I am going to restore my teak swim platform. Has anyone used Sikkens instead of Teak Oil? My dealer recommends it. Would like to hear from someone who has actually used it and has seen how it holds up over time...}

Hey Gary I used sikkens cetol on a new platform around the end of june / early july and it is getting ready for another treatment now. Because it was a new platform I did't sand it. The platform sits in the sun all day everyday. On the whole I'm pretty happy with the stuff. I think it lasts longer than oil but just my 2 cents, I haven't used oil. I searched on malibuboats.com and found some helpful info. I was concerned that because the cetol is more like a varathane than oil it may get slippery but that was not the case. One word of caution, it went on easy with a sponge brush but now any places I double covered are showing compared the single coat spots so my advise is to be careful and apply it as evenly as possible. It looked great when I did it and now 2 months later it needs another coat. In my opinion thats not bad; I don't want to be applying oil every week - I'd rather ride than refinish. Hope this helps Dave

Good stuff.If you follow the directions on the can its pretty durable.

Gary, <BR>I used the cetol and so far it is awesome. I only did the top and sides. My platform was gray and nasty so I sanded it all down to get to the good wood. I applied 3-4 coats of it and between each coat I scuffed it up just a little bit with a brown scotch-brite pad. <BR> <BR>Here is what it looked like in the beginning on the bottom. The top was the same I just didn't get a picture of it. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79890.jpg" alt="before"> <BR> <BR>Here is a picture during sanding. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79891.jpg" alt="sanding"> <BR> <BR>Here is the finished product. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79892.jpg" alt="finish1"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79893.jpg" alt="finished2"> <BR>

Side note: <BR>I used like a 2"-3" brush and just brushed it on all over the place nice and even in long straight sweeps the length of the platform. Do this fairly fast because once it starts drying in one area and you go over it again it is like doubling up like Dave said above. I did mine at night when it was cooler outside.

Nice job Wake, does the platform get slippery with multiple coats? Is that the regular cetol or the light? I'm guessing regular due to the rich finish. Again, great job Dave

<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79902.jpg" alt="close up">

Thanks Dave. I believe it is regular...I can look at my can if you want and let you know, problem is I won't be back home until Friday. If you want to know exactly what I used let me know. It is a little bit slippery I guess. I have never had anyone slip on it though or complain about it at all.............. <BR>

That looks great. Nice work !!!

After looking at all the different sikken's cetol on the web, I need to see the can of the one I used to let anyone know for sure.

Thanks guys. This will be this weekends project. I think I will try the sikkens cetol. Nice job wake_fun! That platform looks great!

One more question...do wakeboard fins scratch or scuff the finish easily???

Is that a special Sikkens product for teak swim decks? <BR> <BR>Up here we don't really like the Deck product because it's is more like a varathane than oil. It looks great for a couple of years but when it fails it cracks like cheap varnish and you get black mildew underneath. Then you have to strip and sand back down to bare wood! <BR> <BR>I guess oil must be more regular work, but isn't it just wipe on once a month or so? <BR> <BR>I don't have a lot of experience here ... more asking than telling. <BR> <BR>cheers, <BR> <BR> <BR>

I also use sickens on my teak deck and I only have to sand and reapply once a year and it looks great all season! Teak oil you must apply once every few weeks to keep it looking nice. I highly recommend the sickens! <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/80015.jpg" alt="">

Gary, <BR>We make sure that the fins are off the edge of the wood, so I don't ever deal with the aluminum fins digging into the teak. <BR> <BR>James, <BR>I applied it back in May and it still looks the same. I was told to lightly scuff it up at the end of the season and reapply one coat. I don't think I will need to do that though but you can like Bradley Beach said above. Remember though that I have like four coats to begin with and you have to wait 24 hours between each coat. It took me almost a week to do mine. <BR> <BR>I emailed my friend that does wood work to find out which cetol I used. When I find out I will post it. <BR>

This is what I used: <BR> <BR>Cetol Marine Satin Finish - Quart <BR> <BR>West Marine part# 539106 <BR> <BR>Sikkens part# IVA300 QT <BR> <BR>Do a part search at <a href="http://www.westmarine.com" target="_blank">www.westmarine.com</a> and you will see it.