Wooden decks on new boats?

[free4all]

Hi all,
We're looking at buying a new Beneteau and are considering whether or not to have the wooden (teak?) deck option or stay with the white GRP.
We are intending to do most of our sailing in the Med and heard that the wooden decks don't stand up too well?
Any thoughts?
Thanks.

[sailorboy1]

other than being pretty there are no pros to having teak decks, save your money for something useful

[s/v Moondancer]

We have a teak deck on an older 1984 boat. After 25 years the estimate for replacing was $40,000.

They are very nice but I personally would not have one on a new boat even if they gave me it.

[robert sailor]

They look very nice, they are hot on a really warm day. Teak is an excellent non skid but the gel coat non skids are decent to. If you are going to sell the boat in the next 5 years it should be fine but at some point the buyer starts discounting the boat to allow for teak replacement and many of the newer boats have quite thin teak decks. If you have the extra money and really like the look and feel of teak decks then go for it and enjoy your new boat.

[Tessellate]

I wouldn't do it. Teak decks are a net negative in my mind. They say older boat to me, since most old boats had teak decks. If you like the classic look it could make sense. You didn't say which Beneteau you're getting, but most of those are not classically styled so I think it might look weird.


Sent from my Nexus 5 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[kentobin]

They get really hot, to hot to walk on barefoot and that's in the San Francisco Bay area during an average summer. I wash them down occasionally just to cool them off. My boat has no insulation and you can feel the headliner warm up as the day progresses. Following that thought invest in good insulation and some decent fans.

No idea how the weight would affect your boat but a number of blogs have commented on that. After adding a yankee and staysail furler not sure how any weight reduction at deck level would help me.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

other than being pretty there are no pros to having teak decks, save your money for something useful

Well put.

[Rohan]

If I understand correctly, teak has the advantage of being non-skid, plus some boats just look awful without it. They just look like plain white bathtubs without any wood.

Cork is a viable alternative to teak, hold up better, looks great, and supposedly even more non-skid. I've heard it's cheaper than teak, although I have seen conflicting reports about that.

[bmz]

If they offer the option of a real teak interior, go with that instead. IMO that would be a great improvement over plastic.

[Greggegner]

I like the plastic teak, no maintenance and looks the same for many years. Good traction also.


Greg S/V Sweet Dreams
Pearson P385 out of Racine Wisconsin

[Blue Stocking]

Took mine off, boat is much cooler with painted deck. ( Bermuda heat )

[clockwork orange]

As a boatbuilder who has laid over 20 teak decks in my career I would also discourage you from doing it. The last deck I did was quite a few years ago and involved tearing up the old teak deck on a Cherubini 44 and laying a new one. The original deck had worn away to the point where plugs had fallen out and there were no more caulk seams in places so water was getting to the sub deck, we caught it just in time and replacing the deck with teak again was appropriate on that boat but on a modern Bene i would stay away and spend the money on other things. Other than the traditional look which i do like even on modern boats there is really no up side and lots of down side. Just the added weight alone would dissuade me.


Steve.

[NYCSailor]

We wrestled with the same question having just purchased a beneteau 48 and firmly decided against the teak. It's pretty, but that's it. We got the cockpit in teak, but main decks are all fiberglass. I'd endorse everything already said above.


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[BandB]

We have teak decks, but we are power boaters. They look good. They require maintenance. We did test quite a few of the "fake" teaks and found all of them to have characteristics we didn't like. The worst was the heat. Second was the slipperiness. On the boats we have it's just a necessary part of the styling and no alternative that we've found that gives the same look and feel.

That said I just don't think of teak for a sail boat. It is not necessary from an aesthetics view point to me. That's like putting teak on a fishing boat, makes no sense to me. Teak has benefits of comfort, grip and looks but the exposure on sail boats is greater, the activity on the decks is greater, and I just can't see it.

As to resale, large motor yacht buyers look for teak, other power boat buyers often consider it a negative. I'd expect the vast majority of used sail boat buyers to consider it a negative, not a positive. So whatever additional you're paying up front, write that plus a bit more off.

[zeehag]

teak deck is something folks either love or hate, there is no inbetween.
thos eloving them can give you as many reasons to keep em as th e haters have to ditch em.
is a personal thing.
i find i wish i had teakwood decks here in tropics, as they are markedly less slickery than a painted deck with additives to the paint. they are also more gorgepus and less blinding and more comfortable to my feet.
on my boat the insulation between decking and fg deck is a help in tropical climates. is a feature i truly miss in my formosa, as first owner decided to rip em off the boat.
i was taught how to properly care for teak decks. makes a difference