Trojan Boat Forum

For 25 years I have oiled the interior every couple of years. Last year, some friends bought an F32 in the States and shipped it up. Their interior is a nice glossy finish they think is Cetol. Man it looks good.

Whaddya you guys think about Cetol Vs. oil? Does Ceto ever peel?

Three years ago I bought a 1976 F32, I have redone all of my inside and outside teak with Cetol natural. It comes in I believe 3 different Shades, but I went with the natural. My interior is wallpapered, but the trim, door, cupboard fronts and side panels are the original teak. Swim platform, bow pulpit, flybridge steps, back rails and side steps have all been redone. Everything was stripped (did not know what was there) sanded 80, 120 and 150 grit then coated with 5 coats of Natural. AMAZING!! But I Might re-coat the back rail in gloss, just to be a show off as we dock stern in.

Can't answer the peel question. Have been told no.

Peeling is not usually a problem with Cetol products (having said that there is thread here about Cetol Gloss not drying that I will also comment on). If you use the Cetol 'natural' or 'normal' products, the first few coats (2, maybe 3) will soak in to the wood instead of just sitting on top. Its about the 3rd or 4th coat when the wood is sealed enough that you are actually applying anything on top of the surface, and you don't need to do much beyond those 3-4 coats.

I have been using Cetol on most of my teak for almost 15 years now (on the Trojan .... used it for a few years on my previous boat as well). Done right (Canadian environment, fresh water, Canadian (Lake Ontario) sun, and only exposed to UV for half the year), I usually only have to maintain my external Cetol finished teak about every 4 years. And maintenance is a light sanding and add a couple more coats (ie no sanding back to wood or stripping).

Here are links to my 'wood finishes' gallery:
Wood Finish examples (part 1)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... f=1&t=3206

Wood Finish examples (part 2)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... =1&t=12738

Platform and boarding strips are regular Cetol (3-4 coats). Pulpit is Cetol Light (3 coats) with Cetol Gloss (2-3 coats) over top. Speaker box and box for the VHF (and teak panel it is mounted to) are regular Cetol, applied in 2000 or 2001 - and they still look the same (they are on my flybridge, and are not exposed to UV or the elements that often - maybe a good measure for how things will hold up if you use Cetol in your cabin).

Wheel is Epifanes no sand varnish (more of a varathane in my mind), and the aft railing is done with Interlux Goldspar Varnish.

Cetol is a fantastic product. Just don't use Gloss on any surfaces people will stand on... similar to varnishes, it can get slippery when wet.

That was exacty the kind of testimony I was looking for! Thank you Captainmaniac.

In my recent post of "mid cabin interior", the steps, trim and dinette table are all Cetol.

I am a huge fan of Cetol. We use it on the house, as well as the boat.

There is a difference in formulation for interior and exterior. I have been using the marine 'Teak' on the exterior wood and I tested and used the same interior 'natural' inside the boat, that I used on our interior logs of the house. All our logs and cedar exterior get SRD or log finish. ( house stuff gets bought in 5gal pails, Thank God they don't put "Marine" in front of that!!! )

I prefer the matte finish to gloss. easy to scuff and re-coat

Stripped all exterior teak to bare wood our first year and refinished all with 5 coats 1 day between coats and light sanding with a sanding sponge between coats 3, 4 and 5. Year 2, 3 and 4 light sanding with sponge just to scuff surface and re-coat with a thin layer, keeps it looking fresh. Railings, swim platform, bow pulpit, fly bridge ladder and boarding steps only takes 1/2 a day.

My Cruisers Inc I oiled and it was very nice, but didn't pop. My Silverton I've added a lot of wood and have been varnishing it to a high gloss. It pops now and only needs a quick dust or damp wipe to keep it looking good!