Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Weiman Lemon Oil wins vs. Formby

Can't delay in posting my new favorite teak oil for the cabin. Since my ownership of Aeolus back in 2006, I have taken the advice of Don Casey and used lemon oil to treat my interior teak. I think the only brand I saw and have used since then was Formby Lemon Oil. It was available at ACE and other local places and seemed to do a good job. It smelled like lemon, and wiped dirt off of things, and was purported to restore oil in the wood.

Over time however, I have found that my interior teak has looked increasingly dry and parched. I understand that teak has natural oils, but it still needs to be cleaned and I thought lemon oil was the way to go, again trusting Don Casey.

Eager to find a solution to my interior teak looking dry and parched, I shopped around and decided to try the Weiman brand of lemon oil. Wow. I have now treated most of the interior teak and it has absolutely come to life. Unlike the Formby, it is not acting as a solvent and stripping away the oils. It contains oils that really sink into the wood and bring out the most beautiful natural color. The whole boat interior has been restored to this incredible oiled teak look and my entire family has remarked on the difference. Unlike the Formby, which seemed to wet the wood with whatever oils/solvents it uses and then evaporated off to leave drier wood behind, the Weiman persists in providing the deep glow.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Update on anchor riding sail usage

I've noticed that my earlier post from 2009 on making an anchor riding sail has generated a lot of activity lately and so I though I would post an update on what I have found since that original post. Over the few years since then we have used it on a good handful of occasions, and always when the winds were strong enough to warrant it. On Aeolus, if there are winds in the anchorage at or over about 20 knots, then she will swing pretty widely.

We've just returned from another fantastic trip to Stuart Island that I will post about later and used the anchor riding sail again because we had winds of 20-25 knots in Reid Harbor.