Non-Screwed Teak Decks

[FecklessDolphin]

When did they stop screwing down teak decks? With the epoxies available now, new teak decks do not have to be screwed down so they should not leak. What year did boat manufacturers change how they did things?

[minaret]

2000-ish.

[CPseudonym]

When boat shopping look for the tell tale bungs that cover the screw heads. Glued down decks lack them.

[FecklessDolphin]

Last week I visited the Hinckley yard in Maine and the broker estimated that Hinckley stopped screwing them down in 1990.

[Stumble]

We actually still sell screws to companies for screwing down teak decks... As a salesman i love selling biat builders stuff, as a sailor I think screwing anything into a boat is poor practice.

At least with titanium the screws won't corrode though.

[Dockhead]

The Oyster 485 I almost bought was built in 2000 and had screwed-down teak decks. They had leaked and wreaked havoc with the joinery, the main (but not only) reason I did not go through with buying the boat some years ago. The decks were also worn, split in places, pulling up in places, and would have required expensive refurbishment.

The Moody 54 which I ended up buying was laid down in 1999 and commissioned in 2000. It has glued-down decks which are still in nearly perfect condition after nearly 13 years of service, and not a drop of any kind of leaking into the interior, whether through the decks, hatches, or anything else.

The Moody yard no longer exists (the name was bought by Germans), but the CNC teak cutting technology developed by Moody and a plant making them was spun off and still exists, under the name Moody Decking. Ironically, they supply all the decks for Oyster yachts

Based on my experience, avoid screwed-down decks like the plague.

[MacG]

Quite so. Leakage through the screwholes is almost unavoidable. New glue-technics and applications of dedicated glues (Sikaflex, Bostic) made fastening with screws obsolete.

This winter I am adding a wooden deck to Neala, the wood to be specified as there are more possibilities than teak only. Glueing straight on steel.

[carstenb]

I've done a bit of deck work myself. I do it the old-fashioned way. Cut the teak to size, screw it down. When the whole deck is laid, number the boards, unscrew them, put down bedding compound, screw the boards back on. wait a couple of days for he bedding compound to dry, unscrew, fill screw holes with teak dowels and finally fill the grooves with sealant compound.

Never really had any leaks, but you have to do it all very carefully. no shortcuts

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by carstenb

I've done a bit of deck work myself. I do it the old-fashioned way. Cut the teak to size, screw it down. When the whole deck is laid, number the boards, unscrew them, put down bedding compound, screw the boards back on. wait a couple of days for he bedding compound to dry, unscrew, fill screw holes with teak dowels and finally fill the grooves with sealant compound.

Never really had any leaks, but you have to do it all very carefully. no shortcuts

It means your work is even better than Oyster's! Respect!

If even Oyster can't do it without leaking, I would never try it myself . . .

[carstenb]

Well Dockhead, as I noted. No shortcuts. Take your time (lots and lots of time). And never try to hurry.

Hard work, but satisfying

[barnakiel]

Stop this Oyster Respect nonsense: go onboard any 15 y.o. Oyster and have a look at her decks. You might get very disappointed unless her owner is a caring, loving and knowledgable person. Same applies to any other teak, Oyster or not.

BTW I do not think it is epoxy as per OP but (as probably noted above) some soft adhesive-compound.

BTW It was well pre 2000 in case of HR.

Cheers,
b.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Stop this Oyster Respect nonsense: go onboard any 15 y.o. Oyster and have a look at her decks. You might get very disappointed unless her owner is a caring, loving and knowledgable person. Same applies to any other teak, Oyster or not.

I looked at probably 15 Oysters when I was trying to buy one. From 9 years old (at the time) to 20 years old. The decks were all knackered

The decks on my boat will soon be 13 years old, and are nearly perfect -- flawless caulking, no pulling up or splitting anywhere. Besides general neglect, they have survived with flying colors even having a bucket of very dirty used motor oil dumped on them by one idiot crewman once.

Is their present excellent condition the result of a "caring, loving, and knowledgeable" previous owner? Or original installation quality?

I don't know. I would not rate myself as "caring, loving, and knowledgeable", where my decks are concerned -- maybe I "love", but I don't do anything to my decks besides dump buckets of seawater over them from time to time. They seem to take care of themselves.

[carstenb]

Dockhead

The best treatment for teak deck is to wash them with soap spuds from a mild soap like Ivory. If you use a brush, always brush across the grain - never with it.

If you want to restore the original warm buff color of the teak, mix about a 1:10 solution of Oxalic acid (its a powder) and hot water. Brush this on the teak, leave it until almost dry and the rinse it down with a hose.

Oh, I forgot - you have to wash the deck with the soap before you sue the Oxalic acid.

I do the above once or twice a year on my boat and deck always looks like it was just laid.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Dockhead

The best treatment for teak deck is to wash them with soap spuds from a mild soap like Ivory. If you use a brush, always brush across the grain - never with it.

If you want to restore the original warm buff color of the teak, mix about a 1:10 solution of Oxalic acid (its a powder) and hot water. Brush this on the teak, leave it until almost dry and the rinse it down with a hose.

Oh, I forgot - you have to wash the deck with the soap before you sue the Oxalic acid.

I do the above once or twice a year on my boat and deck always looks like it was just laid.

Thanks.

Doesn't Oxalic acid eat away the teak? If not, I might be tempted by the color, although I must say I am quite happy with the silvery color of the natural teak.

I have washed the decks with dish washing soap on rare occasions (always scrubbing across the grain, and using a soft sponge -- I do know that much, duh!), but it never seemed to make much difference. The decks seem to shed dirt themselves everytime I sail in heavy weather and take sea water over the bow. So I don't do it as often now.

I have also -- once -- treated them with Boracol to kill green algae and black mold spots, as per Hallberg-Rassey instructions. Seemed to work pretty well.

In general, I think teak decks are a lot less trouble than fiberglass ones like on my last boat. Those damned things would show the slightest speck of dirt and required constant scrubbing. Teak decks are a big contingent liability, because if you ever do have to replace them, they can cost more than a repower (that would be the case for my boat for sure). But I L-O-V-E them to death, wouldn't want to have a boat without them now.

[carstenb]

A mild solution like 1:10 or even 1:20 won't do much. The man who taught me to lay teak deck has used it on his boat since he laid those decks. They are over thirty years old and while beginning to get a little thin in some places (wear and tear - he sails a lot), he claims it is not from the Oxalic acid.

Teak decks are beautiful if maintained. But if you have to relay them £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££