Powerboat Reports Magazine, March, 1999, pp. 23-26 has a good test report on teak treatments. Honey Teak and Smith & Co. came out best in the gloss teak treatments. They liked Cetol for the semi-gloss treatments. I removed the Cetol because of its orange paint like appearance. I ended up using Honey Teak -- it came out great, very natural looking. However, it is only about four months old in the Florida sun. Don't know how long it will last. But it looks like a winner. Al M/V Pleasant Moment II -- Pacific Trawler Palm Coast, FL

almiller@n-jcenter.com writes: >I removed the Cetol because of its orange paint like appearance I heard people talking about that, but only if they used more than 3 coats. In any case, Armada is a little lighter in colour. That's what I am using but never more than 3 coats on bare wood and an annual refresh of ONE coat after some cleaning with water and a plastic pot-scrubber (no sanding) -------------------------- >From : John Cook, Miss Muffet >Port Camargue, France > All the teak I can see in this large marina is being left its >natural grey colour, and I suppose >splashed down from time to time with sea water as recommended. >Is this a cultural thing? Are Europeans just lazier than North >Americans? >Sure I think a varnished look could be nice. But does the Cetol >protect the teak and how does it effect the sureness under foot? I have seen yard-neighbours using Armada / Cetol on weathered wood as instructed (on the label) and it looks pretty darn good to me. Armada / Cetol is a wood preservative, not a varnish. It does not produce gloss and leaves you with a comfortable grippiness on grabrails, steps etc. As far as decking is concerned, most people here leave it untreated as well. Must be a cultural thing all over (a la Capn. Ahab, Bligh, Cook - smile). George of Scaramouche (Canada)