On Board with Mark Corke

Teak treatments- the results

The board above was part of a survey that I started when I was with Boatworks magazine and is series of test samples of teak treatments. All of the teak decking sections were all machined from the same teak board and as such were all the same color at the start of the trial some two and half years ago. Since that time I have weathered the board and applied the treatments following the manufacturers recommendations both with regard to the initial treatments and subsequent applications.

The results are interesting, some of the samples look good while others look like they have had virtually no treatments at all. You can click on the picture to make it larger and although it is not the same as actually seeing it in real life you can see the color variation.

From left to right they are as follows; Teaqua, Starbrite, Mequiars, West Marine, Interlux and finally Amazon Gold.

Of course results are very subjective but to my mind the Teaqua is by far the best of the bunch with the Amazon Gold a close second. What you cannot tell from the picture however is the feel of the samples. The Teaqua feels very smooth, while the Meguiars and the West Marine feel rough to the touch. As these last two also have the most washed out appearance it would appear that the treatment has had the least effect both in terms of protecting the wood and maintaining the appearance. Of course teak requires no treatment and can be left to weather to a silver grey color if the owner prefers and it would appear that this is exactly what is happening to the West Marine and Meguiars samples albeit more slowly than would be the case had no treatment at all been applied. Interestingly the Interlux sample has quite pleasing color but the surface is somewhat rough.

So my final recommendations would be that if you want to keep the just laid teak deck look then a regular treatment of the Teaqua would be the way to go with the Amazon Gold not far behind.

Boat winterization checklist

Shrink wrapping is popular for boats stored outside. But do make sure that the boat is dry and properly prepared for the coming winter months before wrapping. Also ensure that the boat is properly ventilated. If the boat is painted then only wrap to the rub rail. A boat wrapped to the waterline like this one may have problems with the paint lifting off.

For many of us fall marks the end of the boating season and time for us to start thinking about putting our boats away until the next spring. Although it may seem tempting to just haul the boat from the water park it in the yard or some other place and forget all about it until the next season this is not a very smart thing to do.

Properly preparing your boat for the coming winter months is essential if the boat is not to be damaged and additionally proper prep work now will enable you to get on the water sooner when the warm sping weather finally does come around.

What you actually need to do will depend to some extent on your boat, but below is my list of those things that think you absolutely must do.

Pressure wash the outside of the boat as soon as it comes out of the water. If you wait too long the small critters and crustaceans set like concrete and will be harder to remove if you wait. Dry fully and apply a good wax.

Clean the prop shaft and apply a light grease coating.

Remove and replace worn anodes.

Dry the bilges and add a little non toxic antifreeze to prevent any water that does find a way below from freezing.

Empty water tanks and water heater and add antifreeze.

Run the engine until warm then drain the oil and replace with fresh. 

Run some anti freeze through raw water systems until it starts to be blown out of the exhaust, then shut down engine(s).

Change the oil filters.

Change fuel filters

Remove the raw water pump impeller.

Fill diesel tanks to the top and add biocide.

Remove plugs from outboards and spray in some fogging oil. replace plugs.

Change oil in lower units on outboards.

Completely drain gasoline tanks.

Remove batteries and place on charge.

Clean the boat thoroughly inside and remove all soft furnishings

Cover boat if left outside and if possible install a dehumidifier.

Check the boat regularly throughout the off season.

Now is also a good time to do repairs and upgrades that you made a note of during the boating season. You may also want to anti foul the boat ready for the new year to save doing it in the spring. If the boat is indoors then you can also attend to any bright work and other routine maintenance tasks.

Amine blush

ammonium carbamate which in extreme cases appears as a visible white coating. Blushing is most prevalent when the temperature drops as after the curing process has started. Blushing if left on the surface willl effect subsequent coats of epoxy and paint and varnish if you try to coat over them without removing it. Specifically the varnish or paint will not set nor adhere to the substrate correctly. The best method for getting rid of the blush is to wet sand I find. This accomplishes two things in one, it both smoothes down the roughened surface thus preparing it for further coatings and washes off any blush at the same time, because you are sanding the surface you can tell which bits you have missed as the surface willl still be rough. You may think that sanding with an electric sander would be the way to go but I must caution you that dry sanding forces the wax deeper into the surface and clogs up the abrasive paper is short order. If you have a large area to sand and need to use a sander then you willl have to wash the surface down first in which case use plenty of clean water and some ammonia cleaner such as Comet to de wax the surface.

I should add as a final note that amine blush does not always happen especially if the ambient air temperature is warm, not too humid and stays at a stable level until the cure process in complete. Additionally some epoxies such as those sold by MAS do not blush and so they may be worth investigating before you go out and buy your next batch.

Anti fouling safety

       One of the most unpleasant jobs for many boat owners is anti fouling the boat. The paint is smelly, expensive and on top of that the shape of the boat means that you spend a good part of your time on your back getting splashed with paint. For this reason it is essential to keep the paint out of your eyes (I am not wearing them here as I was trying to operate the camera and pose all at the same time) and the vapors are not good to breathe either so now I wear a good organic respirator when applying the paint. By the way if the respirator is doing it's job you can't smell the paint at all, forget those disposable type masks they are ineffectual and allow the fumes straight through. I suspect that applying the paint in the open air is less hazardous than working in an enclosed space, like say a garage or workshop where the vapor do build up. Nevertheless I think it best to wear a respirator even outside.

Incidentally a far greater health risk is presented if sanding anti fouling, the boat should be tented over and a slight positive pressure should be achieved within the tent via means of a small fan, neither the EPA or your next door boat owner will thank you if you sand in the open air. The dust is very insidious and unless contained goes everywhere. It is also illegal to allow the dust onto the ground, it should be captured and disposed of as hazardous waste.

Actually removing all of the old bottom paint is something that I think I will have to do next year. Although I use Micron extra, an ablative paint there is still a build up on the underside of the boat which I would like to remove entirely, inspect and fair the boat and then reapply. That's going to be a big job but I think that it would be worth it and give me a little extra speed.

One of the best machines is the Festool dustless system, expensive perhaps but it does capture the majority of the dust. I might just have to invest in one.

Satin Finish

 I must confess that the last few times that I have painted a boat interior I have used oil based house paint and it has worked out just fine. Many of the interiors that I have done still look good after 10 years. This is due in part to the interior of the boat's cabin not being exposed to salt water and the harmful effects of the direct sun and it's damaging UV rays. I would never use house paint on the outside of the boat, for that my preferred choice is the Interlux 2 part Perfection which to my mind, perhaps because I am familiar with it one of the best finishes that it is possible to get with the roller and tip method. I've been using Interlux paints for 35 years all told and during that time I must have tried almost every product that they have made except their flattening agent, until now.

I spent some time on an old but beautiful MacKenzie recently and I much admired the interior paintwork which had a silky smooth finish which apparently was Interlux brightside single pack paint to which flattening agent had been added and wanted to get that same effect on my latest interior powerboat project. A satin finish I find is easy on the eye as it is not so glaring and especially if using white, a popular color for boat interiors that won't blind you as soon as the sun comes out.

 

Flattening agent can be mixed in different ratios with the paint depending on the level of sheen one is after, one to one gives a semi gloss, two to one an eggshell and so on down to dead flat matt finish. It works great but because there is no pigment in the flattening agent it does not cover as well as paint would on it's own. The best approach and the one as recommended by the makers is to use the paint neat for the first few coats and only add the agent for the final coat. The flattening agent readily mixes in with the paint and has a similar viscosity so application requires no special technique save for the surface preparation which you would have to do in any event.

My project is well underway and I hopefully will have some pictures to post here by the end of the week so you can see how everything worked out. Most of what I am painting are doors and other trim which I have in the workshop so I will try to get a shot of a couple of the doors, one with and one without flattening agent so you can see for yourself.

Varnish tips

I like getting e mails from readers of On Board, it';s always good to hear what everyone has been up to. One of the things that it seems that plenty of you are doing right now is varnishing and paintwork. Although I have mentioned it before it seems timely to mention a few tips for getting the best possible finish.

If the surface has previously been varnished and it's time to freshen up the surface wet sand the existing finish with 400 grit wet and dry paper used wet. The water acts as a lubricant, there is no dust and the paper won't clog and best of all the surface will become silky smooth ready for additional coats of varnish. Another good reason for wet sanding is that the paper lasts ages, one sheet torn into quarters was sufficient to allow me to sand over a hundred feet of previously varnished toe rail.
On the other hand if the varnish has been let go then you will need to strip it back to bare wood and start afresh. Unless it it unavoidable do not be tempted to try and sand off all the old varnish. The far better option to my mind is to use a hot air gun and scraper, but be careful of surrounding structure and surfaces.

Dust is the enemy when it comes to spoiling your varnish. As far as practical work in a dust free atmosphere, indoors is ideal and the warmer the better. After wiping down the surface with clean rags I like to go over the surface immediately before applying the varnish's with a tack rag. These have a gummy feel to them and will pick up any residual dust left on the surface. Damp the floor down in the immediate area that you are working so that you won't kick up dust as you work. If varnishing outdoors do it in th morning on a warm windless day. I know that may be a tall order but don't try to apply varnish if rain is forecast or it is at all windy or you will end up with a non skid finish.

Use a disposable paint strainer and decant about as much varnish as you can use in 10 to 15 minutes into a paper cup. When you have used that up strain more varnish into a fresh cup and continue working. Keep the lid on the can closed while you are not using it to keep the contents clean and dust free. If you use a foam brush buy the better quality, some home stores sell bargain packs but they are too flexible I find and some are susceptible to attack from the varnish.
Think of laying on the varnish, don't over brush and if you miss a bit leave it till the next coat. Sand lightly between coats, for outdoor trim such as rub rails and toe rails I like to have about 7 to 8 coats for a deep lustrous shine that protects the wood and lasts most of the season. Nothing destroys varnish like UV and you may well find that you have to give a refresher coat during the season to keep bright work looking good.

Dolfinite bedding compound

    I've had a few e mails from one or two readers of On Board asking about bedding compounds after I wrote the post about bedding in deck fittings and so on. It seems that there is some conflicting and confusing information floating around so I will try to clear up any misunderstanding.

    Walk into almost any marine store and you will find hundreds of different tubes of mastics, sealants and other associated goop. basically there are two different types, polyurethane and polysulphide.

    Polyurethane is an adhesive compound of which 3M 5200 is perhaps the best well known and should not be used where there is a chance that you will need to dismantle the joint later. 5200 is used by many manufacturers for hull to deck joints and for this kind of application it is perfect. Polyurethanes also hold up well underwater, will bond to most materials but can attack some plastics but not Marelon so you are OK to use these for bedding in plastic underwater fittings made of this material.
    Polysulphides such as Boatlife remain permanently flexible and are my preferred choice for most jobs. They can be used above and below the water line and the joint can be disassembled later if needs be. Polysuplides should not be used for boding polycarbonates such as Lexan or PVC as they will attack them. For this reason most window frames and other components containing plastic are bonded with a silicone product. Polysulphides are available in a variety of colors, I have always found the brown a good match for teak and mahogany but for the best seal with teak use the primer first.
    Last but by no means least is the Dolfinite bedding that I have shown above. This is more of an old school product and I like it for applications where I am bedding wood to wood, it has a strong aroma which every time I pop the lid reminds me of old boatyards in much the same way that fresh varnish does. I am getting a bit off topic here but Dolfinite remains flexible for years, will not dry out and will not destroy parts should you ever have the need to take them apart at some later date. As this comes in a can  which can be resealed it will not go hard unlike those half used tubes are rather prone to do so for general bedding it could save some you some money in the long run.

New England Boat show

    Rita and I have spent the best part of the day the New England Boat show which is held over 9 days at the Boston exhibition and conference center. Numbers were down and some of the exhibitors had noticeably smaller booths than last year which is bad for business but the thin crowds  did allow us to walk around and talk to people.

    I will bring you much more information in the next few days on some of the stuff that caught my eye but as a primer I wanted to share this photo of a completely refinished 1972 Boston Whaler than was truly better than new. Whalers must be truly one of the success stories in the boating world, they have gone through several owners and changes of management in the past 35 years but for all that there can be few boaters that are not familiar with Whalers. Anyone who has spent anytime at all around boats has almost certainly been in one at some time and even if they have not they will at least recognize the familiar shape.

    Here is another close up of the bow of the boat and as you can see from the two guys in the back the finish was so smooth and lustrous that like them no one it seemed could pass by without running their hands over the immaculately restored boat. Undertaken by Metan marine restorations who I understand are something of Whaler specialists there work was faultless. Not a firm that I have ever heard of before I confess, their website is worth checking out if only to look at the before and after photographs.

More from the boat show in tomorrows posting.

Brushes for paint and varnish

        For us up here in the frozen north east US, winter is a time for working on the boat, thinking about warmer days to come and generally preparing for the coming season. For people like me who have a lot of varnish or bright-work as it is often called and paintwork this is the time when we pick up sandpaper, varnish pot and paint brush.

    As I have often said before the final surface will only be as good as the preparation. Slapping on a coat of varnish is rarely if ever successful without getting the underlying surface smooth and dust free. Assuming that the prep work is up to snuff laying on the varnish should go on without a hitch and is by comparison with the preceding steps actually enjoyable, well at least I enjoy it and have never grown tired of watching the natural beauty of the wood shine through those first few coats of varnish.

    All of the preparation counts for nothing if the brushes that you use are below par. I like to use the best quality badger hair brushes which although not cheap produce the best final finish by far. I especially favor the slim Redtree Industries brushes which offer the finest quality and produce outstanding results. 

As these brushes cost more then a few dollars it pays to take care of them and this means cleaning them before and after using them each time. When storing them I like to wrap them in a piece of clean aluminum foil which keeps the dirt off the bristles and prevents them for spreading.

     There are some varnishers and that get stunning results with foam brushes but I have never been one of them. I suppose it all depends what you get used to and if they work for you stick with it but I have found that some of the cheaper foam brushes are weak at the root and prone to breakage so even here it seems that spending a little more is a good idea. Foam brushes are popular I don't wonder because one only has to toss them into the trash at the end of the varnish session rather than have to go through the tedious cleaning session.

Fast skiff

    I am indebted to On Board reader Mike Chalmers who sent in this picture of his sailing skiff. Mike tells me that the boat which he built is capable of impressive speeds under her balanced lug sail. The bow wave under her forefoot would certainly seem to bear this out. The boat seems graceful in its simplicity, flat bottomed with hard chines and only one panel on each side it is none the less to my eyes at least a work of art. Plywood boats can be boxy but this 12 foot long dinghy is a delight to behold.

I've asked Mike for additional details about the boat which I shall pass along just as soon as I have them as I am interested to know who the designer is amongst other things. From what I can make out of the trim work in the boat and the high gloss topsides it looks as though the builder has done a first rate job.

This photo just goes to prove that boats do not have to be expensive, exotic or large to be beautiful.

If any other readers have pictures of boats that they have built please e mail them to me and I will share them with other readers.