Nineteen eighty-two was a pretty darn spectacular year if I do say so myself! Besides both Jereme and I being ’82 babes, our lovely little boat, LAHO is a 1982 herself! What are the odds?
And now that we are all comfortably into our thirties (Oliver included — he’s 35 in dog years), you know what starts happening then??? You go GRAY! Ugh. No bueno. ;((
I am happy to report that the two main graysters around here are really only Oliver (clearly) and, now, the boat!!!
We decided early on to let our boat’s teak go au naturale (aka gray) while on this cruise. I mean, really, who wants to varnish a boatload of teak? While basically on vacation? Not me! And luckily, both Jereme and I prefer the grayish-silver natural teak look for our boat’s exterior. :)))
^^Action shot of Oliver showing off our new gray teak!^^
Over time, as natural teak is exposed to the elements, it gradually changes color from the honey color of new teak to a silver-gray patina which distinguishes finely aged, outdoor teak. That is, unless it is treated or varnished on the regular.
Our sailboat had a really nice varnish job when we purchased her…almost two years ago now. Varnishing is definitely a labor of love, and one that we have purposefully let go. Since the beautiful varnish that was keeping our teak shiny and golden in color had started to deteriorate (peeling off) by itself, we decided to help it along while we’ve been hunkered down in Puerto Rico for hurricane season.
Jereme carefully removed the existing varnish that had definitely taken a beating over the past few months. Using a heat gun and a putty knife, he removed the bulk of exterior varnish on the teak toe rail among other places.
It was one of those boat projects that he could pick up and put down just as easily. The perfect “filler” project for three months sitting idle in Puerto Rico, if you will. We are loving our new distinguished “gray” look! :)) Whaddya think???
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We have been letting Wanderer’s teak go gray too, and some of my hair aim sorry to say. We put a little oil on some of the wood in the cockpit to make it feel a little “warmer”, but she’s mostly gray now.