Should I renew my teak decks

[poiu]

My 20 year old boat is at close to the end of life with its teak decks. Cost to replace is $50,000. Boat value done is $650,000. Boat value not done is, well, I don’t know, somewhat less. Maybe $600,000.

If I were to keep her for a long while, I would get rid of the teak. I don’t like teak really. It’s hot and dirty. Cost to go to gel coat $40,000. She would be a better boat, I think, just not as aesthetically pleasing to many. End value? I don’t know. What do you think? Would you but an Oyster 66 with gelcoat anti skid decks? Is teak a must have?

Would the boat be better with gelcoat or teak, or cork or lignia?

[Rohan]

Honestly, if I was going to buy an Oyster 66, I would be more likely to purchase it without teak decks.

Why not go synthetic, or with sustainable cork? Weighs less, less hot on your feet, and looks great.

https://seacorkfloor.com/cork-decking-for-boats/

https://www.plasdeck.com/

[SurferShane]

Not a "classic" boat in the vintage sense? Why not on going back to get coat and/or even using a synthetic as above? Can't see it ruining the aesthetic and obviously going to reduce maintenance.

Plus save the rainforests. In today's political correctness we might nearly call the synthetic alternatives"vegan teak"? Lol

I have been thinking of using the free solid teak from my old boat to refit the cockpit of my Bristol 24. Even then the maintenance might get in the way of my free time surfing.

Immediate reason I am considering adding the extra layer of thick teak on the seats is to reduce the condensation problem below. I do wonder if removing it back to gel coat might cause the opposite, though I do suspect the effect would be very minimal on an Oyster?

[Muaddib1116]

I think the biggest factor is how long you think you'll own the boat. If you think you'll sell it in a few years, having recently renewed teak might set it above other competitors. I think most here would probably prefer no teak, or synthetic, but I'm not sure that's reflected in the market for that type of boat. If it's even less than that, I may just say get out of it as-is, and don't put yourself through the cost and hassle of dealing with that type of project.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

I think the biggest factor is how long you think you'll own the boat. If you think you'll sell it in a few years, having recently renewed teak might set it above other competitors. I think most here would probably prefer no teak, or synthetic, but I'm not sure that's reflected in the market for that type of boat. If it's even less than that, I may just say get out of it as-is, and don't put yourself through the cost and hassle of dealing with that type of project.

That’s what I am thinking, but with the decks as bad as they are, I fear the boat is unsaleable.

I saw a boat with flexiteek today. I quite liked it.

[Muaddib1116]

How old is the boat?


If it's really that trashed, I suppose it's worth doing something, even if you plan to sell it immediately. I still suspect that for resale, teak is better than synthetic.

[psk125]

Is no one else surprised that the decks are so close to 'end of life' after just 20 years? Most teak decks seem to hold up a good deal longer than that. What has been happening to wear them out so fast? A boat in our harbor recently replaced its teak decks with ply & glass because of leaks. But the boat was built in 1976.

[VChild]

$50K to replace a teak deck on a 66ft. boat seems low. My teak deck replacement cost me well over that amount and my boat is 41ft.

[VChild]

Originally Posted by psk125

Is no one else surprised that the decks are so close to 'end of life' after just 20 years? Most teak decks seem to hold up a good deal longer than that. What has been happening to wear them out so fast? A boat in our harbor recently replaced its teak decks with ply & glass because of leaks. But the boat was built in 1976.

Probably frequent sanding to keep the "new teak" look or improper washing (harsh scrubbing in line with the wood grain)

[michaeld]

We are facing the same issue with our 1985 Taiwan built cutter. Personally, I love the look and feel of teak. Looking at alternatives, I'm not overly impressed with what's available and affordable. Sadly, I think we'll end up with a non-skid deck.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by VChild

$50K to replace a teak deck on a 66ft. boat seems low. My teak deck replacement cost me well over that amount and my boat is 41ft.

$50 per hr in the Caribbean instead of $90 in the US. That’s all, no magic here.

[sailcrazy]

Our (Taiwan-made) Taswell 43 was made with teak decks. The PO liked her looking "...bristol" so he had the decks sanded every week!!! Well, our deck went south and had to be replaced. We optd for a non-skid no teak deck....and hated it! It was (also) hot, looked bad, with green water coming over the bow it was NOT non-skid (it was actually slippery)-not good! When we got to Phuket, we had the non-skid removed, and a new (glued down, NOT screwed down) teak deck reinstalled-and have never looked back. Yes, there is a little mx required-we wash it with soap 1/yr, then apply Semco Natural (2 coats). As we're in the Carrib (now, since 2014), the sun angle is pretty high. The Semco keeps the deck protected while keeping it looking like natural teak without greying. It takes us a day to wash and dry it, then about 4 hours to apply the 2 coats to the deck and caprail....not a real big mx issue! but then we don't clean fish on our deck, either! Maybe the new fake-teak products are better these days, but 11 years ago they were very obviously fake (and looked cheap); for us, that was an easy choice. And we've never regretted it. An Oyster is a gorgeous boat-keep her like she was made. PS...I've heard there is some excellent-and reasonably priced- teak work being done in Rio Dolce....may be worth checking out?

[tml]

I am currently in English Harbor Antigua and an Oyster Rally is making a stop with 20 ish boats your size perhaps some larger? Impressive to walk the dock. Every boat I saw had well maintained teak decks. A gelcoat deck would be a conspicuous outlier.
We are currently finishing up a refit this week of our 1978 teak deck to include refastening and new caulk in the seams which were recut and deepened to full depth along with other maintenance as required. It is not " as new" but I am very well pleased.
A few points based on sailing and maintaining these teak decks for 23 years.
1 Not every deck is suitable for a refit rather than replacement. The prime variable is how thick is the teak? In our case it was 3/8" or better with few exceptions. It was laid I'm told at 3/4" 44 years ago and has sailed a lot of miles. Our teak is almost certainly not plantation grown. Conventional wisdom is that the " from the wild " teak is denser
and lasts longer. Finding the right person to do the job is of course the key.
2 I agree with VChild even with Caribbean pricing $50,000 seems very low for a quality job. If I were negotiating for a boat that required a deck replaced my first call would be Teak Decking Systems for a quote. They really have a better product and in my opinion
unlikely to be improved upon.
Teak decks are a very personal choice. I like them. On many boats its an expectation.
Are your decks beginning to leak? If so they should be dealt with immediately. Not so obvious deck leaks can cost you expensive interior refit. Ask me how I know!
Good luck you have a beautiful boat.
Tom

[Kd9truck]

First off cheers to you, I have spent over 40 days recently on those decks, at about the same age vessel from Oyster (with similar issues). Teak is beautiful, I have some teak in my cockpit, but it is all those other things. I silently run from the idea of owning a vessel with teak decks because I know first hand what it takes to maintain, I do almost all my own maintenance, for me it’s more of a pride thing than a money thing but the money to maintain/replace is not insignificant.

I would go with no skid on the deck, keeping teak in the cockpit areas in your case it may very well help sell it, not to the first time owner, but to the owner who knows there are, and will be other things to be concerned with on a 66 ft pelagic vessel. I would not replace with composite alternatives, but that is because I have not seen and experienced a clear comparable relatively maintenance free alternative that has longevity.( Imho)

[letsgetsailing3]

I would think most people buying that age of boat would prefer the security of no leaks to new teaks.


And I think you could sell that story, too, as long as the new product looked good and trouble-free.