First off, Brightwork is a mariners term for a variety of wood treatments, usually Teak, involving a multitude of finishes and applications. There are many different ways to treat and finish wood on a boat, and most Brightwork Pro's will give you a dozen different answers to the question, "what is the best way to treat wood on a boat."
While Brightwork is something that I actually enjoy doing, it is not something that I make a living at. There are many professional Brightwork masters in the Yachting world that have wonderful, time consuming techniques, for marine wood treatments. There are several in-depth books written on the subject, and a fair amount of information on the web.
Most of my Brightwork experience has largely been acquired by maintaining our 36 Trojan Tri Cabin. The Trojan is a beautiful boat that yes, has it's share of Teak. Although the boat is Fiberglass, the Flybridge floor is all Teak, the stern cockpit is all teak, as well as the swim platform, all ladders, handrails, bumper rail, and the entire interior is teak. Now all this Teak means a couple of things, one, it is a beautiful boat. Two, someone has to figure out how to maintain this sucker, and that sucker is me.
Well, it really is not that bad. When I had the teak cockpit replaced, I wanted to replace the floor with Fiberglass. Most Trojans had this same issue with rotting wood in the center of the cockpit, and a lot of Trojan owners went with the fiberglass replacement. This was mainly due to the fact that Fiberglass would not rot, simply less maintenance. I talked to my father (a once Trojan Tri Cab owner) about replacing the cockpit, and his comment was this. "NO WAY, forget fiberglass!! You should continue to restore that boat to factory condition." This meant, a Teak cockpit, more expense and more maintenance.
My fathers advice was very sound. I did replace the cockpit with some of the most beautiful Teak you have ever seen. The boat would have lost a LOT of it's charm if the back deck lost the wood look. One thing to remember about Fiberglass, it is not very pretty, and will never have the beauty of a finished wood.
Here are some great tips on Brightwork that I have learned during our Trojan Restoration.
1) First determine (both interior and exterior) which wood on the boat can be finished with Teak oil, or Varnish. On our Trojan I decided that any exterior wood that was mostly protected could be varnished. Wood that was exposed to a fair amount of sunlight, would be Teak oiled. This is usually the opposite of what a lot of Brightwork people will tell you. Remember Brightwork professionals are in the business of doing Brightwork, they want boat owners to hire them often. My idea of Brightwork is to get it up to speed, then spend as little time possible on maintenance. This CAN be done, however it is important to first determine what wood will be oiled or varnished.
The reason for using Teak oil to exposed area's is a simple one. This wood application is just to easy to do, takes very little time, and is very inexpensive. The up shot is also the beauty of the oiled Teak wood, it is hard to beat. Get a rag and a little oil, and simply wipe down the deck, takes only minutes. There are also new synthetic oils that are supposed to last a year without touch up. I still use standard Teak oil. Varnishing areas like Flybridges that are under enclosures, means that their will be less time in maintaining the wood once the varnish is properly applied.
If you are going to have a large deck area teak oiled and exposed to a LOT of Sun, a good idea would be to have a shade cover made out of canvas to better protect the area. A lot of boat owners use shade covers to protect decks, it is not that expensive, and works well.
2) Varnishing: (the working man's way)
A. Sand bare wood or existing varnish with 220 sandpaper. I have used a sander, and have also lightly hand sanded. Both results were fine. Wipe wood clean, try to work in a dust free environment if possible. If you are starting with bare wood, use a good cleaner to clean the wood. This will help better adhesion with the varnish application.
Sanding may be done anytime preceding the varnish application
B. Before you even begin to varnish, first look at the local weather. You will want low humidity, light to no wind, and at least a 65 degree day. You will want to plan your day so that all sanding and any prep work is done no later that 9am. The first varnish application should be applied, and left to set up for the entire day. Varnishing in the afternoon is risky. Dew and moisture can set in during the evening before the varnish sets, leaving you with a heavy sanding job in the morning. Basically, just plan on varnishing during some good weather, and do it in the morning. Since it takes a full day and overnight for varnish to set, five coats would take five days. I usually just plan on doing a coat every time I LEAVE the boat, after several trips, it is done for the season.
C. Use a foam brush, and use a new brush for every coat. Be careful not to apply varnish to heavily. Use brush strokes leading into the last load. This will help to alleviate brush marks.
D. Sand lightly after every coat, make sure each coat is fully set and dried. Be sure to wipe clean each coat after light sand. I use a tack cloth, sometimes a damp towl. Make sure the last coat is totally dry before next application.
E. Try not to apply varnish in direct hot sunlight. The best seasons to apply varnish is Spring and Fall. In Hampton VA we have very mild winters, so I pick nice days during Feb. and March for Brightwork.
F. It is very important NOT to walk on the varnished decks for one complete day and night. Remove any chairs or rugs, and do not put them back on the boat until the next day.
G. Types of varnish: I have used Interlux with good results. This year I switched to Z Spar, and like it a lot. I find that Z Spar has the best leveling properties. A lot of restored Chris Crafts have Z Spar on the boats, they look great.
H. Apply three to four coats of varnish. I do not use thinners with Z Spar, basically it looks so good, I have not tried any thinners. Next year maybe I will mess with it some, so far I have not found it necessary, the Z Spar finish is stunning. If thinning the last coat makes a world of difference, I will post it on this site.
I. Try to use painters tape where ever needed. Varnish droppings look very sloppy on a boat.
J. Follow manufactures saftey guidlines for all products used. Always work in a vented area and avoid contact with skin.
TEAK OIL
I have used many, many different teak oils and have liked them all. Try to use a Teak Oil that has UV protectors, especially for exterior wood finishes.
I have around 10 coats of teak oil in the interior of the Trojan and continue to oil areas that get a lot of sunlight about every 30 to 60 days. The interior of the boat looks great. If you are going to use a lot of oil in the interior, you may want to go with a lighter oil so the wood will not darken to much.
Interior finishing tips -
* One thing that we did inside the Trojan to help the perception of depth and space, was to varnish only the trim, and oil the rest of the wood. This gave some separation and helped distinguish the trim lines of the wood finish. The overall effect was a more roomy salon.
* The effect was so good, that we continued this finishing process in to the aft cabin area. The aft cabin also was very dark, which we liked, but the beautiful teak just would not "POP". So the cure was to varnish out all the trim in the aft cabin, and teak oil all the panels. The end result was wonderful. The varnished trim picked up all the the light in the room and really made the area feel larger.
Final Thought
The Trojan Tri Cab will most likely not win any awards for the best detailed teak finish. HOWEVER, just about every guest that comes on the boat marvels at how beautiful the Teak is. The wood finish interior and exterior just looks fantastic. Boaters come on the boat all the time and ask me with a very worried look, "how do you get your Teak to look like that?"
Well, you do not need to spend thousands and worry that you will have to sell your boat due to Brightwork maintenance. Brightwork is actually easy to do and NOT time consuming, if you plan when and where you will be doing the work. Simply plan your varnishing so that you can apply the coats when you leave the boat, in a few trips, you are done!
Works for me.
JB
WARNING
!!!!! 
Varnish
and Thinners are extremely flammable. Without proper ventilation, the vapors are
deadly. Never smoke or have any fire of any type around these products. Dispose
of used painting materials according to manufactures directions. Always work with
a vented area. Read all directions and information pertaining to product being
used. For product questions, consult your retailer or the manufacture.
