Why a wooden (teak cap rail)?

[Divealot]

I know some love their teak accent pieces but I think they are way too much trouble. What is the purpose of the cap rail? Decoration or functional? Is there any company that makes aluminum or SS cap rails to replace teak? If I take the cap rail off is it just smooth fiberglass and gel coat? A lot of upper end boats have no teak. I am looking at a 2000 Katy Krogan 39 and will sand all the varnish off and leave bare but would rather remove the teak all together.

The way the boat is built if I could remove the cap rail and just expose finished fiberglass/gelcoat i could patch and paint a relative small section of the boat without having to paint the entire boat.

 

[mvweebles]

Caprail often covers the hull to deck joint, which is often fairly ratty looking.

I had my caprails encapsulated in fiberglass and painted with awlgrip.

Peter

 

[gsholz]

Maintaining a cap rail is not too bad unless you are in the tropics. A low maintenance option that looks good is to paint the cap rail white.

 

[SteveK]

Of course each person has their own opinions on what should be on a boat. However you also need to consider that boats as produced have their own character. NOT varnishing something that was meant to be varnished is removing that character.

This year the admiral and I sanded, sealed and varnished the teak so it looks like it was intended to look. Though it is often done, letting teak weather to grey was not the intended look the builders had in mind. There are plenty Tupperware boats out there with stainless accents for those that do not want to maintain the wood.

 

[Divealot]

I like the encapsulating in fiberglass sounds a really good option. Some articles warn that fiberglass will not stick to teak. I will research that further. My original plan was to sand any remaining varnish off and let it weather another year. Then I would just wipe it down each year or just let it be. Actually I kind of like the silver color.

 

[psneeld]

Taking a boat with "character" wood to and keeping it in the tropics will soon make you a villain for painting it unless you love varnishing or have the money to pay someone to.

No, there is no "reason" modern boats have wooden cap rails except character or the construction or cost would require it.

Considering how many recent boats built don't have wooden cap rails should signal something.

 

[psneeld]

I like the encapsulating in fiberglass sounds a really good option. Some articles warn that fiberglass will not stick to teak. I will research that further. My original plan was to sand any remaining varnish off and let it weather another year. Then I would just wipe it down each year or just let it be. Actually I kind of like the silver color.

Polyester resin is not great at adhering to teak, but epoxy done right usually will.

 

[socalrider]

We are tired of varnishing all of the exterior teak & are in the process of painting most of it. This summer we did the hand rails, steps & hatch frames; put a coat of varnish on before painting so it could be returned to the original look if desired. Our cap rail and hand rail are varnished teak protected by sunbrella covers which haven't been removed in what looks like a decade or so. We've left them on as the varnish is in terrible shape.

I love the solution on Peter's Willard, but we're probably going to just sand & paint our hand rail and cap rail as it's easier, DIY-able, and should be pretty durable.

 

[ofer]

i am all for the teak oil solution do a small part when ever on board instead of getting on the treadmill. its good exercise, easy to apply and looks pretty.

 

[Gdavid]

I think some former sailors and trawler owners are compelled to toil over brightwork maintenance as an act of penance for no longer raising, trimming, tacking, lowering and flaking sails. I'm thankful for them as their boats are beautiful to admire as I walk past on my way to my unadorned old scow.

 

[KnotYet]

A pretty good alternative to oiling the teak is Cetol. It can look like varnish if done well.
It can be brushed on or rubbed on with a rag. There are several tint and gloss choices, too.
Assuming the OP is in Whittier, CA, two applications per year should suffice.

 

[jagates10]

We bought our "79"Outer Reef 26 in late January and just completed replacing the poorly aged and damaged teak caprails with laminated treated pine (West System). The underlying fiberglass was in poor condition and a source of numerous leaks. Our caprail now has only one splice on each side and where it terminates at the stern caprail. I consider a caprail to be a functional part of the hull. And yes, the orange will be disappearing.

 

[backinblue]

A pretty good alternative to oiling the teak is Cetol. It can look like varnish if done well.
It can be brushed on or rubbed on with a rag. There are several tint and gloss choices, too.
Assuming the OP is in Whittier, CA, two applications per year should suffice.

+1 for Cetol, not only as an option for varnish but also instead of painting. It won't have the same high gloss finish as vanish but will still look like teak with minimal maintenance. My last sailboat was an older Island Packet with lots of exterior teak that was in bad shape when I bought it. Sanded and applied 2 coats of cetol. I don't think I ever had to touch it again for the years I had it, and it sure looked beautiful.

 

[backinblue]

i am all for the teak oil solution do a small part when ever on board instead of getting on the treadmill. its good exercise, easy to apply and looks pretty.

My experience with teak oil is that the teak needs to be cleaned first and looks amazing once oiled, but never lasted much more than a month or 2 for me before it needed to be re-cleaned and oiled again.

 

[Divealot]

I am in the process of buying the boat located in Washington. We will be taking it to it's new home in Sitka Alaska and then on to either Homer, Seward or Whittier. Slips are scarce so slip availability will be the driving factor. We will be boating the inside passage and pws about 6 mos a year for the next several years. (fingers crossed the sale goes through)

 

[backinblue]

Speaking of character, my Mainship was built w/o a single bit of exterior wood. If you look closely at my picture, you can see the engine intake vents were re-fabricated by the previous owner in teak. (I have the original white plastic ones). Someone just complimented them a few days ago at a new marina I visited. Easy to remove with a few screws and re-finish in the off season as needed. Guessing it may be the only Mainship of it's kind that had this done. They really add to the appearance of the boat along with the synthetic teak decking I had installed. Practically no maintenance overall and looks like a completely different boat.

 

[Simi 60]

Ours are Merbau
Know The 6 Properties Of Merbau Wood.
Miles of it, double rails on both decks.

Sanded the flaking varnish off with a 60 grit sander and rolled self priming timber coloured acrylic/latex paint on.

Into its 6th year now

 

[Divealot]

Thank you for all the great ideas and alternatives. I am really intrigued with the acrylic/latex paint option.

My question though is has anyone actually taken the cap rail off a Krogen 39? I really wonder what is under it. If it is really rough as some say i want to know if It is possible to smooth it out and gelcoat it. If not I may leave it raw, cetol it or paint it.

 

[Pack Mule]

We increased the width and thickness of our teak rails x 2 from original on our old trawler. It made a huge difference in the look, plus it made a nice place to sit. Before and after varnish.

 

[Comodave]

On our last boat I was tired of maintaining the exterior teak so I sanded it to bare wood. Wiped with acetone and then 2 coats of PerKote primer on it. Then 3 coats of Brightside white. It looked great and made the boat look more current. Had it on there for 3 years when we sold the boat and it still looked like new. Did a light sanding between each coat.

 

[dhays]

I love exterior teak... on other people's boats. I am lazy.

 

[psneeld]

Speaking of character, my Mainship was built w/o a single bit of exterior wood. If you look closely at my picture, you can see the engine intake vents were re-fabricated by the previous owner in teak. (I have the original white plastic ones). Someone just complimented them a few days ago at a new marina I visited. Easy to remove with a few screws and re-finish in the off season as needed. Guessing it may be the only Mainship of it's kind that had this done. They really add to the appearance of the boat along with the synthetic teak decking I had installed. Practically no maintenance overall and looks like a completely different boat.

This is the perfect example of a boat having wood, beautiful wood, no wood or who cares wood or no wood and what the owner likes.

If ya like what ya bought or changed to...so be it....doesn't mean even a fraction of other boats agree.....

Just like overall appearance or model, style, etc.....

 

[catalinajack]

Of course each person has their own opinions on what should be on a boat. However you also need to consider that boats as produced have their own character. NOT varnishing something that was meant to be varnished is removing that character.

This year the admiral and I sanded, sealed and varnished the teak so it looks like it was intended to look. Though it is often done, letting teak weather to grey was not the intended look the builders had in mind. There are plenty Tupperware boats out there with stainless accents for those that do not want to maintain the wood.

I could care not a wit what the builders intended. They don't own my boat, I do. I will be painting my cap rails. Varnishing over and over again? I'd rather be out on the water enjoying my boat.

 

[SteveK]

I could care not a wit what the builders intended. They don't own my boat, I do. I will be painting my cap rails. Varnishing over and over again? I'd rather be out on the water enjoying my boat.

Actually, what were they thinking teak cap rails on your boat with stainless rails! It does nothing for me, I would paint them too.

 

[Nomad Willy]

If you don’t care what your boat looks like cap your rails w UHMW black plastic.

Quite a number of commercial fishermen do.
But you (99.9% of us are yachtsmen) almost certainly won’t like it.

 

[HTurner]

If you don’t care what your boat looks like cap your rails w UHMW black plastic.

Quite a number of commercial fishermen do.
But you (99.9% of us are yachtsmen) almost certainly won’t like it.

What a great idea!!! Thanks, I will start looking into it. UHMW will last forever.

 

[tiltrider1]

I would have preferred no exterior wood. However my current boat came with teak cap rails. No way would I varnish every year. I don’t like the look of Cetol. This left me with the option of Awlwood or paint. I have tried the Awlwood. A friend has gotten 7 years out of his Awlwood. I have been told if you sand and recoat after five you are good for another 5 years. I can put up with this.

 

[Rufus]

Teak is no longer used because it's expensive and in some species endangered.
Keep what you have and use a two part UV tolerant urethane finish like Interlux Perfection Plus or Bristol in lieu of varnish. It's shameful to bastardize these classic old boats.

 

[KnotYet]

I would have preferred no exterior wood. However my current boat came with teak cap rails. No way would I varnish every year. I don’t like the look of Cetol. This left me with the option of Awlwood or paint. I have tried the Awlwood. A friend has gotten 7 years out of his Awlwood. I have been told if you sand and recoat after five you are good for another 5 years. I can put up with this.

While not a traditional varnish, Awlwood is similar to other synthetic resin finishes.
I have used it by itself and over varnish and it was probably the best looking of 'em all.

 

[socalrider]

While not a traditional varnish, Awlwood is similar to other synthetic resin finishes.
I have used it by itself and over varnish and it was probably the best looking of 'em all.

Is the seven year lifespan applicable to SoCal, or just Seattle?

Edit: a former dock neighbor of mine refinished his cockpit cap rails in some two part stuff and it did not turn out - finish was all hazy. Unlike varnish (light sand and throw on another coat), he seemed to be looking at a pretty significant job to re-do the finish. Scared me off the two-part stuff, but I'm not very informed.