Teak Refinishing with Cetol Light
I've been refinishing the teak on my IP27 "Turtleheart" over the past few months. It was last done eight years ago, with Cetol Marine. It's had no maintenance over the years, and last year pieces began lifting off, especially at the toerails (which are constantly wet). You can see this in the photos of the companionway hatch, scupper, toerail, and handrail and eyebrow below. The job required removing all the old Cetol, preparing the teak, and applying Cetol Light and in some areas, Cetol Gloss on top. You can see the results so far in the photos of the dropboards, companionway trim, cockpit coaming and toerail below.
I did the portable pieces (dropboards, drink holder, flagpole, etc.) in the garage over the winter. I stripped the toerails, rubrails, companionway trim, laz lid trim, and cockpit coamings in the spring, while the boat was on the hard, and finished them (almost) after she was launched. I'm planning to put a full photo essay up on this IPYOA site at some point. However, since I see that there's been recent discussion on the IP Mail site about results with Cetol, I thought I'd post this "draft" now. I won't put the final version up until the project is done, and that won't be for at least another month.
Materials & Tools
I used Cetol Light, both because I liked how it looked on other boats and because of the favorable reviews it's gotten on this site. My plan is to put three coats of Cetol Light on everything and to gloss the "bright work": flagpole, cockpit coamings, etc. with three coats of Cetol Gloss. Then, my hope is that all I'll have to do for annual maintenance is apply one coat of gloss on the bright work and one (or no) coat of stain on the toerails. I used good carbide scrapers from Jamestown Distributors, and kept them sharp throughout the job. The one with the triangular blade is great: you can rotate the blade twice before having to sharpen it, and it gets into all the nooks and crannies. I also used a heat gun, a shop vac, Soy-Strip, an assortment of brushes (brass wire, tooth, nylon) and dull paint scrapers, and a lot of blue painter's tape. I used additional tools and materials to clean and polish the stainless; they're listed below. I sanded by hand, with a rubber sanding block and 80, 150, and 220-grit paper as appropriate. I used green Scotch-Brite pads in a bucket of water. I used a one-part teak cleaner; it's all I needed, so I never had to use the two-part cleaner, which is much more difficult to use. I caulked with Sikaflex 291 in a gun. I used Interlux 216 solvent and 333 brushing liquid, paper filters for the Cetol Gloss, and good China bristle brushes. I had plenty of rags and tack cloths on hand.
Instructions
1. Remove stainless steel rubrails and strake plates. Clean inside surfaces with 80-grit flap wheel and carbide brush on Dremel tool. Clean outside surface with Soy-Strip to remove Cetol and polish with 400- then 600-grit wet sand paper and Flitz polish.
2. Remove hardware from laz lid trim, companionway hatch, etc. Clean with Soy-Strip and toothbrush. Rinse well.
3. Tape boat with blue painter's tape to protect gelcoat. Remove Cetol with sharp carbide steel scrapers and heat gun. Vacuum.
4. Remove remaining Cetol from teak and stainless steel fittings (stanchions, cleats, etc.) with Soy-Strip and scraper, brass wire brushes, toothbrushes, and green Scotch-Brite pads. Different tools work in different ways in different areas; you'll have to experiment. Rinse well.
5. Caulk rub rail as needed with Sikaflex 291. I needed to fill in about a dozen areas where the original caulk had deteriorated. Clean up with mineral spirits. See photo.
6. Sand with 80-grit paper on rubber sanding block. Vacuum. Follow up with 150-grit paper on areas you want to be very smooth or which will be glossed. Vacuum. I glossed the dropboards, drink holder, flagpole, and laz trim, and will probably gloss the cockpit coamings and mast winch pad as well. I will not gloss the toe and rubrails -- I don't want the toerails in particular to be slippery when wet.
7. Wipe down with tack cloth then Interlux 216 solvent to remove impurities and contaminants.
8. Remove old blue tape.
9. Clean teak with one-part cleaner (e.g., Sea-Brite Gel Formula) and nylon brush. Rinse well.
10. Retape boat, leaving 1/16" gap between toerail and deck. Tape stainless fittings, leaving 1/16" gap between fittings and toerail.
11. Wipe teak with tack cloth then Interlux 216 solvent.
12. Pour Cetol Light into clean container and apply with high-quality brush. Wait 24 hours and apply second coat without sanding. Wait 24 hours and apply third coat without sanding. Note: Sometimes I did sand lightly before the final coat on the "bright work" -- coatings, laz and companionway molding, etc. I used 220-grit paper and then wiped down hard with a tack cloth and then wiped with Interlux 216.
13. Apply Cetol Marine Gloss on "bright work". Filter Cetol Gloss into clean container. Wipe down with tack cloth and then wipe down twice with Interlux 333 brushing liquid; use a clean rag for the second wipe. Apply with a very high-quality brush. Wait 24 hours and apply second coat without sanding. Wait 24 hours and apply third coat without sanding. I did have to sand or scrape some areas to remove drips, runs, and imperfections (dust particles, etc.). Depending on how much sanding you do, you might need to apply a fourth coat.
14. Remove tape.
15. Reinstall stainless rubrails and strake plates and miscellaneous hardware.
16. Clean Cetol from fittings, trim excess at edges, etc., with Soy-Strip, Scotch-Brite pad, etc. Wax gelcoat that's been dulled with all this wiping and rubbing.
I won't say how long all this has taken. I will say I could not have paid someone else to do the job.
And, I'm not done. I still have another coat to put on the toerails and three coats of gloss to put on the bright work. The hand rails and eyebrows are for next year.
Michael Luskin
"Turtleheart" IP27-146
Scarsdale, NY
I did the portable pieces (dropboards, drink holder, flagpole, etc.) in the garage over the winter. I stripped the toerails, rubrails, companionway trim, laz lid trim, and cockpit coamings in the spring, while the boat was on the hard, and finished them (almost) after she was launched. I'm planning to put a full photo essay up on this IPYOA site at some point. However, since I see that there's been recent discussion on the IP Mail site about results with Cetol, I thought I'd post this "draft" now. I won't put the final version up until the project is done, and that won't be for at least another month.
Materials & Tools
I used Cetol Light, both because I liked how it looked on other boats and because of the favorable reviews it's gotten on this site. My plan is to put three coats of Cetol Light on everything and to gloss the "bright work": flagpole, cockpit coamings, etc. with three coats of Cetol Gloss. Then, my hope is that all I'll have to do for annual maintenance is apply one coat of gloss on the bright work and one (or no) coat of stain on the toerails. I used good carbide scrapers from Jamestown Distributors, and kept them sharp throughout the job. The one with the triangular blade is great: you can rotate the blade twice before having to sharpen it, and it gets into all the nooks and crannies. I also used a heat gun, a shop vac, Soy-Strip, an assortment of brushes (brass wire, tooth, nylon) and dull paint scrapers, and a lot of blue painter's tape. I used additional tools and materials to clean and polish the stainless; they're listed below. I sanded by hand, with a rubber sanding block and 80, 150, and 220-grit paper as appropriate. I used green Scotch-Brite pads in a bucket of water. I used a one-part teak cleaner; it's all I needed, so I never had to use the two-part cleaner, which is much more difficult to use. I caulked with Sikaflex 291 in a gun. I used Interlux 216 solvent and 333 brushing liquid, paper filters for the Cetol Gloss, and good China bristle brushes. I had plenty of rags and tack cloths on hand.
Instructions
1. Remove stainless steel rubrails and strake plates. Clean inside surfaces with 80-grit flap wheel and carbide brush on Dremel tool. Clean outside surface with Soy-Strip to remove Cetol and polish with 400- then 600-grit wet sand paper and Flitz polish.
2. Remove hardware from laz lid trim, companionway hatch, etc. Clean with Soy-Strip and toothbrush. Rinse well.
3. Tape boat with blue painter's tape to protect gelcoat. Remove Cetol with sharp carbide steel scrapers and heat gun. Vacuum.
4. Remove remaining Cetol from teak and stainless steel fittings (stanchions, cleats, etc.) with Soy-Strip and scraper, brass wire brushes, toothbrushes, and green Scotch-Brite pads. Different tools work in different ways in different areas; you'll have to experiment. Rinse well.
5. Caulk rub rail as needed with Sikaflex 291. I needed to fill in about a dozen areas where the original caulk had deteriorated. Clean up with mineral spirits. See photo.
6. Sand with 80-grit paper on rubber sanding block. Vacuum. Follow up with 150-grit paper on areas you want to be very smooth or which will be glossed. Vacuum. I glossed the dropboards, drink holder, flagpole, and laz trim, and will probably gloss the cockpit coamings and mast winch pad as well. I will not gloss the toe and rubrails -- I don't want the toerails in particular to be slippery when wet.
7. Wipe down with tack cloth then Interlux 216 solvent to remove impurities and contaminants.
8. Remove old blue tape.
9. Clean teak with one-part cleaner (e.g., Sea-Brite Gel Formula) and nylon brush. Rinse well.
10. Retape boat, leaving 1/16" gap between toerail and deck. Tape stainless fittings, leaving 1/16" gap between fittings and toerail.
11. Wipe teak with tack cloth then Interlux 216 solvent.
12. Pour Cetol Light into clean container and apply with high-quality brush. Wait 24 hours and apply second coat without sanding. Wait 24 hours and apply third coat without sanding. Note: Sometimes I did sand lightly before the final coat on the "bright work" -- coatings, laz and companionway molding, etc. I used 220-grit paper and then wiped down hard with a tack cloth and then wiped with Interlux 216.
13. Apply Cetol Marine Gloss on "bright work". Filter Cetol Gloss into clean container. Wipe down with tack cloth and then wipe down twice with Interlux 333 brushing liquid; use a clean rag for the second wipe. Apply with a very high-quality brush. Wait 24 hours and apply second coat without sanding. Wait 24 hours and apply third coat without sanding. I did have to sand or scrape some areas to remove drips, runs, and imperfections (dust particles, etc.). Depending on how much sanding you do, you might need to apply a fourth coat.
14. Remove tape.
15. Reinstall stainless rubrails and strake plates and miscellaneous hardware.
16. Clean Cetol from fittings, trim excess at edges, etc., with Soy-Strip, Scotch-Brite pad, etc. Wax gelcoat that's been dulled with all this wiping and rubbing.
I won't say how long all this has taken. I will say I could not have paid someone else to do the job.
And, I'm not done. I still have another coat to put on the toerails and three coats of gloss to put on the bright work. The hand rails and eyebrows are for next year.
Michael Luskin
"Turtleheart" IP27-146
Scarsdale, NY
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