[Public-list] Painting teak toerails

[Rachel]

Hi John,

Many times cruisers paint their teak for the very reason you are 
thinking about it, especially if they are going to be in the tropics.  
No varnish can equal paint for longevity.  However, if you paint bare 
teak, the paint tends to get into the little pores and grain lines, and 
then if you (or subsequent owners) change your mind, it's very tedious 
(and hard on the teak) to go back.

Here's an option:

I had a friend who built a 28-footer that had gorgeous wooden spars and 
a wooden coach house, all nicely varnished (which is not all that hard 
to keep up in Minnesota).  When the time came to go cruising in the 
tropics he made sure he had a good solid base of glossy varnish, then 
prepped it and painted all his wood.  As a result he was able to go 
years - even in the tropics - with virtually no maintenance; yet when 
the time came, it was relatively easy to sand down the paint layer to 
varnish and change back.

FWIW,

--- Rachel

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