Teak Replacement - Can I Do It ?

[97fxdwg]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

One word: Ick.

I would rather have the shabbiest teak in the world, then that cr*p.

Which is a matter of taste of course.

But how do you REALLY feel?

[boatsmith]

IMHO fake teak is horrible. I would rather have painted non-skid. The proper maintenance for a wooden deck is sanding. Remember holystones? The soft grain will wear away quicker than the hard grain. Then you have small grooves that retain water and attract dirt . this dirt is abrasive when walked on and makes the soft grain go away and then retain water.......... We sand the decks on fine yachts every year or so. The more often you sand the less material you remove. We installed a 3/8" thick teak deck on a sportfishing boat that was used in charter 5-6 days a week. We sanded this deck about every 6 months. (the crew would wet sand the covering boards with 320 grit 1 a week) This boat always looked perfect. The deck was completely gone in 10 years. Yes, there are decks out there that are 30+ years old. The vast majority of these are in terrible shape, are certainly not a thing of beauty and leak.
It is a simple job to remove the old planking and install new teak. You can make templates of doorskin and then build the deck in panels at home and do the r&r on your next trip. You can either glue the planks onto a plywood or
fiberglass substrate or simply caulk the planks together and then glue them in place. We don't rabbet our caulk seams, we run them full depth. Teak deck planks in short lengths are available from Maritime Wood products in Stuart FL for about $3/ft.
There are many pictures of finished decks and decks in progress on my website. David

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by boatsmith

There are many pictures of finished decks and decks in progress on my website. David

And where might one find a link to that website? (hint -- put it in your signature).

[shadow]

I agree with the others, it doesn't look bad at all. I've been on yachts with the teak so bad that it was like walking on a deep forest twig bed?!?! I really think a light sand and recaulking can bring that baby back to a great standard again.. But seriously, not that bad from the pic..

[capt_douglas]

IMO, Flexiteek doesn't "look" like real teak.

[boatsmith]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

And where might one find a link to that website? (hint -- put it in your signature).

I am not allowed to put a link to my website on this forum. google boatsmithfl. David

[Lodesman]

I wonder if any of the naysayers have actually seen these products? There seem to be a few high-end builders that are opting for "fake" teak. I walked on a few fake teak decks at the Annapolis boat show, and I agree that up close it is easy to see that it is not teak - but it still looks sharp. And it apparently retains its like-new appearance, resists staining, resists mildew. I wonder if anyone has any real experience with these products? A little searching turned up PlasDECK Patented Synthetic Teak Decking. Home Page. a US company, and http://www.stazo.nl/html/marinedeck_2000.html a Dutch product made from cork that doesn't look at all like teak, but might be of interest.
To me a product that from more than a few feet looks like brand new teak, that can be power-washed and doesn't need to be sanded with holystones on a regular basis, is worth a look. Some people like to spend their time on their hands and knees - I'd rather be sailing.