InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

Sanding Teak- The Basics

March 9, 2015 By InTheBite Editor

grayed-teakSANDING TEAK The Basics

By Piet Van Alder(from the archives)

I often hear people referring to teak decks and coveringboards as a maintenance nightmare, and I couldn’t disagree more. It seems to me that they are either lazy, don’t know HOW to maintain it, or they don’t have any! On a sportfisher, teak is not only pleasing to the eye(if well kept), but it is functional. It gives better traction while zipping across your cockpit(hopefully with leader in hand and a big fish connected to that), and it also gets rid of those dirty footprints that haunt a pure white deck all day long. But what is the best way to maintain it or bring back dirty or severely weathered teak?

Bottom line, there will come a time when certain decks and coveringboards need to be sanded. The black thiokol between the boards gets much higher than the wood, and it’s difficult to clean between it. Thiokol is like an intense caulk, rubbery but hard to cut, and until you bring it down to the same level as the teak you’re trying to sand, not much will happen with your wood. If that’s your case, don’t waste your time with a palm sander or anything like that. Most guys who know how to sand it properly use an 8 or 10 inch grinder with a 36 grit pad for starters if it’s bad. You can use the same polishing wheel/grinder you use for compounding, but you’ll need a spin-on pad that you stick the sandpaper discs to. Also helpful is a special housing that not only attaches to a shop vac to keep the dust down, but it helps you keep your machine flat on the deck to avoid gouging. It’s not essential to have the housing, but it will make the job easier.You can buy all these products at Glue Products in West Palm Beach or a place like that in your town that sells resin and sandpaper and stuff like that. Probably not at the Home Depot.

Before you get started, you’ll have to tape off any spots that might get hit by your machine. Sandpaper and chrome don’t mix well, so use the blue stuff and tape off your fighting chair stanchion, your hatch handles, and any hinges or other metal items on your deck that might get grazed by your wheel. On your coveringboards, go ahead and remove the rodholders completely and tape off or remove any hause pipes that are in the way. Dont forget to tape off any tower legs that come down on your coveringboard. Once you’re ready, go ahead and slap on a respirator or paper filter mask, as things are about to get very messy.

When you know what grit you’re going to start with, depending on how bad the deck is, move your machine FORE AND AFT, WITH THE THIOKOL, not across it. This will help eliminate bouncing and result in a better, smoother job. You’ll have to test an area and decide on the right rpm’s for the job. Too slow, and it’ll be hard to cut, and too fast and you’ll actuallly burn/melt the thiokol and clog your disc. As I said before, be careful around the chrome. You can hit these areas later by hand or with a die grinder. When doing your coveringboards, again go FORE AND AFT, WITH THE GRAIN to avoid bouncing.

Alright, so now you have it ripped down, all nice and brown like a brand new deck. If you started with 36 or 40 grit, you can probably follow with 80 and be done. If you want, you can follow that with 120. You’ll have less scratches, but the deck will be more slippery. It’s a trade-off. Smoother will last longer, closing the grain, but you’ll sacrifice some traction. Maybe 80 and 120 on the coveringboards, and only as far as 80 on the deck. You decide.

In closing, remember that sanding the teak is eventually necessary, but not a piece of cake. Done properly, it will look awesome. There are a few guys out there who specialize in it, so ask around or if you tackle it yourself, be careful. May the force be with you

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: Sanding Teak, Teak

    Recent News

    operation sailfish winning teams

    Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

    … [Read More...]

    showing sportfishing boats returning to Palm Beach Inlet

    Palm Beach Inlet Boat Gallery

    January 16, 2021 Check out the gallery of some of the finest sportfishing fishing teams returning to Palm Beach inlet. Most of the vessels are competing in the Operation Sailfish tournament. Check back for some new video showcasing the incredible … [Read More...]

    captain in boat tower

    Life After Being the “Big Skipper”

    By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie What is life like after being the “Big Skipper?” What do captains do when they want to quit traveling and spending many months each year away from home? Well, I have observed that many captains who have been at the … [Read More...]

    jumping billfish

    Know the Limitations of your Boat and Crew

    By Peter B. Wright Most amateur anglers and crews would be much better off not using dredges or multiple teasers, even though many of the top professional teams pull them most of the time. Teams that consistently win tournaments almost always have … [Read More...]

    angler with dredge

    Dredge Pulling Tricks from the Pros

    By Ric Burnley The first time I saw a marlin dredge I had two thoughts. First: that looks ridiculous. Second: that looks awesome! At first, 40 rigged mullet dangling from a web-work of bars and leader looks like a cluster FUBAR waiting to happen. … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Sign Up for the InTheBite Newsletter


    Be the first to hear about the latest Sportfishing News, Products, and Services!

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite Magazine Current Cover

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    Upcoming Tournaments

    Tue 19

    Los Sueños Ladies Only Billfish Tournament

    January 18 - January 19
    Tue 19

    Islamorada Fishing Club’s Sailfish Tournament

    January 19 - January 21
    Wed 20

    Los Suenos Signature Billfish Series, Leg 1

    January 20 - January 23
    Wed 20

    58th Annual Buccaneer Cup

    January 20 - January 23
    Fri 22

    31st Annual Cheeca Lodge & Spa Presidential Sailfish Tournament

    January 22 - January 24

    View More…

    News

    • Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

      Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

      Annual Gold Cup Team Fishing Tournament First Place: Canyon Lady, Capt. Bill Davis Second Place: Ditch Digger, Capt. Jon Brooks Third Place: Miss Texas, Capt. Matt Bierley Operation Sailfish – 1st leg of “Quest for the Crest” Sailfish Series First Place: Showtime/Remix, Capt. Nick Carullo Second Place: TEAM HMY, Capt. Trey Claus Third Place: Goin' Raptor, Capt. Paul Sabayrac Pelagic... [Read More...]

    • Miss Texas Wins Silver Sailfish Derby, Waterman Wins Pelican Yacht Club Invitational

      Miss Texas Wins Silver Sailfish Derby, Waterman Wins Pelican Yacht Club Invitational

      Silver Sailfish Derby  First Place Most Releases Overall: Miss Texas Second Place: Priceless Third Place: Doing It All/Hardway Fourth Place: Gator One Top Individual Angler: Mike Simko with 9 releases Top Meat Fish: George Moss, Lunático, with a 32.8 lb kingfish Top Lady Angler: Carly Desmond, DaySea  Pelican Yacht Club Invitational First Place: Waterman, Capt. Kevin Paul Second Place: Dakeri,... [Read More...]

    • Canceled Plans, More Time Brought New Wave of Boaters, Anglers in 2020, Study Finds

      Canceled Plans, More Time Brought New Wave of Boaters, Anglers in 2020, Study Finds

      Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 16, 2020—With COVID-19 transforming Americans' recreational habits, a new study from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has found that millions of new or returning participants have taken up fishing & boating. Particular increases were seen among nontraditional participants, signaling the activities' increasing appeal among new audiences. Titled Who's On Board: Keeping New Anglers & Boaters Hooked,... [Read More...]

    • Captain Chris Sheeder Passes Away After Battle with Cancer

      Captain Chris Sheeder Passes Away After Battle with Cancer

      January 7, 2021—It's with a heavy heart that we announce well-known Hawaii Captain Chris Sheeder has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a public Facebook post from his brother. Sheeder's love for the water began at the young age of 11 when he took his first offshore trip out of Kona. This eventually led him to... [Read More...]

    • 2021 InTheBite Champion's Cup: What to Know

      2021 InTheBite Champion's Cup: What to Know

      Since 2003, InTheBite’s Captain of the Year Cup has celebrated the most successful tournament captains. It is still the world’s only quantifiable metric that ranks captains across five separate and geographically diverse tournament divisions – Florida, Hawaii, International, Gulf of Mexico and East Coast. New for 2021, we are introducing an optional paid entry winner-takes-all prize format awarding teams with... [Read More...]

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings Logo

    View the current standings for InTheBite's Captain of the Year Cup... Leaderboard »

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2021 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.