Teak Platform

[ge220]

What is the best Teak Oil / Treatment for the Swim Platrom?

[chane]

ahem..

Swim Platform Care.. Found in the Maintenance and Care section.. On the bottom of each forum section is a drop down to show posts older than 30 days.

[bigtige]

when my friend got his new tige back in may they told him to use transmission fluid on it. we have done that and it still looks great. cheap and easy.

[talltigeguy]

Rhinoliner!

It's maintenance free and protects against warping which sometimes occurs in extreme heat. My 2002 21V had it and I absolutely loved it. I don't have time to wax my boat often enough let alone invest more time in the swimstep.

My new boat has fiberglass and I find it pretty good as well, but I actually liked the laminated teak a little better.

[Tip]

I'd be careful putting transmission fluid on your swim platform, especially if it leaves a oil slick. I'd also be concerned about safety of that much skin exposure to transmission fluid.

I use StarBright teak oil and it works great.

[bigtige]

That is just what Tige told him to do when he asked them... they said it works the same as the teak treatment.

[moved2ski]

Swim platfrom

I have used automatic transmition fluid on my deck for 4 years. I treat it with a light coat 4 or 5 times a year and wipe it dry befor taking it out. Works great and is $1.00 per quart.

[simsob23]

My father had sail boats for many years and he always used crude linseed oil but it isn't esy to find. On my Tige I have used the StarBright product and it has done a good job so far.
The rear ramp is so small that the cost X treatment is relative. It becomes a cost issue when you have the whole deck to protect so if you know which one is the best, I would go for it !!
Good Luck

[TigeBrooks]

What about Thompsons water seal?

My platform had varnish on it and it looked terrible.... I stripped it and used an off-brand of a water seal used for outside decks. So far it works great! Its not slippery and still looks great after a a few weeks of use

[TeamAllen]

I saw a demo @ the O.C. Boat show this past weekend for a product to clean and seal the teak swim step. The product seemed easy to work with. Spray it on, hose it off. Wait 24 hours. Seal it with their sealer and off you go. I'll take a before & after picture and post them when I do the job.

The products name are WOODBRIGHTENER and WOOD SEALER. The man selling the product was not some blaring salesman with a microphone. It was an old man, very confident and passionate about his product. His name was Gordon. I can only assume he is the Gordon of Gordon Feron & Co., Inc.

It appears from their website they distribute it through local patio and boat stores as well as from their own online store. Try the store finder on their website.

Gordon Feron & Co., Inc.

[KGB22i]

Just rhino line it is alot easier u dont have to teak it or anything.

[Gschmidt1]

but...its rhinoliner...

[Tequilasun]

I Posted this once before, but here's my whole teak care procedure.




This is what I do:

1: Take the swim platform off the Boat
2: Have a beer
3: Pressure Wash platform, top and bottom
4: Let dry, have a beer
5: Sand entire platform with 80 grit
6: Have a beer
7: Touch up any really rough spots with 120 grit
8: Have a beer
9: Wash off sanding dust
10: Let dry, have a beer
11: Apply teak oil
12: Re-attach platform

Usually takes me 2 hours or so, I wonder how I could ever speed this up? My wife thinks it takes way too long.

80 and 120 are all I use, I'm not trying to get the platform really smooth. i.e. slippery when wet, just raise the grain and take off some of the scratches

[KGB22i]

then if its rhino lined then u dont have to teak it.

[mjirving]

I'm thinking I like the look and feel of teak much more than Rhinoliner...

Here's my process...

When it starts to look like it's drying out, I do the following

1. remove from boat and make sure it's level on the ground with newspaper under it. (2 minutes)

2. Liberally pour teak oil on it. (30 secs)

3. Use a paper towel to wipe teak oil all over the top and sides (1 min)

4. Let sit to soak in (10 min)

5. Wipe off excess and reinstall on boat (2 min)

So that's about 15 minutes with 10 of those minutes doing something else while it's soaking in. If you do this regularly it shouldn't need sanding. I only did that once to get the sealer off which looked horrible as it wore off.

When it's kept fresh like this, I don't even notice scratches.

Easy and quick! (And it looks good and feels good on the feet)

Mike