We saw the boat again yesterday. No doubt the decks need replacing, unless you don't mind your feet being impaled with
teak barbs. At $80K+ to do the real thing, it's an expense hard to justify. And a lot more $$$ to get the thing ready to go cruising.
After we left, we stopped to get a bite to eat then walked the docks at a nearby marina. On one, we saw two guys working on a
Sea Ray that had a new looking
teak product on the swim platform. They were prepping the
cockpit floor for the same product.
We stopped and asked them a lot of questions and checked out the swim platform
installation. He said it was installed 6 months ago. It looked brand new. I guessed it to be about 1/4" thick. It has a roughness to it, like real wood, but wasn't quite as non-slip as real wood, though my test was with dry feet and a dry
deck.
The installer said the product was called Eco Teak.
(I may have spelled that wrong.) He said you can sand it and refresh the tone and
sealant in 5 years or so. The cost was around $60/sq ft.
From about 10-15 feet away, you knew it wasn't real teak but you also knew it wasn't sheet goods. It had
depth to its appearance. The installer said he's seeing more and more boats go with this product, but that may have just been a sales
pitch.
For anyone interested, the company installing is Bogantec
Marine in Weston Fl. If I got it right, the product is made by World Panel Products, also located in
Florida. This is the link to their page with the product we saw:
Bogantec Marine Panels
The installer said they come in with digital laser measuring
equipment to make an exact replica of your existing
deck. Then the
panels are made up in their shop and installed on site. The
Sea Ray swim platform looked to be 14-16 feet wide and he said that was laid down in one piece. Along the edges, I didn't see any signs of gaps that would allow
water intrusion underneath.
It wasn't anything I'd say was everyone's answer to replacing real teak with an eco-friendly, less expensive product but I saw it as a potential candidate. Still, I feel more
research is needed.