VARNISH OIL SEALER or should I go and lie down?

[TQA]

think it may have been Oscar Wilde who said something along the lines of " Every now and then I feel I should exercise but I go and lie down till the feeling goes away."

I have a wood rimmed wheel on my boat. It has no splits or delaminations and is not unpleasant to use. However it is that silvery grey colour that well weathered teak achieves.

IF and it is a big IF I refinish it what finish should I apply?

Oil if so which kind
Spar Varnish [ I would use Epithanes ]
Some other sealer like Teakguard

Bear in mind it will get handled a lot as I am a liveaboard cruiser in the Caribbean and must be UV resistant.

Or perhaps I should just go and lie down till the urge to refinish goes away.

What to do?

[deniseO30]

I"m thinking many many coats of oils. Varnish will be hard on your hands and wear off anyway. The problem of course is getting the teak back to original condition.

[MJBrown]

I would not use Teakguard on it. I use it on my seats and since it's water based there's always a small bit of it that leaches out. I would think that you would end up with it on your hands if they were wet from rain or sweat. Have you considered using some of the two part finishes such as Bristol Finish?

[SJ34]

It depends on your personal preference. Some like the look of natural teak (nude, no oil or varnish). I do like the look but am way to practical to watch such a beautiful wood rot in the sun.

I have used oil/sealers on interior wood as a touch up. Sealers have more body and color than pure oil so they will cover light stains, leave a little bit of a sheen and are WAY easier to apply than varnish.

I'm not all that impressed with oil/sealer on exterior wood though. It's an improvement over pure teak oil but not as impressive under the light of day as it is in the cabin. The upside to sealer is that it dries hard and won't collect dirt and turn black like oil. On the other hand, in the tropics you will be applying it every couple of months. It's easy though, wipe it on with a lint free rag or a foam brush and enjoy until it needs to be done again.

I have varnish on my exterior wood but I don't have much.

[SJ34]

The sealer I use is StarBrite Teak Sealer/Oil. It's not water based so is less likely to rub off on your hands.

[remetau]

Our wheel is varnished, and it looks and feels great. We have a wheel cover that we keep on it though when not in use.

[Gary3675]

How about Bristol Coat....but its expensive.
Good UV protection
I have used it on Thistle rails and it held up for years.

[sawingknots]

after many attempts at perserving exterior wood work,i now just use linseed oil,its cheap and seems to do as good as anything else

[arf145]

I'm going to vote for lying down. More and more I'm getting to appreciate gray, weathered teak. Maybe scrub it clean now and then. That is our current protocol, though I should note that we only have teak drop boards, handholds, toerail, and a few small trim pieces.

I thought I was compromising by going with one of the oil-type products a few years ago on all but the toerail, thinking we could just keep reapplying--No refinishing! But it darkened and now requires refinishing to get back to a natural, weathered look. Meanwhile, the toerail looks great to me.

Consider doing nothing.

[cormeum]

Oil on a wheel+ dirt from your hands+time = black wheel where commonly gripped. Use a hard finish IMO.