Finally finished all the stripping and sanding, time to move to applying the 4 coats of Cetol. I use the "Natural Teak" version which provides the closest appearance to real varnish (but lasts twice as long because of the UV filter protectors contained). It does turn darker after a couple years in the sun, but not nearly as dark as the original Cetol which turns a fairly muddy brown color that most purest dont like. I dont use the gloss topcoat that is available so the end result is a matte type appearance. You can see I've started at the bow which has 3 coats so far.
Taped off the "eyebrows", that strip of teak above the portholes, and gave them their first coat today. I will do the first coat on the gunnales tomorrow and 2nd coat on eyebrows - before the rains come on Saturday. Need to get the sanded teak covered with at least one coat before it rains or else I will have to sand them again to remove the water stains.
I'm hoping to get the teak work done by next week, although I have to have 3 more days of rain free afternoons, and the forecast is for rain each day next week. Now that I am through stripping and sanding and will have at least one coat of Cetol applied, I can start scrubbing the deck. The teak dust leaves a stain on the fiberglass that can only be removed with rubbing compound. But the deck needs compounding anyways to remove the sun oxidation, which is why I waited until all the sanding is done to attack the decks. Once it is all cleaned and shiny, I'll apply Woody Wax which provides a protective polymer coating.
Then it is on to the fresh water tank and refrigeration - and we might be ready for some sailing by the end of the month!
