Teak Toerail Maintenance

[R. Bush]

My F25 has wooden toerails that look as if they haven't been maintained for years. The wood looks like teak to me, but I have no way of being sure about that. The rails are still in good condition, and I want to keep them that way.

I am not interested in a "glow in the sunset" boat with shining wood finishes - I just want to make sure the wood that is there stays in good condition so I don't have to repair or replace it prematurely. Any suggestions on toe rail (and other on deck wood as well) finishes and maintenance would be appreciated.

I know that WestMarine has a big supply of wood oils and varnishes at "marine" prices. Any reason not to go to my local hardware store and get something that isn't "marine" for less $$$? Something that will last for more than one season would be good too!

The boat is out of the water and at home for the winter, so now is the time for me to get this stuff done before the snow flies.

[THATBOATGUY]

Life is short so we decided to: Lightly sand, brighten/clean with common wood bleach (ace hardware), one coat of slightly thinned Mas epoxy, several coats of semi gloss varnish. Not the glow in the dark great depth finish that can result by essentially dedicating your life to it, but not just slapping some paint on it either.

George

[hxschiller]

I know that this will sound primitive, but when I owned my F-25, we used the Green 3M Scotch scrubbing pads and fresh water. Try it on the unfinished teak, and watch the color return. After that you can use a preservative-type oil, or maybe not.

[bighopper252]

Yes, there is a reason: marine varnish are formulated to be a bit more elastic, to adhere more on "oily" woods and more importantly, to resist to the UV. When in comes to wood prep, hxschiller is right on. Do not sand ( unless some iconoclast had power washed the teak a long time ago and had created ridges by scrubbing the sapwood off... )
Do not use acid. I personally left my teak whitish. Twice a year, I gently scrubbed with a WHITE 3M pad, sea water ( not acidic) and... Baby shampoo. The worse thing on teak? Blood.
If you really want to varnish, I strongly suggest to protect your bright work with a light grey sunbrella cover. Velcro under the loops. Nice winter project:)

[phildowney]

if you want it bare, 3m scotchbrite it whenever it gets dirty and never use a brush as it strips out the soft grain leaving the hard grain in ridges, and teak oil it every year if you like.
if varnished use epifanes and re coat every 6 months.
phil kusi uk