I agree with the use of Sikkens. I have an '86 Bayliner 32 MY with all kinds of teak on the aft end. I bought it in May 1986 and the teak looked fine. By August it was grey and I was looking for something to do with it. A friend suggested Sikkens and I looked at his boat, which looked great, and decided to try it. I also checked with the yard and was told they thought it was the best stuff going. I have never used the two part version, but it has cut down the need to redo it to about every two years on Lake Erie. Most of it is in the sun and weather all the time. I do the steps every year and will do all of it again over the winter this year as we plan to go south next year. I found three coats was enough the first time and then one or two to touch it up later. I have no financial interest in the product or company. At 07:42 AM 10/13/1999 -0400, Sheldon Rieley wrote: >I suggest you use Sikkens Cetol and Cetol Marine Gloss. We have used this on our sailboat while living in the Virgin Islands. Amazing stuff. Put three coats of the Cetol on followed by two coats of the gloss. The gloss has UV inhibitors and we found down there the gloss would last close to a year. Then a light sanding, and another coat of gloss. It works very well. The best part is that if the coating fails any where, usually due to a line rubbing on it or whatever, it is easily repairable without stripping the whole wood piece. Only the failed area needs be sanded and coated again with the two parts. > >I wouldn't go near varnish again in the tropics and I certainly wouldn't use the two part Awl-grip. That stuff is harder to get off than varnish. If the Awl-grip product is used it would have to be kept well coated with regular varnish with high UV Inhibitors, such as Z-Spar Flagship, to keep from failing. > >Good luck >Shell Rieley >Sailing Vessel SEA SHELL, maybe some day soon Trawler SEA SHELL > >Joel Leslie wrote: > >> I'm at the crossroads trying to decide IF, With What Product, and What >> Color to paint out the teak brightwork on my recently acquired Ocean >> Alexander 55PH. There is way too much to maintain in the Southern climates. >> The boat came from the Pacific Northwest and up there the teak varnish >> lasted about a year, some trim even longer. Down here varnish generally >> lasts just 3 to 6 months. If I do paint it out are there any suggestions >> from the list. Also, has anyone used the AwlBright 2-part varnish. They >> claim that it lasts 1 year. Also, I plan on going further South, so >> varnishing becomes a real burden. >> Thanks Joel Leslie (jleslie@ieee.org) > > > > > -- Bill & Ruth Bartilson 32 Bayliner MY Akron, OH wrbart@att.net

I usually thin the product with a little Penatrol about

Cetol / Armada both contain a fair amount of Iron Oxide ( which gives both their slightly reddish color ) making them more like an oil base stain . It is micro porous and thus " breathes " allowing water or water vapor to both enter and exit. I usually thin the product with a little Penatrol about 5:1 -- it gives slightly more gloss and stops the tendancy to flake in some areas - as already mentioned . This mix takes slightly longer to dry but does not appear to change any other characterics of the material . All the Best Ken MV Mrs. Hudson

wrbart@att.net writes: >I agree with the use of Sikkens. I have an '86 Bayliner 32 MY with >all >kinds of teak on the aft end. I bought it in May 1986 and the teak >looked >fine. By August it was grey and I was looking for something to do >with it. > A friend suggested Sikkens and I looked at his boat, which looked >great, >and decided to try it. I assume you mean Cetol or Armada (almost identical stuff). Sikkens is the name of a large paint manufacturer with many products. FWIW: I have used Cetol / Armada over the last 5 years on many boats (had a boat rental agency). I only used the matte version, initially 3 coats and then once a year after a light rub-down with a "Brillo Pad" one new coat of Cetol / Armada matte. Never used the gloss version as I've seen and heard of slight flaking when using gloss. I don't miss the glossy appearance of my outside teak or mahogany and had many positive comments from other boaters. Ciao - George on Lake Ontario (year-round) P.s: I should add this comment: Cetol / Armada is NOT a Varnish, it is a wood preservative similar to Skandinavian Teak oil that furniture makers used for decades. It preserves the material but doesn't plug the pores, thus allowing the wood to breathe. At least that what I've been told and it makes sense - after all: wood is ALIVE!