Teak Deck or not

[Colin Oslo]

Hi,
We are looking into a purchase of a fairly new boat (1 year old demo boat). We wish to cruise to a warmer climate, like the Med - then later over the Atlantic, and most hopefully further. Boat will be an "Orust quality".

Should we avoid a teak deck ?
( have heard some say it splits in a warm climate is to warm to walk on, a lot of maintance in a tropical or warm climate ).

or is that just myths ?

We have a teak deck today, and are pleased with this, but cruising in a Scandinavian climate is somewhat different

Any views ?

[undercutter]

This is one of those many threads that have been discussed so much that a simple google search on this forum will give you all the info that you need to make your own decision.

I for one wouldn't have any other kind. Yes they can be hot but nothing feels as good or looks as good as teak. I have never slipped or slid on a wet teak deck either and this is probably the most important thing.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Welcome to CF!

I've been on teak decked boats in Southern California on some days, where when barefoot, you definitely didn't stand around on the stuff. As, yes it'd burn you.
It's not like walking on Asphalt barefoot, but... I'd prefer white, painted or gel coated deck, given my druthers.
Mind you, if there's a decent breeze blowing, & or other cooling effects to mitigate things, then at times teak is okay.

Also, keep in mind that anything of color which is any warmer than needed, adds heat to the cabin. Which is even more important in places where folks have awnings for their boats which stretch from stem to stern.

I can't recall exactly where at the moment, but either in the WEST System User Guides, or their book, On Boat Construction there's a table which delineates the temperatures of different colored surfaces in direct sunlight at reasonable ambient air temp's. And it's quite the eye opener. Though, again, it doesn't take into account breezes, etc.

[Sandero]

I have a GRP/gelcoat deck with a diamond no skid pattern for 30 years. I never slipped when the were wet. Teak looks stunning... is hard to maintain... and extremely expensive and to repair and replace. My cockpit is all teak "slatted" grates and so forth... removable and serviceable with only a small area of teak attached permanently.

[crpcrp]

Hi, some of this decision is one of personal preference I think and if you are happy with non teak alternatives.

Over recent years cork decking (looks almost the same) has become popular for warmer climates. Its softer than teak on the feet and these days stain resident and non slip when wet. Best of all its very low maintenance.

Take a look at stazo marine deck 2000 (Welkom aan boord! | Marinedeck.net). This may given you an option to consider.

Personally I would go for something as I find the grp surfaces add little to the overall appearance of a yacht and if you live aboard you will perhaps appreciate having the added improvement.

The more plastic options I would not personally consider.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by crpcrp

Hi, some of this decision is one of personal preference I think and if you are happy with non teak alternatives.

Over recent years cork decking (looks almost the same) has become popular for warmer climates. Its softer than teak on the feet and these days stain resident and non slip when wet. Best of all its very low maintenance.

Take a look at stazo marine deck 2000 (Welkom aan boord! | Marinedeck.net). This may given you an option to consider.

Personally I would go for something as I find the grp surfaces add little to the overall appearance of a yacht and if you live aboard you will perhaps appreciate having the added improvement.

The more plastic options I would not personally consider.

Matter of taste of course, but if you can get past the aesthetics, the biggest problem with plastic decks is the maintenance. They show every speck of dirt and have to washed, washed, washed, and washed all the time. I had plastic decks on the last boat and spent half my time scrubbing the decks.

Teak is much simpler that way -- just pour buckets of sea water on it from time to time and that is all the maintenance they typically need. Scrubbing not required (and is actually harmful).

[SaltyTanned]

The tropical sun eats away teak if it is not protected. Maintenance on teak is high. My boat has teak and I would have replaced this if it were nos so espensive to do. Barefoot as is customary under the tropics it is hot enough to cook your feet. To me beauty resides in function and teak decks are really not functional under a hot sun.

[Prairie Chicken]

As mentioned earlier, search the topic on CF & you'll learn more than you ever wanted to on the topic.

Teak, untreated, withstands tropical heat just fine. You run into problems when you start trying to stain, seal or in some way treat it. Learn how to care for it & then enjoy it. Yes, it is hot on the feet in very hot weather, but nothing beats the grip or the look. And yes, it is very expensive to repair once it has been damaged by pressure washing, sanding, or treating. We've had decks of both diamond nonslip & teak, & I prefer the teak.


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[jrbogie]

didn't take me long after buying my first sailboat several decades ago to come to the mindset, 'THE LESS WOOD ON A BOAT THE BETTER.' wood is sure pretty and it can be enjoyable to sit back and gaze at the fine luster and sheen but nothing, to me is enjoyable about working for hours on end to keep that luster and sheen. oh, there's the weight too. who needs it on a sailboat?

[cruiser3650]

There's a great product I have installed on my last 2 boats.
PlasTeak. It is recycled plastic I believe and wears like iron. Not slippery when wet in fact even feels "tackier" when wet.
The latest boat, the rows glow in the dark! Makes getting on and off at night a lot easier and looks really cool. It can be hot on the feet depending on the color you get but tossing some water on the darker teak color and it cools off quickly.
The white that looks like faded teak is much cooler 20-30 degrees.

[Sempersafloat]

We had a teak deck on our boat for 16 years, it looked good and worked fine in the cooler / damper climes of the UK, but when we decamped to the Med, its painful to walk on. It gets so hot you could probably fry eggs on it, and it gets tedious chucking salt water over it at regular intervals. We now have a product called Flexiteek on the decks and cockpit. Its extremely hard to tell it's not teak, and is every bit as non slip as the real thing. Its a synthetic product, can be pressure washed/scrubbed with impunity, and isn't QUITE as hot as the genuine article in the sun. Also significantly cheaper and more ecofriendly (if that bothers you) than the real thing. Needless to say I have no connection with the company other than being a satisfied customer.

[valhalla360]

Teak made sense when all boats were made of wood.

I have to agree with the guy who said the less wood the better (at least exterior wood)

[Cheechako]

It's a personal choice, nothing wrong with a teak deck, but yes they can get very hot. Eventually they will cost money to rebuild/recaulk, but that may be a decade or more.
They are superior to many non skid systems though. Personally I prefer not to have them. Also, often the teak used today is not comparable to the old growth used years ago in durability.

[exMaggieDrum]

I love the look and feel of a good teak deck. But even in the cool Pacific Northwest it can blister your feet when barefoot. The heat it absorbs is good for up here but in the tropics it helps keep the cabin hotter. I have a teak deck now and I will be removing it at great pain and expense. It has worn thin and "bubbling up" in spots. I am dreading the project like few others I have done. But it is gorgeous when in good shape and I love the feel of it otherwise. A difficult decision since, like others have said, plastic decks have their own issues.

[barnakiel]

In my book teak is a 100% big NO in the tropics. Yes I know Columbus had them.

This is from one sailing, living and working in the tropics and sub-tropics over last 12 years or so.

b.