So I think i'm going to go a with Synthetic teak deck

[landsend]

I'm installing Nuteak in my salon, stairs,bathroom and bunk room hopefully next week.I'll send pictures and report on the experience.

[EllesBelles]

Originally Posted by natraps116

Thanks hank, good info in that thread. Yeah I'm leaning towards flexiteak. They kinda were the first

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Be sure you've stood on a boat with Flexiteak (or any of the composite products like it) in the sun before you go forward. We are so glad we did because it was excruciatingly painful on our feet. Not being someone who likes to walk on hot coals, I found synthetic teak on a boat in the sun in the southern latitudes to be intolerable. PAIN! We like to be barefoot on our boat, so flexiteak or any of the fake teaks made of composite is a no-go for us.

[bcboomer]

Ellen Belle
That was a major factor in deciding on cork. We like to go barefoot in the summer and blistered feet are no fun.

[SailRedemption]

The marine deck 2000 cork was cool as a cucumber in Miami sun, as wasn't hot being Feb but the sun was shinning.

See more @ redemptiverepair.com

[rognvald]

The last time we were in Miami, we went aboard a custom boat built in Germany with cork decks. They had returned from a 3-year cruise in the Caribbean and the decks looked like new and were quite attractive. Check out cork before you spend your money on faux teak. Good luck and safe sailing.

[chris95040]

OP (Or minaret!)

How do you plan to remove the (glued-down) teak?

I'm about to glue some down myself with Teak Decking System's purpose-made epoxy and I'm wondering what the (hopefully distant) future holds.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by chris95040

OP (Or minaret!)

How do you plan to remove the (glued-down) teak?

I'm about to glue some down myself with Teak Decking System's purpose-made epoxy and I'm wondering what the (hopefully distant) future holds.

Depends on how stuck down it is. Fastest method for only sorta stuck I've found is run a circ saw around each row of fasteners with depth of cut at almost all the way through the teak. Then use flat bars and baby sledges to remove all the non screwed areas. This leaves you with little strips of teak everywhere with screws through it. Then attack those with flat bar. Shortly all that's left is a couple thousand screws sticking out.


Obviously this won't work for TDS epoxy, but it does for the majority of jobs. For epoxied teak I usually pull bungs, remove all fasteners, and use a slick and/or a power plane to remove the teak, grinder in the corners with a Holey Galahad type disc.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by minaret

Depends on how stuck down it is. Fastest method for only sorta stuck I've found is run a circ saw around each row of fasteners with depth of cut at almost all the way through the teak. Then use flat bars and baby sledges to remove all the non screwed areas. This leaves you with little strips of teak everywhere with screws through it. Then attack those with flat bar. Shortly all that's left is a couple thousand screws sticking out.


Obviously this won't work for TDS epoxy, but it does for the majority of jobs. For epoxied teak I usually pull bungs, remove all fasteners, and use a slick and/or a power plane to remove the teak, grinder in the corners with a Holey Galahad type disc.

Wow- how much teak can you get through on one pass with a power plane?

Holey Galahad- had to google that. What an awesome concept, you can actually see wtf you are doing!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Wow- how much teak can you get through on one pass with a power plane?

Holey Galahad- had to google that. What an awesome concept, you can actually see wtf you are doing!

A fat 1/16th. Amazing how many garbage bags of shavings you get from a big boat deck! Works fast though. Good for thick decks. A slick is faster for thin decks.


Their is a flatter version of the Holey Galahad, don't remember the name. Works better for that sort of thing. Dangerous tool! Really moves material. Don't hit glass with it, only wood.

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by chris95040

OP (Or minaret!)

How do you plan to remove the (glued-down) teak?

I'm about to glue some down myself with Teak Decking System's purpose-made epoxy and I'm wondering what the (hopefully distant) future holds.

I am gonna scrape it up in sections after sawing it. I have to disconnect a few pieces of sailing hardware to remove it all so it's gonna be a big job. I figure I can do all the grunt work and then I'm gonna have the pros glue it down. I am changing the look of my boat and going with the scrubbed teak color with white caulk. We are also painting our hull black. Kinda like this boat...



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[David B]

Originally Posted by natraps116

As many of you all know I own a Grand Soleil 46.3
SeaWolf (boats name) has full glued down teak decks... I returned from our Caribbean tour two months ago and have been searching and debating what to do about our decks for over a year now. Technically speaking, it doesn't leak and i could leave them for another year but, they would look really shabby and are beginging to split and they do not feel good under foot. I found a model of my boat that has removed all the teak and replaced it with white non skid.....

...... And i think it looks terrible.IMHO

I understand that white non skid is the safest,cheapest,most affordable way to go, and fake teak gets hot, but i just cant bring myself to go deface my boat like that SOOOOOOOOO....

I think we are going to go with the a synthetic teak replacement.
Am I the only one who thinks that the teak look and feel is worth the money?

Discuss

We have teak on ours. Did not want it due to concerns regarding effort in maintenance and cost of maintenance. However the boat was the last off the line of that series, and we had to take it or leave it.
Having tried a few options on scraps, and leaving the actual decks for a year, we went with Semco.

After a year, the decks were fully grey. We applied the cleaner in the evening, and found it very effective (although somewhat harsh). The neutraliser/brightener went on under lights. In the morning it really was a 'wow' moment - the decks looked simply amazing - like they had been laid and sanded that morning.

The sealer is very, very good. Extremely quick to apply, and goes a long way (under a litre per coat on a 15M/50ft mono). We have people coming up to us asking if the boat is new. Five years out (wash and soft deck-brush scrub, followed by another coat at the beginning of each season), we are very pleased. The only thing is the black caulking loses some of the black, but perhaps we have been putting it on a bit too thick.

We see grey and black teak and don't like it - to us the teak is screaming for some care. We see cork decking, and it is OK in our view, but not for us. We see synthetic (many types), and it looks just that - especially once it has been in the sun for a few years.
Everyone has their own experiences and perspective, but we are teak converts - can't beat the look and feel of real teak - as long as it is looked after - and for us, that involves two hours per year !

Here is our deck at year five - you be the judge.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by David B

We have teak on ours. Did not want it due to concerns regarding effort in maintenance and cost of maintenance. However the boat was the last off the line of that series, and we had to take it or leave it.
Having tried a few options on scraps, and leaving the actual decks for a year, we went with Semco.

After a year, the decks were fully grey. We applied the cleaner in the evening, and found it very effective (although somewhat harsh). The neutraliser/brightener went on under lights. In the morning it really was a 'wow' moment - the decks looked simply amazing - like they had been laid and sanded that morning.

The sealer is very, very good. Extremely quick to apply, and goes a long way (under a litre per coat on a 15M/50ft mono). We have people coming up to us asking if the boat is new. Five years out (wash and soft deck-brush scrub, followed by another coat at the beginning of each season), we are very pleased. The only thing is the black caulking loses some of the black, but perhaps we have been putting it on a bit too thick.

We see grey and black teak and don't like it - to us the teak is screaming for some care. We see cork decking, and it is OK in our view, but not for us. We see synthetic (many types), and it looks just that - especially once it has been in the sun for a few years.
Everyone has their own experiences and perspective, but we are teak converts - can't beat the look and feel of real teak - as long as it is looked after - and for us, that involves two hours per year !

Here is our deck at year five - you be the judge.

Wow!!

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by David B

We have teak on ours. Did not want it due to concerns regarding effort in maintenance and cost of maintenance. However the boat was the last off the line of that series, and we had to take it or leave it.
Having tried a few options on scraps, and leaving the actual decks for a year, we went with Semco.

After a year, the decks were fully grey. We applied the cleaner in the evening, and found it very effective (although somewhat harsh). The neutraliser/brightener went on under lights. In the morning it really was a 'wow' moment - the decks looked simply amazing - like they had been laid and sanded that morning.

The sealer is very, very good. Extremely quick to apply, and goes a long way (under a litre per coat on a 15M/50ft mono). We have people coming up to us asking if the boat is new. Five years out (wash and soft deck-brush scrub, followed by another coat at the beginning of each season), we are very pleased. The only thing is the black caulking loses some of the black, but perhaps we have been putting it on a bit too thick.

We see grey and black teak and don't like it - to us the teak is screaming for some care. We see cork decking, and it is OK in our view, but not for us. We see synthetic (many types), and it looks just that - especially once it has been in the sun for a few years.
Everyone has their own experiences and perspective, but we are teak converts - can't beat the look and feel of real teak - as long as it is looked after - and for us, that involves two hours per year !

Here is our deck at year five - you be the judge.

How much did that deck run?

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[David B]

Originally Posted by natraps116

How much did that deck run?

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Not quite sure of the question, but do you mean the stuff running every where?

If so, the Semco sealer is thinner than water (or so it seems). What we do is take a little flat tray, and a small fibre pad (on a handle - sold as an alternative to a brush, for cutting in - you've just reminded me to get some more, as after 5 years, they are getting a bit ratty). Dip the pad in the tray and just wipe around the toerails, and other areas that need cutting in. That's the time consuming part (and the pad doesn't want to be wet, or you will get runs), and my First Mate does most of that with me following up in the tricky areas (transom step, cockpit floor, locker lids etc etc) that need gymnastics to get done without getting your feet in it. Takes a bit over an hour for us.

Then the fun/easy part. Take one of the squirty bottles that the cleaner or brightener came in, fill it with the sealer, and squirt it on the deck, then just spread it out with a large decking oil applicator pad. Really, really quick - 10 minutes or less and you are done.

That is generally a before evening dinner job, then in the morning you are walking on it, and within another day it is fully dry with nothing coming off on your shoes.

With the rubbish teak decks you get on 'affordable' new production boats these days, there is not a lot of timber there (and look at our king plank - another cost-saving shortcut unfortunately). By the time it has been laid and sanded, I would estimate you are starting off with around 8mm or so of teak. Apart from us wanting it to remain new looking, the idea of leaving that veneer of teak to look after itself in the beating sun, rain, and salt water, was pretty frightening. Looking closely at our deck - apart from the softer wood that the harsh cleaner scoured out in the first year (it left some 'tramlines'), I can say we have not lost any thickness at all. No doubt at some stage we will have to touch up the caulking or even re-do it completely, but going by similar decks we see (unprotected), their age, and the exposure they get, I would say we are good for 15 years or so, before we need to look at caulking, and genuinely, I feel we are good for 25 plus years for the actual timber as long as we continue to look after it, and cover it over winter.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Wow- how much teak can you get through on one pass with a power plane?

Holey Galahad- had to google that. What an awesome concept, you can actually see wtf you are doing!

Go check out my Nauticat 52 refit thread stickied at the top of Maintenance & Refit forum to see how we removed teak deck from my 52' LOD boat in two days.