chayco wrote:
Decks are decks and you learn to appreciate the weathered look of teak,
especially if it keeps you upright and on board.

And when it doesn't, well, you stick tradition anyway


Cetol , in my opinion, does not bring out the natural luxurious appearance
of teak...

Agreed, although the new stuff looks better than the 'orange
jello'.


.... but it does last longer than varnish.

I'm not so sure. I've owned a number of boats with
brightwork, including some that were all wood, and one
spectacular Swedish beauty with varnished topsides (that was
a long time ago). Tried a number of 'varnish substitutes'
but none were any significant time saving, especially in the
South where everything gets heavy UV.

Our current boat has *way* more brightwork than I wanted,
but my wife promised to take care of it... she learned
varnish work pretty well, and up thru last spring kept it in
beautiful shape. You could read a newspaper in the
reflection in the caprail.


Oils can be messy to apply and don't last on the surface very long. I have
been experimenting with a lanolin aerosol product that is easy to apply and
does last longer than 'teak oil' . It does fade in the sun but real quick
and easy to apply. It's called 'fluid film' and sold as a penetrating fluid
similar to WD40 but as it is primarily lanolin it doesn't evaporate like
WD40. After it soaks in, it isn't 'slippery'......but I would not want to
compromise my footing in a challenging moment when the winds are up. I do
use it on some runabout soles and dock trawlers.


Sounds interesting, where do you get it?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King