Micheal:

Since you are refinishing your cap rails here is a link to solving issues with caprail leaking which if you have this issue - should be done before the refinishing. 

As far as the choice of finish - there are finishes that in the SF area will  last about a year w/o refinishing and just need a top gloss coat yearly.  I happen to use Cetol and if I did it again - would use the natural under the gloss coat. 

That being said - others do leave the teak unfinished and just wash it down from time to time.  What I've noticed is that the unfinished teak will become rough as the softer parts will wear away from sun, rain and scrubbing. Of course, repeat sanding to remove old finish will remove wood also.

In the members area -- look for images from members and review albums to see different finishes.

It's mostly a matter of the look you want - then determine the best product for your needs. 

Jay    

It's just my humble opinion, but I would recommend strongly against leaving the cap rails unfinished.  I know two boats that went that way.  An absolutely gorgeous Hans Christian 38 and a well maintained Tayana 37.  Both were/are well kept except for the cap rails.  The HC's cap rails are so far gone that they can't be restored and the owners wife of the Tayana told me that after her husband passed away she had to sell the boat well under market value because of the condition of the teak.

Cabot's Australian Timber oil in honey teak color?

It's mostly oil but has some other stuff like iron oxide pigment to protect from sun.  Sand clean first then coat once and recoat evry year or sooner depending on wear and tear.  Stays gummy for a day or two but after that no sticky oily residue like many oil based products.  For retopcoating just clean and sand lightly or not at all and recoat.  Super easy and is holding up well.


Just another method in the myriad of tips hints and nudges.

I have seen unfinished cap rails on a w32 that looked like they were beyond the point of restoration, dry with cracks and deep splits along the grain. 

I'll second what both Jim Focha and Dave Kall says.

My WS32 has been in the tropics now for a good eight years now and I just finished having to do extensive repair work to my caprails due to the sun and rain.

When I first arrived in Guatemala I decided to refinish the rails with Cetol. It lasted less than a year. Tried it again with more coats, same thing. Then I went to varnish but the poor quality of local varnish meant I was having to strip and refinish far too often. So I decided just to leave them bare. Bronze should be green and teak should be gray, right?

After just a couple years I began noticing more leaks, joints between sections getting wider, splits began in the 'S' pieces at the bow, etc.. Just a gradual deterioration overall.

When I decided to finally pull the caprails and rebed them I discovered the wood had simply rotted underneath on a couple joints where it had shrunk from the old bedding (which was causing the leaks).  Teak in Guatemala really poor quality. Fortunately I was able to salvage enough 'old growth' Burmese teak of a useable size from a 'derelict' boat to scarf new wood where it was needed.  I also was able to purchase used but serviceable 'S' pieces from another Westsailor.  Before replacing the caprails I coated the underside with epoxy resin.

I've found a local source for Petit Flagship varnish which I've been using and am very happy with (so far). It's holding up exceptionally well, especially so on the inboard items under my awning.

Once I finish varnishing the caprails I plan to cover them with strips of commercial tarp material clipped in place with 1" wide sections of (split) PVC tubing. I'm also in the process of having Sunbrella covers made for anything that needs varnishing I don't already have covered (including my bowsprit platform). I really am tired of dicking with varnishing everything every 6 months but leaving the teak bare is not an option anymore.