Teak wood finish

[Rebel]

We (Marie and I) recently purchased a 2008 R25 in Portland, OR that had set on a dealers lot for a long time, we are not sure how long. We find that all of the teak wood trim inside the cabin is very dry. What has some of the rest of you done to finish the teak? A fellow at West Marine suggested that we use a teak oil to finish it. Does anyone have a recommendation of the best oil to use as a finish? I do not think that I would want to put on a hard finish that would need to be refinished in a few years. We are new to this activity, this is our first boat, and would appreciate any information that you all are willing to share. I have already learned a lot just by reading your post on other subjects. I want to thank you all for the information you share. John Turner, Oregon

 

[Bruce Moore]

We used a basic teak oil. It applies easily and takes very little time to ventilate. We unscrewed the runners from the cabin ceiling, but everything else we painted in place. Two coats left the wood with a rich, dark, matte finish. It took less than a quart to cover everything, including the cockpit storage doors, twice.

The boat's been in the water for 15 months, uncovered moorage, and is still looking great. We chose against the hard high-gloss finish, not so much because of maintenance, but for aesthetic reasons and to avoid glare and reflections.

Cheers

 

[j&lgray]

The Laurie Ann's finish was done with Minwax Polywipe. It goes on with a clean cloth or a brush and after 3-4 coats, it has a strong, satin finish. We are very happy with it. The high abuse areas sand down easily and can be re-coated quickly for a like-new finish.

 

[bbrh842]

Rebel,

The older R-25's, such as my 2007 model, came from the factory with bare teak except in the head. Bummer.
I used teak oil.
Teak oil is nothing but linseed oil in a solvent. You can probably get it from Home Depot or Lowes a lot cheaper than West Marine.

If you use teak oil, you may not be able to change your mind later and go over it with the Minwax.
The Minwax might not stick to the oil.
So you need to figure out which one you want to use before you get started.

If you use teak oil, I have a couple of words of advice that I learned the hard way.
When you apply the teak oil it looks clear, but as the teak oil ages it turns dark brown.
Do not get any of it on the fabric in the boat. You will not even notice it until after a few months when it begins to darken. After a year it will be VERY DARK BROWN and VERY DIFFICULT to get out of the fabric.
Same thing goes for the fiberglass. Use an old rag to wipe off the excess that runs off the wood onto the fiberglass.
Teak oil is so thin it will splatter on the fiberglass in places you haven't even been.
And you will not notice it until one year later.
So you gotta wipe off the fiberglass in the places you haven't even been.