Mikhaya's 1979 teak was a real collection of previous sand downs and numerous varnishing efforts.  The daily year round baking in the Florida sun didn't help any.

Approach #1

Stripping and Sanding the Teak

This really didn't work to well for me.  The soft/hard areas on the worn teak did not lend a level surface to scrape.  The process seemed too long and it was labor intensive.  The stripper worked very well and did not damage the gelcoat, as advertised on the container.  I applied the stripper, scraped it off and used water and a course scouring pad to clean up.

Approach #2

Sanding the Teak

Found this great sanding wheel for the drill made by 3M, that allowed me to lightly sand off the top layer of the teak without "Sanding my teak away," as they say.  It was flexible and held up good when sanding around the cleats and fittings.  I had to buy 5 of these to finish all the teak on a P35.  For the hard to get at areas I used my Dremel^© tool with the grinders bit attached.

 What worked the best for me...

1)  I sanded all the teak using Approach #2.  Had to get creative with hand sanding for some of the hard to reach areas.

2)  I dusted off the sanded areas with a brush and wiped down the "new teak," with a tack cloth.  Next I gave it a good cleaning with Acetone to get rid of any oil on the surface of the wood.

3)  I used a good quality brush and applied the 1^st coat of Cetol^© Satin Light.  Allow to dry for at least 24 hrs.  I worked from stern to bow by pouring just enough Cetol^© Satin Light in a paper cup. 

4)  After 24 hrs with no sanding, I applied the 2^st coat of Cetol^© Satin Light.  Allow to dry for at least 24 hrs.

5)  After at least 24 hrs with no sanding, I applied the 3^rd and last coat of Cetol^© Satin Light.  Allow to dry for at least 24 hrs.

6)  I applied the 4^th coat using Cetol^© Marine Gloss.

7)  The 5^th coat (the last one) was completed using Cetol^© Marine Gloss.

First Applied Coat of Cetol^© Satin Light

Second Applied Coat of Cetol^© Satin Light

Third Applied Coat of Cetol^© Satin Light

Notes:

     I choose not to use any tape on the edges of the gelcoat and teak.  Last time I did it acuminated under the tape edges due to the non skid decking surface.  I just used a good brush and wiped the excess with the edge of a cloth.  As it turned out the tape would have been on for three weeks.  It would have be a mess getting off by then.

     It took exactly one qt of Cetol Satin Light to do all three coats of teak.  I used about 1/2 qt of Cetol Marine Gloss.  I did not do the main hatch boards nor the hand rails on the top deck.

     Five coats were applied over a period of 18 days. 

     I didn't remove any hardware.  Around the cleats it might have looked better but I just re-bedded my cockpit cleats and didn't want to break them loose again.  Once I learned how to hold the brush correctly I managing to draw a straight line.

     When finished, I dipped the brush in turpentine, wrapped it up each afternoon in paper towels, sealed it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator on the boat. This worked fine for three coats.  I did clean it good before doing the  Cetol^© Satin Marine Gloss coat.

     The hardest part was the sanding.  The first coat of Cetol was also tuff.

     Doing the teak in the evening after hours turned out to be a real neat time of day for me.  I got into a two hour routine of going down to the boat, listing to some good uplifting music, watching the sun set while the dolphins played off the stern and finished off yet another coat coat of Cetol. 
 

Fourth Coat

Fifth Coat

Cetol^© Marine GLOSS!