Hi,
We just finished stripping all of the varnish off of a Falmouth Cutter and applied Cetol Marine Natural Teak. Having used various Cetol products in the past I must say this finish is the best. There is no pigment to stir and you get a very nice color to the teak,not cloudy. Out of the can the finish is a deep amber color. The surface dries to a semi gloss or mild gloss not real shiny and not satin. In talking with the Sikkens folks this product is very high in UV filtering. We put on three coats and each went on very easy. The surface stays wet eliminating lap marks and is self leveling. Vertical surface application is easy as the product hangs well even with heavy application. Clean up on deck seemed easier than with Cetol Marine because of its clarity. I brushed some on a prepaired piece of Honduras Mahogany and it looks great on that too. The great advantage of this finish is that it allows the beauty of the wood to show through. As with all finishes it is the prep work that either makes or breaks the final appearance. We will definately use this product as we refinish Jolie Brise. Hope this has been useful for all you BCC owners out there going the varnish route. One last thing. We didn’t use top of the line brushes and the finish still came out looking first class.
Bob & Lois
Jolie Brise
Hi Bob & Lois,
What do you find are the advantages of using Cetol Marine Natural Teak compared to a High Glass Varnish? When you finish the project would you post photographs?
Rich
S/V Susie Q
Rich,
The one thing that I find nice about Cetol is that it is a breatheable finish in that it does not trap moisture. The problem with most varnish is that any moisture in the wood has no way to get out. It is almost like wrapping the wood in a plastic bag. All wood has some degree of moisture content and all wood expands and contracts with temperature and humidity changes. Moisture can enter varnished wood through small surface scratches in the varnish, around fittings that haven’t been properly bedded or it is already present in the wood. Once water gets in it can migrate through the wood cells and be drawn to the surface by the heat of the sun. The water cannot get out through the varnish and will blister the finish. In most cases if this is not corrected the varnish will crack open allowing passage of more moisture and causing the varnish to fail in these places as well. Cetol expands and contracts with the wood and allows moisture to exit. Yeah, it can get in too but it is able to exit. Like I said all wood has a moisture content that will always be there. Other advantages are that Cetol can be applied without sanding between coats but I always do. The humidity isn as much a critical factor as it is with varnish and scratches and chafes can be repaired easier than varnished surfaces. The brushability of Cetol is nice in that the wetted surface will last thus avoiding any lap marks. At this writing I need to contact the owner as to posting any pictures of his boat but will post some of the finish on Jolie Brise.
Bob & Lois
Jolie Brise
Bob & Lois:
As you know, most varnishes or clear coat products look great after application. Do you have any first hand experience on how long Cetol Marine Natural Teak will last and how often does one have to recoat?
I suspect this product is similar to Coelan - http://www.premapro.com/tp_coelan.htm - a urethane reactive prepolymer that is moisture cured. During the reaction with water, carbon dioxide is given off, creating a micro porous “breathable” coating.
An application of Coelan is show in the following link - http://www.mrsimpson.co.uk/ghost/coelan.htm .
Thanks to your first hand review of the this product, I plan to test the product.
Fair Winds,
Rod
BCC IDUNA
Rod,
The information that I have on Cetol Natural Teak is at the bare minimum is three coats on a properly prepared surface. Depending on who you talk to initial coats of six or seven. The follow up applications are at least two coats per year. I like to put one coat on in the Spring and another coat on in the Fall. I sand before each with #400 finishing paper and wipe down the surface with a damp cloth. How long does it last ??? Well, since the product has not been out that long I can’t give a real good answer. I can say if it is like other Cetol finishes and the surface is maintained you should get four maybe five or even six years. You could keep your local canvas shop happy and have a complete set of covers made to cover and protect all of your beautiful brightwork. The one determining factor is what weather and climate is the finish exposed to and even more important what wood is it applied to. Teak has a natural oil and in some cases causes lifting of the finish if those oils are not neutralized before the first coat goes on. I should be able to give a better first hand observation of this next Spring before I do a re-coat.
Bob & Lois
Jolie Brise
Bob & Lois:
I appreciate your honesty and technical insight. Thank you. There appears to be no magic formula. We have useD the original Cetol, Watco Teak Oil Finish and varnish. Each coating requires about the same maintenance - coat in the spring and fall. Still I will test the Coelan product on our dorade boxes.
Thanks,
Rod
BCC IDUNA
Rod,
About the only magic formula is do what works for you and your situation. We have tried a lot of finishes over the years on various boats and have come to a point where we are sticking to what works for us. We have tweaked the system a bit and have done some things that the manufacturer says not to do. Things like thinning the first coat to allow more penetration into the wood makes sense. Most of these finishes just coat the surface and do not bite into the wood, sort of like throwing out the anchor chain without the anchor attached. Foam brushes, why not ??? I use them for final coating with no problems. First coats I apply by brush as it works the finish into the wood. We sand between coats with #400 finishing paper. These things have worked for us and have not caused the finish to do anything odd or go wacky after it was applied. Cetol Marine Light that was applied three years ago remains the same as it was when we applied it. The owner of that boat has followed a maintenance plan.
Thanks for the link to Coelan and keep us posted on how it works on your dorade boxes. By the way nice work on them. We do not have propane lockers on Jolie Brise so I am planning that as a Winter project. I plan to make the lockers look like kegs and set them horizontal on wood chocks. Maybe even carve letters into the keg heads, one rum the other water. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob & Lois
Jolie Brise
Rod,
About the only magic formula is do what works for you and your situation. We have tried a lot of finishes over the years on various boats and have come to a point where we are sticking to what works for us. We have tweaked the system a bit and have done some things that the manufacturer says not to do. Things like thinning the first coat to allow more penetration into the wood makes sense. Most of these finishes just coat the surface and do not bite into the wood, sort of like throwing out the anchor chain without the anchor attached. Foam brushes, why not ??? I use them for final coating with no problems. First coats I apply by brush as it works the finish into the wood. We sand between coats with #400 finishing paper. These things have worked for us and have not caused the finish to do anything odd or go wacky after it was applied. Cetol Marine Light that was applied three years ago remains the same as it was when we applied it. The owner of that boat has followed a maintenance plan.
Thanks for the link to Coelan and keep us posted on how it works on your dorade boxes. By the way nice work on them. We do not have propane lockers on Jolie Brise so I am planning that as a Winter project. I plan to make the lockers look like kegs and set them horizontal on wood chocks. Maybe even carve letters into the keg heads, one rum the other water. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob & Lois
BCC Jolie Brise
Photo is bowsprit with five coats of Cetol Marine Natural Teak and three coats of Cetol Clear.
Dennis
Dennis:
Nice looking finish on the FC22 bowsprint. The bowsprint was constructed from three planks of quarter sawn (vertical grain) Douglas fir laminated together with resorcinol glue. The anchor rollers and saddle were cast by Port Townsend Foundry - http://www.porttownsendfoundry.com/home.htm. Unfortuntely,it was about 1/8" too wide for the bowsprint, hence, the reason for the raised area under the roller. Based on the photo, the boat is looking good.
Fair Winds,
Rod
BCC IDUNA
Rod,
Yes, it’s hull FC #25 and Manny DeL. only said that “a friend” helped him replace the bowsprit. Didn’t know you were in on it. Thanks for the detail.
I think I’ve followed your path from a PSC Flicka to a Sam L Morse.
Dennis
Dennis:
I briefly sailed your FC when Manny and Roz first had the boat. I was impressed with the FC’s sailing characteristics. She was well balanced and I felt she sailed better than the BCC. I believe, the FC 22 and Falmouth 34 were Hess’ favorite designs.
Rod