When we purchased our 1985 Tayana
37 in October 2005, the exterior teak brightwork was in extremely bad shape
after at least several years of neglect. The original two-part varnish
could still be found in some places, but in other places, it had been covered
over with Cetol or was flaking off entirely. We tackled the brightwork for
the first time in 2006 and have been on a steep learning curve ever since.
It took three years of trial and error to finally get a system that worked for
us, and even now, it is far from perfect because this would mean that we would
be doing brightwork instead of sailing. Rather than seeking perfection,
we've adopted the motto, "If it's good enough to go sailing, it's good
enough for us." Even with this practical standard, the brightwork on
our Tayana 37 is in fairly good shape overall, however, we continue to have some
trouble spots that we will need to address in the near future.
Round 1 -- March 2006
We began the first round of brightwork in March
2006 while in St. Augustine, Florida. This round was completed a few
months later in our homeport of Annapolis, Maryland, while we were there to
refit the sails and standing rigging. Here are some photos from the first of several rounds of
refurbishing the exterior brightwork:
Detail
paint: After the paint dried, Lisa refinished the teak with a golden oil
treatment -- the only option available given the deteriorated condition of
all four panels.
Detail
paint: Lisa used a metallic brass colored sign painter's paint to refinish the scrolls on the
four teak panels. The same paint was used to paint the pin stripe
which used to be blue. The bootstripe near the water line is
burgundy.
Brightwork: Butterfly
hatch after. We had planned to leave this job for another day, but
decided to tackle it in the end. Lisa spent days removing the old
finish and prepping for the new finish.
Brightwork: Cabin
top trim after.
Brightwork
in progress: David used a heat gun and scraper together to remove the
old varnish and cetol. He then used a finishing sander and hand
sanding to remove the old finishes and prepare the teak for its new
treatment. We applied 2-3 coats of Cetol Light followed by 2-3 coats
of Cetol Gloss in hopes that future upkeep will be easier.
Brightwork: Wheel
(after). This varnish job has lasted four years and counting,
however, it could use a few coats.
Brightwork: Wheel
(before). In addition to the failed varnish, the wheel itself
wobbled. David replaced the screws which hold the spokes in place
with slightly larger ones -- it did the trick.
Brightwork: Bowsprit
(after). We didn't actually get the bowsprit properly varnished
until we were in Annapolis a few months later. We removed the the
stainless steel hardware, scraped it down to bare wood and built up coats
of Epiphanes varnish which also filled the crack which had developed from
years of poor maintenance.
Brightwork: Bowsprit
(before). Unfortunately, a crack developed in the teak bowsprit due to
lack of maintenance.
Brightwork: Cockpit
combing (before). We decided to remove the brass cleats on each side,
since they were not needed and prevented the crew from sitting in a prime
spot (see below for an after shot).
Round 2 -- April 2007
We tackled the second round of brightwork in April 2007 in
Bequia, after a
season in the Caribbean, and for the toe-rail at least, we decided to start over
from scratch because we just didn't like the color of the Cetol product,
and it had not held up very well. We hired Iba, a local expert who scraped
the Cetol off and applied Epiphanes, a more traditional varnish. He
did excellent work, and it looked beautiful. With Iba's help, we think
we finally got it right in Bequia.
Iba tackled our
brightwork while we stayed in Bequia for two weeks on the trip back north
to Antigua for the start of the ARC Europe Rally. He did an
outstanding job, and the brightwork was gleaming by the time we
left. We helped with taping and some prep but mostly watched his
technique. On the bulwarks (toe-rail), he used a hand scraper to take off all
the old varnish down to bare teak. Then he sanded and sanded and
sanded with gradually finer sandpaper. After a careful clean-up he
applied three rapid coats of varnish diluted with thinner to seal the
wood, a process which took only two days. When that dried, he
alternately sanded and applied coats of varnish, building up four coats
before leaving the rest to us.
We had the hardship of being asked to
leave the boat while the varnish dried each afternoon, so we went for a
swim and sundowner at a nearby beach. They say that cruising can be
described as fixing boats in nice places -- we think we're finally getting
the hang of it, mon!
We
admired the Caribbean varnish job while crossing the Atlantic.
Round 3 -- February 2008
Unfortunately, we were not
able to apply as many coats as we would have liked when Iba finished his work, so a few trouble
spots developed in the areas most exposed to sun and saltwater before we could
get around to it again. Even so, it has held up very well. The trouble areas are not bad enough to interfere with the cruising
season. In 2008, we switched to International's Schooner varnish and find
that it is easier to work with and more compatible with our skill level than the
Epiphanes product we used in 2007.
Ongoing Maintenance
We are finally at the point of doing annual maintenance on the
varnish. We try to apply 3-5 coats of Schooner varnish to all exposed
surfaces and to apply coats as necessary on special items which are under cover,
such as the wheel and butterfly hatch. We were able to apply three coats
in 2009 and four coats in 2010. Ongoing trouble areas continue to be the
tip of the bowsprit, the starboard toe-rail near the primary anchor and the
starboard side of the cabin top. The only way these areas can be addressed
is to do what we did in the Caribbean: take it back down to bare wood and start
over...maybe next year.
David
sands the toe-rail in preparation for annual varnishing in Gaeta, Italy
(2009). He starts with 220 grit sandpaper and changes to
progressively finer 320 grit, 400 grit and then a "scruffy pad"
to knock down the shine before the final coat.
Gyatso
is taped up and ready for a coat of varnish in Gaeta, Italy. We
prefer to do the varnishing in the water but this has its challenges too,
especially when moored in the Med where you are so close to the adjacent
boats.
