Sceptre Cabin Door - Teak (Wanted)

[77SceptreOB]

Anybody have a good condition original Teak cabin door for a Sceptre that they want to sell???

I'm looking to upgrade.

Here is my old one.

[Islandtrader]

From the picture it looks real solid.

Why don't you restore it?

[77SceptreOB]

Ok, here's the deal. That was the before picture.

I have restored it, as shown in the picture below. The problem is the louver vents. I can't get to them to sand or clean, they are very tight. Honestly, I think it looks Ok, but I really want it to be a "10" because I'm kind of a perfectionist. I've seen some awesome condition ones on the site, and thought someone might have an original in the back of their garage taking up space, etc. I have even considered cutting straight down the edge by the louvers, removing all of them, sanding them, then replace, dowl, and glue everything back together.

[Bushwacker]

Just sand those louvers; a tool something like this one Profile sander will help. It's really not that hard once you get into it. Teak sands different than most woods because of the oil in it, so use 60-80 grit to keep it from clogging sandpaper. I had to remove the teak frame and screen on inside of my door to get to back side of louvers, but it came out great.
This is my door about a year after I did it.

I used Honey Teak on the door, frame, and steering wheel hub, but have lately been using Epifanes Wood Gloss on the rest of my teak, since Power Boat Reports testing showed that it was the most durable varnish. It's also one part instead of 3 parts like Honey Teak, so easier to use. Just follow directions, apply about 6-7 coats, and you'll find that it's much easier to maintain than using oil. I used to use the harsh 2-part teak cleaners and then oil it, but the oil oxidizes and turns dark in just a few months, and the harsh cleaners destroy the soft part of the grain, leaving it very rough. It's been about 4 years since I did mine; door frame will need some touch up soon, but all the Epifanes-coated stuff still looks good.

[BigLew]

Now I know more about the problem.

Get yourself a palm sander, if you don't have one. Build yourself an extension pad off the side or the front depending whether or not the sander is straight line or orbitable motion. Put a piece of foam backing or velcro hooks on it and get some appropriate sand paper. Leave some length for grip or applying pressure from the outer edge and stick the extension through the open slots of the louvers and take it down. Hit it with a few coats of Sikkens (what you have on the frame and call it a day. Boats are for making money or memories , not terminal frustration.

Remember, the finest Navajo woven blankets and other folk art were always left imperfect so that the Gods could enter the work and finish it to perfection. Call it your Navajo project!!!

[Ed]

Before you sand anything, you really want to treat all of the wood with wood bleach (oxacylic acid) so that the color is consistent throught. Wood Bleach is available at just about every hardware store. Best thing to apply it with is a chemical grade spray bottle. Be sure to wear a mask as it breathing in the vaporized acid is not too fun.

After treating with the wood bleach, you want to make sure that the teak is super dry. You can leave it out in the sun for a week or stick it in a room with a dehumidifier.

Once it is good and dry, sand as mentioned above and the topcoat with a one of the numerous products on the market.

Good luck.

[strick]

I used to have a redwood deck refinishing business years ago and I can assure you the best way to clean those louvered vents is to do what trident said and spray oxalic acid over the entire door...then take a household pressure washer with a 25 degree tip and CAREFULLY go over the door and vents. Always go with the grain when using a power washer. After everything dries give it a light sanding and treat with what ever you choose. We just re did the teak door on our Tsunami and it came out great.

I've heard people say that the power washer will remove the natural oils from the teak...that's a bunch of BS. It will not remove anymore of the natural oils then when you scrub and clean by hand.

strick

[77SceptreOB]

Great info guys.... a couple of concerns:

1) the Teak louvers a very pited and weathered by the sun. I'm concerned that I would have to sand a lot of material off before I got back to a good quality teak surface.

2) Heavy sanding would remove a lot of material, thus thinning and weakening the louver. One good accidental smack with my knee and I'll have many broken louvers, and wish I never messed w/ it. See the pictures below to show the weathering when I found the boat in July 2009.

[htillman]

Teaks weathers gray as a way to protect itself. I would recommend using something such as Tip Top Teak or Teka to clean and then bleach the wood. Use scotchbrite to clean the louvers with the cleaner. Then sand to remove the "raised hair" and varnish. The first couple of coats will help build the surface. Another product to finish the door instead of varnish is Decks Ole.

[Bushwacker]

That boat really cleaned up nice! You should have shown us the "before" picture before! Bleaching the wood is a good idea and should not hurt it much but I would not use the Tip Top Teak if you're worried about getting the louvers too thin, as it will remove a lot of the soft grain. I've also used Deks Olje #1 & #2. It's not bad but will not hold up like Epifanes.

One tip when you're applying varnish, prop the door up on one end so the louvers are horizontal. That way the varnish will fill in the low spots in the wood. After about 6-7 coats, it'll be pretty smooth. You can wet sand any rough spots between coats with 220, or scuff it with a red 3M pad.