Introduction and Teak restoration

T

The_newkid6398

New Member
howdy yall,

This is my first post so along with my inquiry i'll preced it with a little about me. Me and my dad bought an 84 laser about three years ago. Since then we've just recently began restoring it and are about 85%-90% finished. All we lack is replacing the hardware and painting the hull. The hull's been refinished and repaired, all thats left is to paint it.

While waiting for my dad to line out the painting arrangements with his friend who's a paint; I elected to begin removing some of the old disfunctional hardware to make room for the coming replacements. More recently i've been working on restoring the teak runners which allow the sailor to hike. I'm unfamiliar with the actual term but i'm sure yall know what i'm talking about. anyway they've turned a silvery gray color and from what i've researched all they lack is a little TLC before they'll look as good as new. I know there are several composite or synthetic runners which could easily replace these, but i'm a big fan of old school.
I've heard of several proccesses but i really want to hear what the "old salts" have to say before i start because i'm sure their(yall's) instructions are going to be far simpler or concise than the ones i've printed off. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance for all the help. Yall have a good day.

-The New Kid :cool:
 
You really want those toe rails to be watertight, so I'm going to recommend removing them from the boat completely.

Once they're off, you can sand them down and revarnish (multiple coats.)

After sanding, it's important to use a tack cloth to make sure all the sawdust is removed before varnishing, but I'm sure you knew that.

When you remount them to the boat, use a good silicon caulk to seal the rails to the boat and especially a good shot in the screw holes themselves.
 
thankyou for your advice, i did take the runners completely off so thats done.

see i've heard several different ideas on restoring teak. My dad isn't so sure about varnish or how it would stand up to weather. I'm an apprentice car paint and body tech so i know the basics of sanding and painting but i've never delt with varnish and i know very little about its properties or what it does for the would, i deal with metal and plastic.

My dad said that it would be better to oil them rather than varnish them. But i think he's smoking crack, hah hah, naw just kidding. Varnish sounds like it would last longer than just sanding and oiling them. My dad's theory is two take them to a car wash, pressure was them, and then sand and oil them. We both agree on sealing them with caulk. I've also heard that lye and phosphoric acid do well in restoring teak but i don't know much about that either. anyway, looking forward to yall's replies, anything will help, i really need it. thanks again
 
thankyou for your advice, i did take the runners completely off so thats done.

see i've heard several different ideas on restoring teak. My dad isn't so sure about varnish or how it would stand up to weather. I'm an apprentice car paint and body tech so i know the basics of sanding and painting but i've never delt with varnish and i know very little about its properties or what it does for the would, i deal with metal and plastic.

My dad said that it would be better to oil them rather than varnish them. But i think he's smoking crack, hah hah, naw just kidding. Varnish sounds like it would last longer than just sanding and oiling them. My dad's theory is two take them to a car wash, pressure was them, and then sand and oil them. We both agree on sealing them with caulk. I've also heard that lye and phosphoric acid do well in restoring teak but i don't know much about that either. anyway, looking forward to yall's replies, anything will help, i really need it. thanks again
 
i'm not so sure varnish is the right idea, turns out the old man isn't smoking crack. i think teak acid and a neutralizer would be best, don't yall? varnish wouldn't last long and would go bad soon i would think. are yall sure about varnish? i think teak oil is the way to go
 
The_newkid6398 said:
i'm not so sure varnish is the right idea, turns out the old man isn't smoking crack. i think teak acid and a neutralizer would be best, don't yall? varnish wouldn't last long and would go bad soon i would think. are yall sure about varnish? i think teak oil is the way to go
Click to expand...

If it's teak, then the old man is right on track. Are you sure that the grab rails are teak, though?
 
they should be teak. weren't the old ones (before they switched to plastic) the same teak as the tillers (before they switched to aluminum)? if it was any other wood, i would think you would varnish. But teak looks so good natural. a teak cleaner and a scrub brush should do it. wipe down with a few coats of oil, good to go. keep it natural ! stay off the pipe !
 
Same of the handrails were mahogany others were teak.


There is a way to install wood rails so they are superior to the plastic.

The plastic rails rely entirely on the screws.

If you properly prepare the surface and use 5200 as adhesive and sealant, you can fasten the entire length of the handrails to the sidewalls.
very strong...

But. if you have teak rails, you will need to always keep them well sealed with eitehr oil or varnish or the wood will wrp its way loose anyway.

If you ahve mahogany raile...The most durable finish would be white enamel
good luck
 
You can varnish teak, and it does look nice.

The question is: does the boat live outdoors in the sun? If so, then your dad's got the right track as varnishing teak that's left in the sun is a losing battle -- think redoing it every season or even more often.

Conversely, if your laser lives in a garage out of the sun except when sailing, any varnish will live pretty much forever. My laser lives inside, so that's what I suggested off the bat.
 
thanks alot guys! yeah the "old man" is standing over my shoulder now and giving me the ever so classic "i told you so look" but its alright i've become fairly used to that look. I plan on using a specialty teak acid and then going over it with sand paper and finishing them with several good coats of teak oil. Thanks for the help yall.

-The New Kid :cool:
 
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