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I'm going to sand and oil the teak on my 1979 22' Revenge this Winter and Spring and I need some advice. Last fall I bought Amazon Golden Teak Oil and the instructions say to add the Amazon Teak Prep to the oil for the first couple of coats. Is that necessary or are they just trying to sell additional product?

If you have time, please check my personal page. At the bottom of the page you will see the cabinet I recently sanded. If I want to keep the wood relatively light colored, what product would you reccomend? Would the Amazon Golden be OK or would it darken the wood substantially?

Thanks

John

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VA Whaler,
Check the active ingredients on the label. I generally like to stay within manufacturers guidelines for application. If you start tweaking it with linseed or other stuff without experience any mess ups could be difficult to correct. Tech support from the manufacturer will have a method to correct if you use there product. However, if you want to play, just match whatever ingredients are already on the product label and do samples.
gchuba

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I like Daly's Seafin Teak Oil, I really wish I had a before picture of the oak butcher block table I did, took it from ugly to beautiful. When I say ugly, I mean I found it in the trash, hadn't had finish on it in years, so I sanded it down as smooth as I could and have applied 6 or 7 coats. The Daly's specifically say to wet sand in the first couple of coats.

I can't find the MDS for Amazon Teak Prep, but based on the instructions it sounds like a type of solvent to dry the natural oils in the wood. It is similar to thinning varnish with mineral spirits to ensure deeper penetration of the product into the pours of the wood. I doubt it's totally necessary. You should probably try the oil on a small piece of teak to check that you like the look before doing the entire boat with it.

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Va Whaler: In response to your questions:

1) Yes, if you apply teak oil, the oil will darken the teak - substantially - to a beautiful golden brown color.

2) If you want to keep the light color, apply nothing at all; teak has natural oils that make it almost impervious to salt and fresh water. Or you could apply a water seal, like thompson's water seal, that will not darken the wood substantially like teak oil.

3) No, the teak prep product is not necessary; Yes, they are just trying to sell you another usually overpriced product.

Me personally, I like using linseed oil (raw) on my own teak. I have a gallon container that I bought in 1969, and I think I paid $1.69 for it at the time.

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VA Whaler,
I just recalled a very interesting recent post. It originated with Duf and was titled "varnish to teak oil" in general discussion. The reply was from PB88 and I found it extremely informative. I am restoring the exact same boat, 22 foot 1979 Whaler Revenge. The weathering on my teak was similar to yours. From the picture the it looks like the cabinet underneath the instrument panel/steering console. I personally used WATCO Teak oil and liked the finish. After one season at the Marina and, in the elements year round, all the finishes out of the direct sun still look nice . The flat finishes in direct sun lasted 3 months (plus/minus) and I will redo this season. Read the reply by PB88 and determine method and color look. Fortunately, that hull has a ton of small trim pieces all over the place easily removed. You can test all you like on the backsides of the trim until you get the look and continued maintenance you desire. I chose the WATCO teak oil knowing the fading would happen and I would need to touch up throughout the lifetime I own the boat. I understand that the Amazon teak oil is free of varnish but also comes in different pigment colors with Lite N Easy the lightest, Golden mid range, and Blend 55 the darkest. Tinker with the small pieces (you have enough of them). As to Weatherly's post, I believe that the manufacturers truly want to have a satisfied client for future sales and referrals. You might very well be able to substitute mineral spirits with the Amazon Teak Prep but, the prep product probably has some elements for the adhering of the next stage.
gchuba

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Thanks very much for the advice folks. I really appreciate it.

Gchuba, you are definitely right about all the small pieces I have to test with. I'll pick up a small bottle of the WATCO, Kamie's Daly Seafin and I'll also give the linseed a try. For the forseeable this boat will mainly live on a trailer underneath a covered shelter so hopefully once it is restored the teak will retain its good looks for awhile.

Gchuba, what did you wind up doing with the vertical gunwale board that runs behind the cabin wall? I'm thinking about just cleaning, sanding and oiling it in place. I guess it is possible to slightly pry the cabin wall away from it a little (about where the captain and fron passenger seats would be) and then restore the visible part of the boards. This is off topic but have you given any thought to removing the cabin and converting it to a custom center console?

Thanks again

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VA Whaler,
I purchased the boat primarily because no one had started to redo the teak. I did not (do not) have any shellac to remove on majority of exterior pieces. My teak restoration was on the top of the gunwales, the louvered doors going into the cabin. The doors were not part of my original schedule for things to do last year but when lying on my side running wires, I leaned back to get a leaf in the corner, and leaned into the door. The dowels in the frame separated and down came the louvers. It was to my advantage. I then took the second section apart and by gently "see-sawing" the frame I separated the second section. I sanded each individual louver before I glued back together. While the doors were off I removed and oiled the trim and step going into the cabin. Time did not allow me to do any other wood restoration because the salmon were running. I chose oiling over any type of finish because at the hard to get sections of wood I could leave in place, clean, sand and oil. I definitely did not want any type of hardened finish because of the work of stripping later down the road. My favorite (and most useful) sanding tool was a dremel style multi tool that could take different attachments. The vibrating triangular sanding feature (about 3" in size) got sand paper to the corners beautifully. An old palm sander for the larger areas. 120 grit was the most aggressive paper I used with the majority of work done with 150 grit. A pass or two with 180 grit.
So, yes I would just leave the vertical gunwale boards in place (as well as any other pieces that would be difficult/impossible to remove) and restore them where they sit. I would never ever ever want to remove my cabin. Great storage and a place for the ladies, when out all day, to freshen up. Also, the underside of the step going down to the cabin is an ideal place to run wires to get services to the other side of the boat. Good luck and enjoy yourself.
gchuba

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Gchuba,
Thanks again for the information. I was wondering about the best way to restore the cabin door. It looks like you inadvertantly found the best way to do it. I have read where a Revenge owner found sandpaper that had an adhesive backing and slapped it onto a putty knife. He was able to get enough leverage to do a decent job. I'm going to give that a try first but if its not acceptable, I'll take them apart. My doors were left open for several years so they have a distincitve two tone appearance. Looking forward to getting them in shape.

Sorry to veer off topic again but did you have to remove your headliner in the cabin? Mine is disentigrating. When you brush against it, it leaves behind a funky white dust on the top of your hat. The FO of this boat bought the headliner material but never got around to installing it. He did include it with the boat. I just need to figure out the best way to take care of it. I might drop the roll of material and the boat off with an upholsterer.

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Va Whaler,
As far as the louver doors, the glue had given up and I was able to separate the second door quite easily. A couple of dowels broke but I drilled out the remnants in the frame pieces and it went together quite easily. Drilling out the dowels was done close enough without precision wood working tools. I just held/clamped the frame piece at the edge of my work bench and ripped a shim on the table saw that matched the correct dowel height. I just eye balled square knowing I was at the correct height and drilled a hole with the correct size bit to match the dowels (oak was only decent material available). I did take a small chisel and removed enough of the old dowel to center correctly. After 35 years of sun, all my woodwork had a certain amount of warping and if my dowel holes were off a hair "....this is not rocket science...". They came out just fine. I would recommend re-doweling/re-gluing the doors because my original glue gave up after 34 years . Have clamps available that will tighten both width and height. It is my guess that your doors are in the same shape and if you exert enough pressure on the louvers in place, the door will separate anyway. It sure was easy for me to work with all the pieces apart. The hardest part was not using the louvers as fireplace kindling because I took over my porch and this was a rainy day project. I only glued the dowels and framework and left the louvers alone for expansion and contraction. The glue I used was "Waterproof Tightbond III" Ultimate wood glue. It cleaned up easily with a damp clean rag and if there was a larger void I took some teak dust (saved from some table saw work) and worked it into the void with my finger (left it messy and high) then sanded after a few days. I was in no rush so I would not sand or un-clamp the pieces prematurely.

As far as the fabric on the top of the cabin. I shop vacuumed the heck out of it several times and it came out fine. That dust that came down, quit. I plan to make that regular maintenance. I would check with Whaler, or some one else on this site, to get the correct adhesive for the fabric material. Then have an upholster do it. My lungs mean too much to me to prep. The fabric is necessary to prevent sweating.
gchuba

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OK thanks for the advice on shop vacuuming that headliner. I'd prefer to leave it in place if possible. Most of it looks to be in OK shape and amazingly enough I have not seen any mold. There are a couple gouges near the anchor locker but I can live with that. When you get a chance, post some pics of your boat to your personal page or email a couple to me, I'd be interested to see it.

Thanks

John

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John,
I hope the vacuuming works for your boat too. It was a complete drag to brush up against the liner and see the dust come down. At some point I may research a "stick um" spray to bind the surface but, for now, the problem went away.

I have every intention of posting pictures and describe my journey. However, I am technically challenged. As of right now I can take some photos from my cell or my wife will take pictures with her cell (nice one with an excellent camera) and email them to me. I would be lost at that point posting and formatting.

Garris

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No worries, I'll send you a couple photos of my restoration and if you have time, reply with a couple from yours. Too bad our 1979 Revenges are on opposite coasts. Would have been great to see them docked at a marina somewhere.

(moderator note: changed the abbreviated year to the full 4 digit year)

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VA Whaler,
My email is "smithsrd@wildblue.net". I will post pictures on club's personal page once I have time to figure out the process. I am a hacker with current computers. Feel free to give me a jingle. It would be fun with boats side by side.
Garris