Should I change my mind about teak decks on older boats?

[deluxe68]

We love teak decks and our current boat has them. When we were shopping for the boat 3 years ago we almost flew to Seattle to look at a Perry designed boat made in Asia. I found out that on some of these boats, cannot remember the brand, they screwed the teak into the deck from the top AND the bottom. I took that boat off our list. Really old decks are screwed down but are very thick, they could last decades if you don't get any leaks. Teak decks after 1990 or so are glued down and still pretty thick, recently decks have gotten much thinner. Condition is everything, some owners sand and/or chemically treat their teak which shortens their thickness and lifespan. Our deck is 10 years old and the previous owner did nothing to it except put salt water on it. It still looks new.

[jjackson18b]

Originally Posted by David B

We used the Semco cleaner and neutraliser.

The cleaner is a strong alkali rather than an acid. It is basically a solution of sodium hydroxide, and they do say on the label that it is "harsh". You will find that the soft, pithy areas are eroded somewhat, but applied correctly (wet the decks well beforehand, squirt on and rub across the grain with a soft deck brush, then wash off again), that it is not too bad, but it certainly cleans well. The 'wow!' comes from the neutraliser (which by its nature must be acid based to some degree, and I suspect it is oxalic acid). Once very well washed down as a final rinse when all areas are treated with the cleaner, you squirt on and spread with a soft deck brush as you did with the cleaner. Within seconds the timber is restored to a deep, rich colour - quite spectacular.

The next day when all is dry, you would think the decks had just been sanded.

Another reason to use the sealer in my view - what the cleaner does to the softer areas of the timber, is what nature does if you don't protect the timber - it just erodes, and washes away.

We did not have time to re-treat our decks last season, so when we return in May, I suspect it will be time to clean and re-seal the transom step. It gets the hardest life down there, and the build-up of sealer is noticeable, so it will be time to experiment with the 'Clear Tone' sealer, which has a lot less pigment in it. The official advice is to use one of the more pigmented sealers ('Natural Tone' in our case) first, then maintain with 'Clear Tone' if you want to go that way.

Until I get back on board, I am undecided regarding that. No doubt I will experiment first, but the outcome will dictate what we do when it finally comes time to strip the decks back with the cleaner and start again. At this stage, I suspect that is another five years off however.



I hope that helps,



David

Thank you for the great reply! I'm going to try something crazy and try cleaning with salt water with a soft brush. It is a old school method but will post a before and after picture if it works! If not a shot of rum!

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

TEAK = MAINTENANCE = WORK = MONEY = SADNESS = LESS TIME SAILING

Rinse and Repeat
.
.

The complete opposite of my opinion. I love WOOD!!!!!!!!!! Makes me happy. Hinckley wood, at that!

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by jimp1234

I've been researching cruising boats and my basic criteria is a 40 - 48ft. well found cruising boat, and given our budget, I've focused on boats from the late 80's to early 90's. The one feature that's been a dis-qualifier thus far has been teak decks. Most things I've read and most people I've talked to have suggested that I stay away from teak decks given they're likely needing replacement as early as 15 years old but certainly when getting to 25 - 30 years old and the replacement cost is very high, even as a DIY project. However, many high end boats with teak decks from Europe (e.g. H-R, Contest, Najad, etc.) as well as from Asia (Taswell, Tayana, etc.) are advertised that seem to be well found, well maintained, commanding a high price in the market, and would seem to be ideal except for those darn teak decks. Obviously somebody's buying these older H-R's and Najads, what are they doing?

So, do some boat builders do a better job with teak decks than others? European builders better than Asia? Or the opposite? Are there well built, well maintained teak decks that last 30 - 40 years? It seems that teak decks from that time period are screwed directly into the FG deck? Meaning that just removing the teak would require you to fill a couple of thousand holes in the FG deck along with new gelcoat, deck paint and awlgrip? Yikes.. How can you tell if a teak deck is in good condition?

Given that boats move, is there any boat yard in the world that would do a great job redoing your teak deck but cost less than bringing the boat back to Sweden (or Taiwan)?

Should I continue to avoid teak decks, or keep an open mind and consider teak decks just one more item in the overall condition of the boat? TIA


-Jim

I LOVE teak, and I LOVE wood! It's great, if it's from a great builder. I'll take teak decks and LOTS of bright work every day of the week. It makes a sailboat look like a sailboat, instead of a plastic bathtub. To me, that's super boring. I do not care about the maintenance. And if you have teak and mahogany, it will actually "speak" to you every day, and tell you warm stories about life in the woods.

You didn't mention Hinckley. Made in America! Oh yeah! They know wood.

[jjackson18b]

Originally Posted by PortClydeMe

I LOVE teak, and I LOVE wood! It's great, if it's from a great builder. I'll take teak decks and LOTS of bright work every day of the week. It makes a sailboat look like a sailboat, instead of plastic bathtub. To me, that's super boring. I do not care about the maintenance. And if you have teak and mahogany, it will actually "speak" to you every day, and tell you warm stories about life in the woods.



You didn't mention Hinckley. Made in America! Oh yeah! They know wood.

Spectacular!

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by jjackson18b

Spectacular!

Yes, indeed! I love "blue hulls", "teak decks", and "LOTS of bright work".

By the way, that's not MY boat. Took the photos from the Hinckley website.
Hinckley knows wood .... very well!!!!

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by jimp1234

Should I continue to avoid teak decks, or keep an open mind and consider teak decks just one more item in the overall condition of the boat? TIA


-Jim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQVWcyCzoa0

[PortClydeMe]

Teak decks and mahogany. Anything less, and you might as well just be cleaning your bathtub every day. Wood!!!! You can actually talk to it, caress it, kiss it ... and grow old with it. Like a marriage.

[David B]

Some amazing photos there of beautiful teak decks.
I'll just repeat - maintained properly (read, less than 5 hours a year for a 50 footer), teak is less maintenance than gelcoat decks, and even the modern 10mm thick decks should be good for two decades if not neglected.
That of course assumes the teak was laid properly, but then one has that with everything - including FRP hulls!

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by David B

Some amazing photos there of beautiful teak decks.
I'll just repeat - maintained properly (read, less than 5 hours a year for a 50 footer), teak is less maintenance than gelcoat decks, and even the modern 10mm thick decks should be good for two decades if not neglected.
That of course assumes the teak was laid properly, but then one has that with everything - including FRP hulls!

That's so true. Boat's are women. And like women, if you want the best, then it's going to cost you some money ... and lot's of maintenance.

When I was growing up in Maine (the home of Hinckley ), all the lobster boats were named after women. Laura B, Judy-Anne, Elizabeth A .... because Maine lobstermen are smart! They want a happy woman. A woman doesn't want to be named "Titanic".

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

I get really pissed off at 'put-down' comments by some who possibly have never owned a boat with teak decks. Just because you own a boat and don't want to spend time doing teak maintenance, doesn't necessarily make you an expert on the subject. For instance, you don't know if another persons problem with a teak deck was created by, or for, a lack of general care, but you appear to jump on it and perpetuate the issue as if it were your own experience.

On my 24 ft. LOD cruising boat of similar dimensions to Pardey's original Serraffyn, I not only have teak decks but also teak capped Coamings, teak Hatches, teak Cockpit Seats as well as a teak Grid in the cockpit. Furthermore, I have a custom teak grid on the Boom-kin for outside storage of my propane tank, and of course another lovely teak grid on the Bowsprit.

Call me a masochist if you like, I just don't give a damn however, if teak is so undesirable to all you folk making derogatory comments on its use, why is it so many other boat owners on my dock and the few dock walkers we often meet, always stop to admire MY boat, but casually walk by most all other boats, almost as if they were not there?

So, for all you naysayers out there, a properly installed deck is pure beauty in my opinion. Living in the PNW, heat is not a major issue so I cannot comment about use of teak in hot climates. Neither will I do like so many of you and "generalize" on the subject when in fact, conditions differ all over the world as well as the north American continent. Believe me folks, the world does NOT end at the borders of the U.S.A., even (if) you do call that old British kids game of "Rounders" that you play (renamed Baseball) ... The 'World' Series!!! ... Hah!

My deck was professionally installed by "Anglo Marine" a business located at Shelter Island Marina in Delta, B.C. ... The 1-1/2" wide teak strips are a full 7/16" thick. A layer (or coating) of a black synthetic rubber product was applied to the properly prepared glass deck, as well as the underside of all the teak. Installed on the deck, it was vacuum bagged, giving it an even atmospheric pressure clamping force over every square inch of the deck, permanently bonding the teak to the glass. It was left under pressure for about 72 hours before the vacuum pump was shut off. There are no fasteners used at all over the entire installation. THIS is the proper way to install a teak deck in this day and age.

You don't have to go to Taiwan to get a professional job done, all you have to do is take a page from your President Elect's book. Find the nearest 'right' company to do the job and support your neighbour and local economy.

Easy, big fella. Some of what you say is true enough, whether involving teak on boats or we Americans being full of ourselves.
But remember this: our Salvation Army could beat your Army!

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by rmlarson1098

Easy, big fella. Some of what you say is true enough, whether involving teak on boats or we Americans being full of ourselves.
But remember this: our Salvation Army could beat your Army!

The problem with the teak decks on a older boats is usually the age and condition. I can't vouch for others but when I finally removed mine there were over 1700 screws. Some sections of the deck were 3/16 of an inch thick, not really worth saving.
I thought about replacing but then the estimates for replacing it properly made my butt pucker tight enough to pull the wrinkles out of my face. For many it is not even a choice when they consider what the boats worth as opposed yo the cost of the job, the value of the boat dies not support it.
As for heat? Even when I was up north the difference was considerable, now that we're in the tropics I find it was the right choice, the light grey decks are considerably cooler to the feet and the Bruin's interior.
The cost difference is not linear, like all things boat, it goes up on an increasing scale with size.
Modern techniques for application are much better than in the "good old days", but on most older glass boats with screwed down decks it's often the cost of replacement that makes the determination.

[Tillsbury]

The key is to differentiate between teak decks with screws and bungs, and teak decks vacuum bagged to the deck. The former is dire, and I would avoid at all costs. The latter is the perfect solution.

I don’t have teak forward of the mast, but the stuff at the back (where I am most of the time) is great. Non-teak cockpits look so sterile and aren’t appealing places to be.

Semco, as described above, and a little maintenance keeps them looking warm and new. Mine are only 15 years old, but are nowhere near half way through their life.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

I get really pissed off at 'put-down' comments by some who possibly have never owned a boat with teak decks.

I doubt these opinions are meant as "put-down"s. Some of us do not like the upkeep that teak needs. I removed the teak deck on my 45' boat. It's not my cup of tea. That does not make teak "bad" or "wrong". It just is not what I like.

Believe me folks, the world does NOT end at the borders of the U.S.A., even (if) you do call that old British kids game of "Rounders" that you play (renamed Baseball) ... The 'World' Series!!! ... Hah!

What's this? The corporate Media and its corporate Media events (misnamed "sports") have you upset? Most US citizens feel the same about names like "World Series". You don't have to be Canadian to have common decency or common sense.

My deck was professionally installed by "Anglo Marine" a business located at Shelter Island Marina in Delta, B.C. ...
THIS is the proper way to install a teak deck in this day and age.

"And this is truth to me, and that to thee;
And truth, or clothed or naked, let it be …."
(-Tennyson - The Coming of Arthur.)

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

I get really pissed off at 'put-down' comments by some who possibly have never owned a boat with teak decks. Just because you own a boat and don't want to spend time doing teak maintenance, doesn't necessarily make you an expert on the subject. For instance, you don't know if another persons problem with a teak deck was created by, or for, a lack of general care, but you appear to jump on it and perpetuate the issue as if it were your own experience.

On my 24 ft. LOD cruising boat of similar dimensions to Pardey's original Serraffyn, I not only have teak decks but also teak capped Coamings, teak Hatches, teak Cockpit Seats as well as a teak Grid in the cockpit. Furthermore, I have a custom teak grid on the Boom-kin for outside storage of my propane tank, and of course another lovely teak grid on the Bowsprit.

Call me a masochist if you like, I just don't give a damn however, if teak is so undesirable to all you folk making derogatory comments on its use, why is it so many other boat owners on my dock and the few dock walkers we often meet, always stop to admire MY boat, but casually walk by most all other boats, almost as if they were not there?

So, for all you naysayers out there, a properly installed deck is pure beauty in my opinion. Living in the PNW, heat is not a major issue so I cannot comment about use of teak in hot climates. Neither will I do like so many of you and "generalize" on the subject when in fact, conditions differ all over the world as well as the north American continent. Believe me folks, the world does NOT end at the borders of the U.S.A., even (if) you do call that old British kids game of "Rounders" that you play (renamed Baseball) ... The 'World' Series!!! ... Hah!

My deck was professionally installed by "Anglo Marine" a business located at Shelter Island Marina in Delta, B.C. ... The 1-1/2" wide teak strips are a full 7/16" thick. A layer (or coating) of a black synthetic rubber product was applied to the properly prepared glass deck, as well as the underside of all the teak. Installed on the deck, it was vacuum bagged, giving it an even atmospheric pressure clamping force over every square inch of the deck, permanently bonding the teak to the glass. It was left under pressure for about 72 hours before the vacuum pump was shut off. There are no fasteners used at all over the entire installation. THIS is the proper way to install a teak deck in this day and age.

You don't have to go to Taiwan to get a professional job done, all you have to do is take a page from your President Elect's book. Find the nearest 'right' company to do the job and support your neighbour and local economy.

Boy that's a lot of angst from someone who "Don't give a damn" what others think and who is maintaining a small 24 ft boat..