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Will be re-finishing teak swim platform next week. Looking at past threads, reference is made to "Bristol 2-part." What is the real name for the product?
Want to apply best product that will minimize maintenance. Swim platfrom stays wet on windy day. Suggestions?
Bristol is the manufacturer. Bristol Finish Traditional Amber is the 2 part urethane. I haven't used it and would want to know if it is too slippery when wet for a swim platform. My experience with any teak varnish or hard finish is that you loose the natural grip that teak offers. Also keep in mind that once on it needs to be maintained. If the finish starts to lift or peel you have to take the whole thing down and start over. I had a teak platform that was low and would get wet when windy and when running at slow speed. Very difficult to keep a finish on it. You might consider cleaning it and leaving it natural.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim Beatley
Thanks for reply. Would you coat with teak oil? Just sanded and finished ladder, (from water to cocpit), with teak oil. Looks great, but do not know how long it will last in water. If I just have to apply teak oil every few months, it would not be that hard. It is the drying, stripping, sanding and painting that is a problem.
The p.o. of my Hatteras had the swim grid oiled every month by the boat wash guy, seemed to look ok, however I do not..I just leave it natural and the dink seems to protect it fine from harsh UV.
I love the polished look of a nicely varnished swim platform, but let's face it....that's not a place where you want a glossy (read: SLIPPERY) finish if you have any intentions of actually using it. I have a large teak swim platform and have tried a few things. If you like the look of natural teak and don't mind the graying of it (I do mind), then letting it go natural is best.
If you're like me and think the natural, graying teak looks unkept, then you'll have to do something to maintain it. I finally got comfortable with Watco Teak Oil which is not your traditional teak oil, but it's a penetrating oil that seems to soak in and harden somewhat. I have to reapply it here in South Florida about every 4 months to maintain the finish. I use this on my pulpit teak too - there is just too much going on up there with chain, sand, and mud to try to keep a smooth, unscratched finish on that.
Using a varnish or Bristol Finish on it doesn't seem to last. Unless you are able to remove the platform and do a proper varnishing of it on top, underneath, in the crevices, around the sides....well, moisture is going to get into the wood and eventually under the varnish and cause it to lift. For me, I'd have to haul the boat out to begin varnishing in order to get to the underside. No thanks - I know how long it takes me to varnish. LOL.
Beware...anything you put on the teak is going to make it hot to your feet unless it is wet. When I'm doing the lines and the platform is dry, I have to wear shoes because it will burn the bottom of my feet like fire. When I'm out on the water and using the platform, we just keep it wet which isn't hard to do when we're getting in/out of the water all day.
Make sure you sand it smooth before you oil it. Don't leave it rough or you'll be constantly trying to keep it clean and oiled. If you keep up with it you don't have to do all the refinish work. Keep it clean and oiled and you will be fine. Let it go for a little while and you have to start all over.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim Beatley
Hi All,
We've actually become quite partial to Bristol Finish and use it everywhere on the boat ie teak steps, teak helm doors, teak rails, teak instrument enclosure, interior Mozambique teak veneer and.......the teak swim platform.
There's nothing like that deep amber luster of varnish or in this case Bristol on quality teak. Bristol does take a bit getting used to being a 2 part and all. It goes on a bit differently than varnish HOWEVER the ability to apply up to 4 coats in 5 hours without sanding in between is a HUGE plus.
If you prepare the project properly ie strip it down to the wood, multiple sanding at different grades, remove any mold etc and finally wipe everything down with acetone and tack it you will be greatly rewarded. Apply the Bristol and you’ve created a foundation.
For example, our handrails were done with Bristol two years ago and still look beautiful. There may be some scratches, minor stuff from normal use. Now that the Bristol is down in a heavy covering we'll simply lightly sand the rails with 320 grit and brush on maybe 2 more coats of Bristol. Simple easy maintenance but you've got to lay that initial foundation.
Many things won't be touched this year because they still look wonderful.
We did our teak swim platform 2 seasons ago with Bristol and it looked amazing. To negate the slipperiness issue we added micro silica to the last coat which disappears in the Bristol but when dry leaves a slightly gritty surface. Actually we used this approach on several exterior teak steps and stairs.
Oh,,, went the oil route the first year we owned her. We found it to be way to much work for maybe 2 months of looking good. I was always oiling something and it's messy......but thats just me.
How did you get the swim platform all dried out enough to Bristol it? I love Bristol Finish for everything except my platform and my pulpit. My platform gets splashed from underneath daily. Did you do the Bristol on the hard?Quote:
Originally Posted by lumina
One thing I have noticed about Bristol Finish is that oddly enough, it will let the sun bleach out the wood underneath - right through the finish. I had to do some small repairs on my aft deck bar and when I reapplied Bristol to the entire thing, the repair spots are that nice amber color while the rest of the cabinetry, where the Bristol was never compromised, is blonde. I just call it "freckled." When it bleaches uniformly, no one notices it. Make a repair to the finish somewhere, and I see the color variation. I thought Bristol had UV properties....not as good a UV protection as I thought, I suppose.
The big yard that builds and maintains Rybovich-Spencer, recommends a good grade of normal base varnish. They then recommend and coat that base coat with AwlGrip Awlbrite, a '3-part' varnish. You must wear special chemical filtering face-masks, to apply this stuff, as should not be breathed. Dries very fast, goes on very thin. You can apply 10-12 coats if desired.
I applied this to my wood swim platform and it has held up under constantly being wet while underway and also is outside all the time, as I store outside on hard. There is major cold, high winds, and heavy snow in the winter, during storage.
I got the instructions from Motor Boat and Sailing, Aug 1999 article on varnishing, per remarks in their reporting from Rybovich.
The easy approach to this is SEMCO. Their newer colors are quite acceptable (compared to the original orange) and look good. The teak platform on my trawler was always wet underway, but just needed a gentle washing for preparation followed by a coat or two of SEMCO once a year or so.
Bob
Hi All,
Ang,
To answer your questoins.....Yes the swim platform was removed and refinished in the basement over the winter hence it was fully dried out.
Yes it's wet most of the 5 1/2 months we're in the water up here in New England. When shes on the hard shes shrink wrapped including the platform.
I haven't noticed the fading but I'll take a look tomorrow, it's interesting because they sell the UV protection factor as a big deal.
Outside of appearance, why would you want to put anything on a swim platform that would make it the least bit slippery??? Don't know what kind of boat you have, but if you're going to cruise the boat and have a MY with no cockpit and stay on the hook. You are going to be getting on and off your boat in your dink in all kinds of weather and the big boat is going up and the dink down just getting on the platform can be a hassel, let alone the problem if its slippery.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim Beatley
Again this is dependent on how you use the platform, we use it every day at least once and sometimes many times and in all kinds of weather so anything that will make it slick is a no no. Mine is 38 years old has never had anything applied to it that I can tell ,is never cleaned , unless in port and really bored and it is fine.
Hi All,
Ron, as I mentenioned in post #7 above we add micro silica to the last coat which disappears in the Bristol (or varnish) but when dry leaves a slightly gritty surface. Actually we use this approach on several exterior teak steps and stairs etc.
OK...that's cheating! LOL :)Quote:
Originally Posted by lumina
The problem with teak swim platforms is that they are made of many strips and pieces. I use Bristol on all my teak, but NEVER on the swim platform. Constant sun and seawater causes every stick to move in a different direction. Varnish cetol, Bristol, and all other hard finishes crack an peel almost immedietly. I used to just use taek oil, but I have found a new product that looks great and works great. The product is Cabot Australian oil. I use the "natural" color. I teak stripped and lightly sanded our swim platform before applying three coats of this stuff. After 3 months with 60 hours of running in South Florida, the finish still looks great. I just brushed another quick coat on as we will be leaving the boat in Miami and heading home to Detroit next week. I definetly recommend Cabot's Australian oil as the best product that I have used for teak swim platforms. Folks in this Miami marina with teak decks on sailboats use it on their decks also. Try it; you'll love it and it is easy to use.:)
Hi All,
Maynard, interesting problem (the teak pieces moving and Bristol cracking and all) but I must admit that hasn't been our experience.
Maynard, we used to use teak oil, and P.O. had varnish or cetol on it for many years. Now we keep bristol on the teak swim platform and have for about 8 years. We got it good and clean/dry. Our dock is sheltered and with low fuel the platform is about 8-9 inches above the waterline. Sanded top and sides - bottom looked sealed but nasty from 20 + years of stuff on it but nobody sees it anyway. 4-5 good coats of Bristol lasts us about 3 - 4 years with no maintenance, but it is mostly in the shade of the transom at our dock. As soon as it starts to fail/peel show bare wood, we spot sand put 3-4 coats of prime on the "repaired spots", lightly sand/feather and put 4 coats all over again. All is done in the water and at the dock. If not careful, some drips and runs/drops hang down below the platform, but we wipe the underside with a small rag as we go - that smears Bristol over the bottom side and may help to keep it sealed. Lasts several years and looks great. We don't use it much except for swimming/diving and an occasional dink trip or walking on/off to the dock at very high tides (mostly it is used as a slide for dragging big rockfish through the fish door!). Not too slipery in boat shoes even when wet with all the open slots that ours has.
This post just FYI. I love the variety of sucessful approahes different people find/share here. I have changed so many things about how work get done on our boat based on info here and benefitted greatly. What a great site this is!
Best Regards, Bob K
I refinished my swim platform, cockpit steps and teak trim on the pulpit with Cetol. Started with about 3 coats and add a coat every year. Easy maintenance and looks great
Novus Vita
58' YF
After refinishing mine twice, once with Bristol and once with 2 part epoxy resin, both done in dry winter storage and both lasted less than 2 years, I finally just sanded it down to bare teak, applied teak oil and let it go. After 3 years, lots of salt water and sun, it still looked great and the teak has a natural non-slip feel to it. That's what these old teak swim platforms were made to do. No reason to finish them.
For those who have been using teak oil, do try the Cabot Austrailian oil-natural color. You will be much happier and the finish looks better and lasts much longer than regular teak oil.:)