiful again!

oldwood69 · Post by **oldwood69** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:03 pm

Forgot one thing...what about the "mast" in front of the cabin (same one as on "Big D's" boat...mahogany/teak/something else???

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:17 pm

Welcome to the forum Tim. Sounds like you have a nice project going there. Sorry I cant be of any help since I know very little about refinishing exterior wood, but there are several here who I'm sure will help.

Do you have any photos you can post so we can see what you're doing?

jddens · Post by **jddens** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:58 pm

Not sure about your sea voyager but my 72 sea raider has teak toes rail all around and back teak deck and teak swim platform.....interior is mahogany....I like the oil finish on my teak....takes a couple hours ( couple beers) twice a year but nothing to peel and I like the look. You will get varied opinions on wood finish.......comes down to personal preference.......enjoy that nice boat!!!!, got any pics???.........................John

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:45 pm

On your '69 the exterior wood will be teak. My father had a 28' Sea Skiff from the same year.

Here are links to my 'wood finishes' gallery:
Wood Finish examples (part 1)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... f=1&t=3206

Wood Finish examples (part 2)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... =1&t=12738

If you search the forum you will find a few threads discussing finishes, like this one viewtopic.php?t=4739&start=15&postdays= ... highlight=

Which finish is right for you depends on what look you are looking for, how you intend to use the boat, and how much upkeep you want to take on.

oldwood69 · Post by **oldwood69** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:22 am

Wanted to thank everyone for the information regarding finishes and types of wood. So, I guess I'm going with assumption that all exterior wood (toe rails, mast, decks) is teak...and that only Mahogany is on the hull itself. Took a look at some of the older threads and really appreciate the information available as to different finishes...so next week we will sand more and go from there!!! Thanks again.

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:06 am

Hi, welcome aboard. I wouldn't make the assumptions on the teak. Your decks should be teak unless they were changed at one time. All other trim however may be teak or mahogany or both. Both were used for exterior trim around that vintage. The two woods have different grain patterns that you should be able to distinguish even through most clear finishes. Check the grain on the deck and use that as a comparison. My mast for example is teak stained mahogany. As for finishes, lots of info on the sight re this subject. I am in the process of doing a lot of that (stripping etc) and when it comes time to finish, I'll be using Cetol on most exterior items like decks, toe and hand rails, swim platform etc., and a high gloss product on others such as transom, doors, mast etc.

oldwood69 · Post by **oldwood69** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 12:31 pm

Thanks for the info...the decks are for sure teak in my opinion and the toe/handrails strike me as mahogany due to more open grain pattern...I guess if some of the finishes (cetol for example) will work on both woods then it really doesn't matter. Im going to stick with the oiled decks and go with a more durable and less maintenance finish for the rest. Thanks again to everyone for the help.

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:24 pm

Tim, my trim is mahogany as well. Many manufacturers moved to teak much sooner. The reasoning was that mahogany was more labor intensive. Any blemish left after sanding would show up in the final finish. This would not be good for sales. Teak was durable, required less prep and didn't really need a finish applied. This cut down on production time immensely as there was no need for 12 coat finishes and cure times. The sanded teak look only needed to last a short time until the vessel was sold and before it started turning grey. So Trojan hung in there probably longer than anyone with mahogany because they took more pride in thier finishes and end product.

oldwood69 · Post by **oldwood69** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:11 pm

Good stuff to know...thanks for the info. We are heading to the boat tomorrow for 5 days of intensive work. Curtains (recovered all upholstery last trip), soundsystem, carpet, bodywork and of course more and more sanding and refinishing! Will get some pictures posted as soon as we get back from 5 days hard labor in 100 degree plus heat!!!