Fixing a Deck for Less

[kanokane]

Looking at a boat to fix up and she is in pretty bad shape. One of the things that has been removed (most of it anyways) was her old teak decks. Now, teak is a bit more than I would like to spend on a deck and was wondering if anyone new of a worthwhile and inexpensive way to seal a deck. I've seen some epoxy paint that is like a non-skid but I have never installed a deck (another great reason for me to stay away from teak ) so I know little about the specifics.

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

[shoni]

I just bought an old fixer-upper myself. I had to replace the wood between the layers of fiberglass on the fore deck where she had broken her mooring hardware. I cut away the top layer of glass, dug out, then replaced, the rotten wood, 2 layers of fiberglass cloth/3 of resin. I then put a new deck on top of that. i used 12"PT plywood. Underneath, I put a PT 2 X 6 running the length of the fore deck, so the cleats will be bolted through the new plywood, the original deck, AND the 2 x 6. I fiberglassed over the new wood as well, and made a faux gel coat of resin, baby powder, and white pigment. (Gel coat is very expensive, and I won't be ready to paint for a long time/ I wanted her white. I needed the thick, pasty quality of the gel. It worked pretty good.

I found a product called Kiwi to use for easy ant-skid surfacing.

Anti-skid Boat Decks from Pachena LLC - KiwiGrip anti-slip deck coating

I plan on trying it, or possibly just coming up with a home recipe to do something similar. I am a sculptor, so have a lot of experience with "making stuff". I will add pics of my project as I move forward, so check it out in my gallery.

Good luck, and most of all, ENJOY !!

[Hudson Force]

Was the removed teak a cosmetic layer over a structurally sound deck? Was the former teak layer fastened to the deck with screws? What is the composition of the remaining deck? Also, tell us the make and year of the vessel. With the anwers to these questions it's likely that you'll find much helpful advice.

[ozskipper]

Fine bricklayers sand mixed in paint can make a very good non slip surface. We used to use it in dinghies years ago. more recently I used it on a cargo ramp for my work van. Even in the rain it is still Grippy (if thats a word).

Cheers
Oz

[Mark Johnson]

If I had teak decks in less than perfect shape...

I'd remove the teak, epoxy plug the screw holes with a syringe, and repair any rot.

If the surface needs it, I'd lay a thin 4 oz layer of glass with epoxy and sand smooth. Then cover the entire deck with "Treadmaster". It is a VERY good non skid, last for decades, and being epoxied down, it never causes leaks...

Mark

[Ita]

There's an article in Sail Magazine last issue about teak substitutes to glue to deck

[kanokane]

Well someone ended up buying this one. But you have all given me some great insight so thank you.

to answer some of the questions it was mounted with the glue.
- it was not structural
- the deck was fiberglass, where the teak was you could see some of the fibers and cross hatch free (unsealed from removing the teak)
-as for the year the guy wasn't (around '76)sure as he was only looking after it for the buyer was a -42' Whitby center cockpit ketch

I was also wondering if there was a way to guess (I know) the SQ FT of a deck based on its LOA? Was wondering so that I could approximate how much paint I would need.

Thanks again

[jezzb]

Originally Posted by Ita

There's an article in Sail Magazine last issue about teak substitutes to glue to deck

I am considering buying dek-king from teakforboats.com. The product got very good reviews in th Sail Magazine which ITA mentioned. Anyone has any feedback on this product? Looks very easy to install for a DIY person.

Thanks
Jezzb