Varnish Yacht Brightwork Like A Pro – Part 1

I am a boating traditionalist and I feel that a yacht is not really a true boat unless there is some outside teak nicely varnished. We call that teak brightwork. But today’s boat builder prefers not to use any teak if at all possible at the insistence of today’s consumer.That is too bad as I often hear buyers tells me “if there is any teak to maintain forget it”.. To me, the high gloss brightwork give a yacht character.

The key to preserving bright work is to reapply the coating before it needs it, yes, before. Don’t let it start to crack and peel; you have waited too long. But for discussion sake, lets assume you are looking at an older trawler you are thinking of buying from me. The brightwork is not too far gone but needs a little TLC. Should you shy away from buying that trawler? No, not at all but lets talk about how we can get her back in shape.

The first matter we need to consider is whether we need to merely sand it down smooth or entirely remove the old finish.

If we need to get the old varnish totally off we need to go to our preferred hardware store and get a heat gun and a 2-3 inch metal putty knife; look in the paint department. This method is far better and faster than chemicals. And don’t even consider using a vibrating sander! Using the heat gun on full power, hold it about 4 inches from the surface at an angle, you’ll see the varnish soften and with a little help from your putty knife, it comes right off in long thin sheets. Be careful not to get too close or you will scorch the teak itself. When you have removed the varnish, sand with 120 and 220 sandpaper to get a smooth surface.

Ok, so what do we do if we do not need to remove all of the varnish?I did my yearly upkeep last weekend and here is the rundown. My boat has 94 feet of teak handrail to give you a feel of what we did and how long it took.

My choice of finish is Sikkens Cetol. It’s a synthetic varnish made especially for marine work by the same producer of Awlgrip .

Shopping List

Heat gun (if you are taking off the old varnish)
Sandpaper 120/220 grit
7-day blue painters tape
Mineral spirits
Tack rags
Soap

Step 1 – Cleaning the Teak

The first thing you want to do it get some soapy water and really clean the dirt off your teak. Get the grime off. Wipe it down and let it dry. Next, very important here, moisten a cloth with mineral spirits and wipe the teak down again. The solvent will remove any wax, grease or silicone that might be present. If you sand with these on the wood, you will really force the products into the wood

Prep Time – 30 minutes

Step 2 Preparation for Varnishing

After the brightwork is clean, we will need to roughen it up some to make the new varnish stick. Using medium grit sandpaper, 220 grit, we want to lightly scuff the surface of the finish. Not enough to go through to the wood mind you, but just to knock off the gloss and level the surface. Using a tack rag, remove all of the dust
Next, tape up any nearby metal to keep varnish away from those areas you do not need varnished. Use blue 7-day painter’s tape; it will save you lots of cleanup time later on.

Prep Time – 2 hours

in our next article, we’ll start our varnish application

Crewed Yacht Charter Vacations

Welcome to the most spectacular playground in the world. Did you know that over 70% of the Earth’s surface is Ocean? A crewed yacht charter is a vacation with a difference. It can be summarized with just one word Luxury. Experience elegance, style and an exceptional taste of freedom cruising any of the exotic locations onboard a chartered luxury yacht.

There are other alternatives such as cruise ships and resorts. Although each of these are wonderful vacations, they cannot compare to the flexibility of your own personal luxury yacht charter. Luxury crewed yacht charters will cost you no more than an exclusive hotel or even a cruise. In contrast to a cruise or hotel, you will have ultimate freedom and total control over your vacation. Where would you like to go? You can set your own itinerary with the guidance of your captain and luxury yacht crew. Maybe you would like to stop by and visit a pretty little island along your path, if so, just let your yacht crew know and they will adjust course to suit you.

You and your guests can relax and enjoy the vistas unfolding, whilst an attentive and professional charter yacht crew dotes on you. There’s no need for cooking or cleaning, as your personal chef prepares exquisite cuisine cooked to perfection. Your yacht crew will in most cases be multilingual, and can therefore be of assistance at any of the ports of call.

Select a destination to start your adventure. With such a vast area of water covering this globe, the choices are endless. Fancy a Mediterranean yacht charter, a Caribbean crewed yacht charter or visit the likes of Croatia, Spain, Greece or Turkey. South of France yacht charter, yacht charter Cote D’Azur and Caribbean yacht charter are popular vacation destinations. The exotic Caribbean includes the Bahamas Islands, British Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands. Visualize a pacific flavor to your vacation; visit the Marquesas Islands, Tuamoto Islands and Society Islands in the South Pacific. These are only a few of the possible luxury yacht charter destinations.

For those romanticizing of a sailing vacation, catamarans could be an option with vessels accommodating for up to 10 guests. Possibly you might enjoy luxury sailing yacht charters which can also accommodate up to 10 guests. A luxury motor yacht charter could be the answer if you don’t wish to be at the whim of the wind.

Luxury Yachts, luxury mega yachts, and luxury sailing yachts can be between 30-85 meters and can very greatly in style. A larger vessel has the size and stability to offer lavishly appointed saloons that are tastefully decorated. Private cabins are large and have individual ensuites. Spacious decks are designed for either sunbathing or various outdoor activities. Most luxury yachts are equipped to enhance your enjoyment of the water that surrounds you. Take pleasure in skipping across the waves on a Jetski or skimming along in a kayak. Delve below the surface to explore with dive sets and snorkeling equipment provided. A speed boat tender is available for you and your guests to enjoy water skiing or just to go ashore to the beach for a picnic or a night out in port.

Possibilities for your private crewed yacht charter vacation are endless. Pick a destination and the style of luxury vessel, and then just enjoy the experience.

Have Your Next Business Meeting Aboard A Private Yacht

Are you a business owner? If so, do you regularly have business meetings with your staff or even with your clients? If so, where do you have those meetings? If you are like many business owners, you may rent a conference room at a well-known venue, like a popular hotel. While this is more than possible to do, you may want to think about taking a different approach. Whether you want to reward your employees or wow your clients, you may want to think about having some of your business meetings aboard a privately chartered yacht.

What is nice about having your business meetings aboard a privately chartered yacht is that there are a number of different yacht chartering companies that you can do business with. Many of these companies allow individuals, just like you, to rent one of their yachts for as long as a few weeks, but for as little as a few hours. This is great, as many of your business meetings will not last a whole day.

As it was mentioned above, having your business meetings aboard a privately chartered yacht may seem as it were a reward to your employees. In fact, it could actually serve as one. Depending on the type of business that you run, your employees could be spending all of their days dealing with customers, and not always happy ones, or sitting in front of a computer. It is no secret that doing the same thing day in and day out can get boring and tiring. A business meeting aboard a privately chartered yacht is the perfect way to express your appreciation for your employees and all of their hard work.

Also, as it was mentioned above, you can also use a privately charted yacht to hold business meetings with your clients. No matter what type of business you run, your clients are important. Without them, you might not be running a successful business. To make your clients feel needed and important, you may want to go the extra step and that step may include the chartering of a private yacht. It is also important to note what the chartering of a private yacht can do for your chances of obtaining new clients. By using a privately charted yacht to host a business meeting with prospective clients, your clients know that you are putting forth the extra energy to please them or make a sale. In the eyes of your client, this may go a long way.

Now that you know how you can go about chartering a private yacht to host a business meeting and in what instances you may want to do so, you may be wondering why it is a good idea to charter a privately owned yacht. One of those reasons involves a change of scenery. As it was stated above, your employees may be bored with the traditional business setting. Getting them aboard a privately chartered yacht for a business meeting may be the extra push that they need. It is also important to note that your staff may be able to brainstorm better or come up with better ideas because they are in a more casual, relaxing environment.

It is also important to mention the cost of privately chartering a yacht for one of your business meetings. With a little bit of research, you should be able to find a yacht chartering company that has affordable rates. In all honesty, no matter how much you have to pay, the chartering of a private yacht will likely work out to your advantage in the end.

Helping You Find Fractional Yachts For Sale

A Google search for “fractional yacht” pulls up more than 115,000 leads, offering a whole world of choices. Fractional yachts for sale take into consideration the very real truth that, as much as we would like to, we simply cannot be out on the water 365 days a year.

We will make a large investment and in many cases, pristine new boats sit at the marina more often than not they go unloved, forgotten about and sometimes neglected. Instead, a fractional yacht spends more time out on the water, sailing gallantly, costing its owners precious little to live the high life. Fractional makes more sense for the world we live in.

All fractional yachts for sale do not necessarily have the same arrangements. For instance, SeaNet is a straight fractional, which gives four owners a 53 Sunseeker Manhattan for five weeks each year at $315,000 each (plus $37,000/year in maintenance fees). On the other hand, The Yacht Share offers fractional leases, which gives owners seven weeks for $60,000 down and $2,400/month in maintenance, allowing the owner the ability to renew the lease or walk away at the end of the year.

Then, of course, there is traditional fractional ownership at companies like Breeze Easy, which can transform any new or used boat into a fractional possession.

Of course, not everyone is keen on fractional. Seasoned sailors will always snatch up yachts for sale as a testament to their hard work and achievements in life. “I like possession of the boat, to tell you the truth,” admits ex-naval officer Lyman Perry. Caring for sailing yachts has been his lifelong hobby and passion. “I’ve always been hands on,” he adds, “single-handing, priming the engine if it runs dry.”

Not only will owners get to know more about yachting, but they can also cut out of work to take a ride if the mood grabs them and have complete freedom over using that boat. To some, ownership is priceless.

Some Americans are even looking for second or larger yachts for sale, in which case fractional leasing is a good way to let prospective owners “test drive” their luxury yachts before buying them outright. At the end of the one-year lease, the buyer may decide to scale up, scale down, try one of the new boats at the marina or simply walk away.

For new owners, leasing is also a good way to gauge how much use the boat will get. Fractional ownership is still a relatively new concept in boating but the portent is good. To find fractional sailing yachts, you can check out Shared Yachts, Yacht Smart, Synergy Yachting Partnerships, Virgin Traders or The Yacht Share.

Magazines That Feature Beautiful Looking Yacht Interiors

When people think about relaxing on the open seas they naturally look at yachts as the ideal medium. While you will find many different yachts which can take you places the inside of your chosen yacht is just as important. In the yacht interior you should find different facilities, living spaces and equipment to help you with your travels.

To give you an idea of the many yachts you will find there are lots of interesting yachting magazines. These magazines will feature beautiful looking yacht interiors. Of course to highlight the best features of different yachts the interiors of these yachts have been arranged with expensive looking items and products.

Once you have gone through these many different magazines you might want to see if there are any reviews about the various items which are used in yachts. By looking at these furnishings and accessories in detail you will be able to make sure that you have a well furnished and comfortable yacht.

For the most part you will find that the yacht interior is capable of being furnished in a style that will fit your personality ot even budget. You will find many examples of these in yachting magazines. When you look at the many different styles that you can use it is best to place a money limit otherwise you will spend on items which are not of much use.

One of the most important items that you should look for in a yacht interior is if you have lots of natural light coming inside. You will also appreciate if the yacht is found to be warm during cold spells which are liable to strike when you are out on the open waters. So you will need to see if there are lots of large windows where you will have a view of the outside. Now since most of the yacht windows may be near water you should make sure that the window material is quite hardy and water proof.

While the issue of windows for lighting is important you will appreciate having thick warm carpets in a yacht interior. These are not the only items that you will find in yachts to make your trip truly enjoyable.

The many different items and accessories which you can find in a yacht interior are all important details. With the right amount of furnishings, and accessories you can make any yacht a home away from home. The well designed and furnished yacht interior will make sailing a pleasurable adventure.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Yachts for Years. For More Information on Yacht Interior, Visit His Site at Yacht Interior