Whether it be a lovely piece of teak furniture sitting elegantly on the aft deck of a luxury yacht, or a 12" by 12" inch pad under a sheet winch on a daysailer, there's just something about teak that says "salty."

It has been said that nothing so brightens the nautical appearance of a boat so much as well maintained teak. Having made such a sweeping generalization we are now faced with numerous variations on just what makes teak well maintained.

If our boats lived in clean air we could let the wood go. Over time, it would weather naturally to an attractive ash gray and we could concern ourselves with other things.Unfortunately the assault of modern-day air pollutants,
the proximity to the sea, and old father sun himself quickly turn bare teak nearly black.Scrubbing only removes some of the stains leaving a mottled look.

As beautiful as it is here on The Emerald Coast where I write this, it only takes a few days to see the effects of air pollutants and intense sunlight on anything left outside.