Re-Finishing Swim Platform

[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.

[Canuck Dennis]

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.

[Angela]

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.

[saltshaker]

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.

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.

[lumina]

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.

[Angela]

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.

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?

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.

[spartonboat1]

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.

[bobk]

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

[lumina]

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.

[Maynard Rupp]

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.