Old Teak Deck Condition (considering purchasing)

[justlooking]

I am considering the purchase of a 1990 era 41' sloop with teak decks.

Since I know next to nothing about teak decks (other than refitting them can be extremely expensive), I thought I would call upon the collective expertise of cruisers forum to provide an unvarnished (ahem...) opinion as to the serviceability and life of the deck as documented.

My general in-person observation of the deck was that the surface was rough and there were a significant number of teak plugs missing, but only a few had screws that showed slight rust from the stainless screws. Screw holes missing plugs were generally epoxied over. A certain amount of sealant was coming off between the teak planks. A few of the planks were becoming unstuck, but only the last couple of centimeters and the rise and fall when pressed was only a couple of millimeters (I know... probably exactly what happens right before the entire deck goes pear-shaped). Some areas were significantly worn and screws missing their teak plugs probably only had a couple of millimeters of teak relief to the primary surface from the screw head. The general color of the teak was a sun burnt gray. One or two areas had the teak worn through to the fiberglass surface. Some parts of the showed some kind of speckling or patching paste (that tried to match the color of the teak prior to it becoming sun burnt) had been applied (not much, but enough to be noticed). The deck did not appear to have any horribly egregious soft spots and the interior had no gross signs of water intrusion (I was looking for water stained wood on the interior). Given the above, I would put the deck in the last 25% of its useful life, but I'd like to hear what everyone has to say and find out if there are any rejuvenation techniques that can be used to get an extra couple of years (maybe a decade?) out of it.

Without further adieu, the pictures from the bow working back towards the stern to include close ups of trouble spots (I stuck these on Imgur because of the number and size... didn't want to clog up CF):

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[daddle]

Finish the teak with a crowbar. Put it in the dumpster. Finish whatever is under it with a nice painted non-skid then get on with cruising. You'll never miss it. Unless your goal is a marina queen to impress dock walkers. That's my opinion.

[boatsmith]

From your description and the pics i looked at this deck is done. The screws are showing. It is very unlikely that there is not core damage/water saturated glass below the teak. This is an expensive deck to replace. It will not be inexpensive to replace with non skid paint except as compared to new teak. Either way that deck looks like money to someone in my business.

[Ram]

what about the plastic teak as a replacement?

[Ocean Girl]

What is the make and model of the vessel? That really makes a big difference on whether you want to take the time and expense to redo the deck.
If it was a cheaply built boat, which by the pictures she looks like she is of good quality, but if she of a lower quality then the redo will be a bigger issue( IMHO)

Even with all your great pictures, I couldn't tell the make ( i didnt look at all of em) I guessed 80s Tayana( modern design) or a westerly..? But I'm rusty!

Anyways, I agree with the previous posters, the deck looks done But on that same note, the decks are of good quality, so maybe the water intrusion into the core won't be as disastrous as it would with a lower quality vessel.
Hope that helps
Erika

[savoir]

That deck is still good for another 3 years or so.

I would give the mouldy bits a good scrub with hot water and soap followed by a scrub with white vinegar. Rinse regularly with salt water.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by daddle

Finish the teak with a crowbar. Put it in the dumpster. Finish whatever is under it with a nice painted non-skid then get on with cruising. You'll never miss it. Unless your goal is a marina queen to impress dock walkers. That's my opinion.

The plugs are out and the screws are showing because the wood is worn down so there is no plug thickness left. You could unscrew and reaseal the whole deck, but just ripping it off, filling the holes and even hand rolling non skid paint would probably be best....
or just ignore it entirely and go sailing! It's not going to fall off....

[tropicalescape]

If its not causing problems ,I would go sailing,you start ripping it up you want be sailing ,you will be working on one more problem,chose your battles ...

[boatsmith]

Why would anyone think that this deck is not leaking into screw holes? There is widespread plug failure and much of the caulk seams are worn past the bottom of the seam.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by boatsmith

Why would anyone think that this deck is not leaking into screw holes? There is widespread plug failure and much of the caulk seams are worn past the bottom of the seam.

I've ripped off a couple of teak decks in my day, and found that just because a screw has lost its plug doesn't mean that there is water leaking into its hole. Some decks of that era were screwed and glued, and the glue will help seal the holes. I looked at the pictures and only saw a few rusty screws (which indicate water in the hole as SS rusts where it is wet in the absence of oxygen). I would at a minimum pull those screws, dry the hole, drop some penetrating epoxy down it, and re-screw.

Overall, I agree that the deck needs replacing in the next 2-3 years--there is not enough thickness left to bother with replugging and recaulking. If it were my boat, I'd plan a trip to Thailand and get it replaced there.

[anontrolus]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

What is the make and model of the vessel? That really makes a big difference on whether you want to take the time and expense to redo the deck.
If it was a cheaply built boat, which by the pictures she looks like she is of good quality, but if she of a lower quality then the redo will be a bigger issue( IMHO)

Even with all your great pictures, I couldn't tell the make ( i didnt look at all of em) I guessed 80s Tayana( modern design) or a westerly..? But I'm rusty!

Anyways, I agree with the previous posters, the deck looks done But on that same note, the decks are of good quality, so maybe the water intrusion into the core won't be as disastrous as it would with a lower quality vessel.
Hope that helps
Erika

I think the boat was well put together.

More info about the make/model can be found here: http://sawaji.com/150.html

I have an email into the designer asking what type of of deck construction was used and if it is a balsa or foam core. No response as of yet... Probably a language barrier that google translate couldn't fix. My guess is that it is a thick balsa core and that it is soaking up some water due to the moist planks mid ship ( it hasn't rained in a few days and the humidity is at the annual low point, which is probably less than 40% rh).

[anontrolus]

Originally Posted by savoir

That deck is still good for another 3 years or so.

I would give the mouldy bits a good scrub with hot water and soap followed by a scrub with white vinegar. Rinse regularly with salt water.

Is fresh water better or worse for old teak than salt water?

[EzzyD]

Originally Posted by anontrolus

I think the boat was well put together.

More info about the make/model can be found here: http://sawaji.com/150.html

I have an email into the designer asking what type of of deck construction was used and if it is a balsa or foam core. No response as of yet... Probably a language barrier that google translate couldn't fix. My guess is that it is a thick balsa core and that it is soaking up some water due to the moist planks mid ship ( it hasn't rained in a few days and the humidity is at the annual low point, which is probably less than 40% rh).

The link you gave has an error, it would be great if the mods or you could correct it. I believe it should be: www.sawaji.com/designs/150.html

the other link you gave results in an error....

Are you the original OP?