Am I being delusional?

[Large Luke]

Is there any hope of finding a boat, circa 1980's, with good teak decks? Am I being delusional in thinking that I will find "the one" boat in the Great Lakes region where the decks are still in great shape after 30+years? Or am I destined to rip the teak off no matter what?

[belizesailor]

I've never known anyone who had teak decks that did not become a maintenance nightmare. Unless the decks have recently been replaced I would expect your odds to be quite low.

[denverd0n]

I don't know about delusional, but I think you're looking for a needle in a haystack. If you find one like you describe it is going to be the result of spending a LOT of time and effort on the search, amazing luck, or divine intervention. I suspect your best chance would be to hope for the latter.

[Pete7]

Luke, why do you want teak decks? The thought of 300 kgs of extra weight at deck level and 2000 screws piercing a perfectly waterproof GRP deck holding it all down would make me run a mile.

Yes it looks nice and good to walk on in Northern Climates but....

Pete

[tbodine88]

I served on the USS Longbeach. She was built in the 60's and I was on her in the 80's. She had teak decks. In the Navy they treeted teak decks by sanding them and mopping them, no varnish.

By the time I saw them although smooth, they weren't much to look at. Me I like plastic.

[mrohr]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Luke, why do you want teak decks? The thought of 300 kgs of extra weight at deck level and 2000 screws piercing a perfectly waterproof GRP deck holding it all down would make me run a mile.

Yes it looks nice and good to walk on in Northern Climates but....

Pete

They are hot in southern climes but yes ,they look nice . I would be searching for boats without teak decks. A little teak trim will look great without the issues in the quote above.

[Ken43]

I bought a 1983 Pacific Seacraft Flicka with original teak deck in beautiful condition about 4 months ago. So, yes, they are out there. I don't find the maintenance to be an issue. It sure does get a lot of compliments.

[newlazydays]

The trouble with most "teak decks" are that they are just a veneer over fiberglass. Original teak decks were perhaps 2 inches thick (on say a 50 foot boat) and had a reservoir of teak oil that would keep the wood in good shape for years. Veneer decks might look nice at the start of their lives but will probably last ten years at best....especially in tropic climes. Many years ago I had a wooden boat built in 1934. She had white pine decks about 1 and half inches thick....which leaked. I ripped out all the seams with a circular saw and re-caulked the decks with oakum and pitch.....under the supervision of an old hand at the Hamble Marina. After that the decks stopped leaking!
You might like to look at this link Nelson's ship gets £50 million facelift using a technique used by sailors on HMS Victory 300 years ago | Mail Online
Don't get me wrong. I love old boats and have done my fare share of varnishing and "rubbing down and making good" but if you are a serious cruiser, the simpler the boat the better.....in my opinion!

[Rearsteer]

If thats what you want, keep looking and you will find it.

[Auzzee]

Teak decks are just another part of a sailing boat. If the boat's owner has maintained the craft properly and well, the decking should be sound. If it is not, then there is the real possibility that the rest of the boat has been poorly maintained.

I have solid teak decks (not just a thin laminate) and they are a joy and give the boat a real boat feel. Teak decks can be maintained easily and with similar time commitments as are needed on painted decks.

If you are considering the removal of teak (where it is strips bonded to a glass substrate) to lighten the load, it is worthwhile remembering that the teak is an integral part of the boat and adds a degree of structural worth to the hull. It is not merely cosmetic and its removal will thin the deck by 3 to 5mm. Under protracted poor conditions offshore, this could have serious consequences.

[SkiprJohn]

I too was on the USS Long Beach but in the 70s. "Holy Stone" was the way to treat teak decks. Hands and knees work. Not fun.

There is a reason they call sailing vessels with teak decks "leaky teakies."

kind regards,

[Bluefuss]

Yes, lots of them.

[Tellie]

I love teak decks as much as I love watching someone other than me maintain them.

[John A]

Originally Posted by Ken43

I bought a 1983 Pacific Seacraft Flicka with original teak deck in beautiful condition about 4 months ago. So, yes, they are out there. I don't find the maintenance to be an issue. It sure does get a lot of compliments.

4 months?? Your still in the first blush of ownership. Enjoy.

[angelfish2]

I think there are boats with nice teak decks out there. But, as everyone has mentioned, they require some (well, a lot) of maintenance.

When I was but a pup, back in the 50s and 60s, I did a lot of water sailing">blue water sailing on boats that had beautiful teak decks, in Florida. I don't remember much except 2 things; teak decks were very hot for little bare feet and sitting on the bow sprint was like flying.

ETA: I sure don't know where this: water sailing"> came from. Sorry...