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prof_mariner · 12-04-2013, 09:47

I just bought a late 80's vintage Beneteau First 405. This particular boat has teak grates and thin (1/8"?) plank looking veneer on the cockpit seats and bridge deck. Both are in pretty bad shape and I'm looking for ideas on suitable replacements:

- One (obvious) solution is to replace with similar materials, but the sun in San D. is brutal on teak and teak ain't cheap, so I'd really rather not use wood.

- I saw another Beneteau (38f5 I believe) where the owner replaced the teak plank veneer with gray Starboard that was attached with flathead screws. Not real keen on that idea, looked too "Home Depot" -ish in my opinion.

- There's "Tek Dek" ( Tek-Dek Extreme | Tek-Dek United States ) that looks pretty good and might work well on the cockpit seats, but I'm told it's real expensive and I'd still have to come up with something to replace the cockpit grates.

Any other ideas?

Cheechako · 12-04-2013, 10:01

How deep is the inset once the teak is removed?
If the teak is only slightly inset into the seats etc, you can actually mold in a patterned non skid type surface where the teak was. maybe ask Minaret how it's done. I think they put on Gel Coat paste and apply a rubber mat like thing that forms it into a pattern. I've never done it but heard about it.

You dont really need the grates at all, but if they are thick, just rebuild them. If the teak screw plugs are coming out, consider just redrilling the holes to take bigger bronze screws and leave the heads flush... no plugs...

prof_mariner · 12-04-2013, 10:19

Just found what might be the solution I'm looking for (closed cell EVA foam pad): About SeaDeck Marine Products - Swim Platform Pads

Anyone have any experience with this? Does it hold up well in the sun and elements?

prof_mariner · 12-04-2013, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You dont really need the grates at all, but if they are thick, just rebuild them. If the teak screw plugs are coming out, consider just redrilling the holes to take bigger bronze screws and leave the heads flush... no plugs...

Yeah, don't need them but the cockpit floor looks a bit off without them because of the ridges in the floor to hold them up off the bottom. The grates are made of ~ 3/4" material in one direction and ~ 3/16" material in the other. Looks like the 3/16" material is tacked in with staples (

). The thinner material has broken in several spots (no surprise there). Wouldn't take much (money or effort) to just repair these (or beef them up a bit), and that's what I might do. But I'm a teak-a-phobe (hate doing varnish / oil).

Cheechako · 12-04-2013, 10:49

Just let that teak go grey after rebuilding them! Better grip anyway. Hey, I just had a thought; how about Bottomsiders outdoor cushions (no fabric). These are custom made to your patterns, easy on the butt and pretty durable. About 1"-1 1/4 thick. http://www.bottomsiders.com/

**minaret** · 13-04-2013, 16:32

Treadmaster would probably be the easy answer if its really only an 1/8" inset. Or TDS. Neither are cheap. None of the many other solutions I can think of would be either. Cheapest and best would be remove the teak and glass it up, fair and Griptex it, doing the whole job yourself. But obviously that's not for everyone. An 1/8" inset would only need two or three matts to glass up fair, but it's still a very big job, as it would probably mean a full deck paint job.

Emmalina · 13-04-2013, 16:46

I live in the tropics and the sun is brutal but my teak deck is now 15years old and I just re caulked it last year. Its expensive and hard work keeping it wet but it does look nice. 96 tubes of caulking !

Nicholson58 · 13-04-2013, 16:48

If the teak is OK but gray you can replace the black material between the strips. We used 3M 4200 black and sanded it flat & oiled. Otherwise, there is Plasteak which is a sheet material that looks quite like teak.

If you prmove the teak; screws etc you will need to permanently fill and seal the holes. That probably means fill, cover with resin and fiberglass veil and then new surface of your choice.

**minaret** · 13-04-2013, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

If the teak is OK but gray you can replace the black material between the strips. We used 3M 4200 black and sanded it flat & oiled. Otherwise, there is Plasteak which is a sheet material that looks quite like teak.

If you prmove the teak; screws etc you will need to permanently fill and seal the holes. That probably means fill, cover with resin and fiberglass veil and then new surface of your choice.

I doubt there are any screws in an 1/8" thick veneer.

Emmalina · 13-04-2013, 20:21

Beneteau glue on the teak sometimes well sometimes not so well. Pretty easy to remove.

**David M** · 13-04-2013, 20:29

I would consider Seaboard. You can cut, drill and route it just like wood and it will never rot, splinter or go grey....sorta like when we get old.

dannobee · 13-04-2013, 21:02

PlasDECK is also an option, and you can buy the stuff for a DIY project. YouTube has some installation videos, too.

Price is about $15/sq ft IIRC.

Cheechako · 14-04-2013, 10:27

Treadmaster is nice but just plain un comfortable..... bad enough on decks, would be terrible on cockpit seats. Remove the teak, paint the insets (only 1/8 inch right?) and buy those nice Bottomsiders!