Why Teak ?

[Mexdon]

Tai Mo Shan: a classic beauty, I was unaware they used teak as the full hull I had only previously heard of it be used as an outer layer timber.

Coburg Yacht Brokers - Tai-Mo-Shan

[sv Winterlude]

Our original boat selection criteria stated specifically "NO EXTERIOR TEAK" -- or as little as possible. So we bought a traditional boat, a 1985 Passport 37 - not only teak decks, caprails, handrails and rub rails, but also an interior with real staved teak planking and a teak & holly cabin sole.

Ahhhyaya... what were we thinking? In the excitement of the moment, we've cost ourselves a ton of time and money in teak maintenance. Not that we wouldn't do it all over again ....

Yes, there are bluewater, good quality boats built that don't have tons of teak. If you can keep from falling in love with a boat covered in teak...

Cheers -- Jan

[psk125]

Originally Posted by simonmd

You'll never find a boat made entirely of teak, it would cost a FORTUNE!!
!

Perhaps, but IIRC, Robin Knox Johnston's first boat - Suhaili - was all teak construction.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by MacG

All remarks about teak as being not used for hull material are utterly wrong.
Teak is the ultimate hull material speaking of the use of wood.
The technical properties are excellent, durability/longevity excellent too and the only problem is the availability of grade #1 quality.
There are yachts of many decades built of teak still existing in good to very good shape. See "Tai-Mo-Shan".
The built of masts, bowsprits, booms etc. has nothing to do with weight but with flexibility. A good replacement for teak is Iroko.

I didn't say anything about it not being a good material, but rather that you won't find it used very often which is an absolutely true statement. You could work on wooden boats for years and never stumble across a teak hull.

[simonmd]

Originally Posted by psk125

Perhaps, but IIRC, Robin Knox Johnston's first boat - Suhaili - was all teak construction.

Bad choice of words, would have been better if i'd said 'you'll rerely find one'.

[MacG]

The problem with teak is that it doesn' t glue well - although even that is not entirely true.
It needs to be degreased and that only with industrial solvents like MEK.
And indeed, at present the topquality of teak is hard to get. One very well known yachtbuilder told me that 85% of the teak offered will be rejected.
I know that teak is an uncommon material in the US, but not so in Holland or the UK.
We very much appreciate the use of teak for decks and interior carpentry.

I will cover my deck as soon as possible with teak, if I can find a place to cover the boat up. A naked steel deck is very uncomfortable and ugly as well.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by sv Winterlude

Our original boat selection criteria stated specifically "NO EXTERIOR TEAK" -- or as little as possible. So we bought a traditional boat, a 1985 Passport 37 - not only teak decks, caprails, handrails and rub rails, but also an interior with real staved teak planking and a teak & holly cabin sole.

Ahhhyaya... what were we thinking? In the excitement of the moment, we've cost ourselves a ton of time and money in teak maintenance. Not that we wouldn't do it all over again ....

Yes, there are bluewater, good quality boats built that don't have tons of teak. If you can keep from falling in love with a boat covered in teak...

Cheers -- Jan

Once the exterior teak is in good shape, it should be possible to get away with a refresh once a year - a light sand and two coats of varnish. On my 31ft boat, that takes two weekends (rub rail, toe rail, handrails, caprails). It's not that bad.

Of course it helps that there are sunbrella covers for everything, so instead you spend the time taking those off and putting them back on!

[David M]

Teak originally was plentiful, relatively cheap, people did not care about the rain forest and it was rot resistant.

These days it is still rot resistant.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by MacG

The problem with teak is that it doesn' t glue well - although even that is not entirely true.
It needs to be degreased and that only with industrial solvents like MEK.
And indeed, at present the topquality of teak is hard to get. One very well known yachtbuilder told me that 85% of the teak offered will be rejected.
I know that teak is an uncommon material in the US, but not so in Holland or the UK.
We very much appreciate the use of teak for decks and interior carpentry.

I will cover my deck as soon as possible with teak, if I can find a place to cover the boat up. A naked steel deck is very uncomfortable and ugly as well.

I heard they had made it illegal to import teak into the eurozone recently. Is that not true?

[Astrid]

There are restrictions on Burmese teak grown and milled in Burma; however burmese teak grown on plantations or occurring naturally elsewhere are not restricted provided the teak is milled elsewhere other than Burma.

[MacG]

No, teak in Holland (and France) is regular available. The wood comes mostly partly processed in sawn lots. It is cheaper to do it in Asia than in Europe. To find good quality is very difficult.

I am (may be) going to experiment with bamboo. I have been talking to a company capable of processing bamboo into panels (flooring board). With a surface treatment of a special flooring finish I might be able to copy the teak decking at a fraction of the costs of natural teak.

Bamboo glues very well and when the strips are glued with Aerodux or epoxy and protected by a toplayer of polyurethane with anti-slip specs, I might have found a sound alternative for teak.

[Noname]

Originally Posted by semperdog

Hello-
Newbie to boating & forum, please excuse my ignorance!!

I've noticed that many/most ocean capable sailboats are made with teak, which I'm guessing is expensive. Why use teak versus another less expensive wood?

Can you purchase a newer boat that uses fiberglass or another man made product in place of wood (and does this make the boat cheaper to purchase)?

By doing this, do you put yourself into a category where you are buying low quality boats?

Thanks!

Look at the Amels, made in France.