Removing Teak Decks - Time and Cost

[KelseyB]

Looking at a 1988 Tashiba 40 with sad-looking screwed on teak decks that have a 99% chance of needing to be pulled up. I'm assuming that the odds of some amount of core rot in the deck (it should be end grain balsa in there) are decently high.

Yes, yes, it's a lot of physical labor - my question is what's a rough estimate of the time (2 young people fueled up on caffeine) and cost (materials, tools) of 1) just removing the teak and refinishing the deck with nonskid and 2) if there's moisture, also recoring where necessary? 40 foot boat, probably several thousand screws in that teak... if you worked every weekend Saturday and Sunday, how many weekends would it take you (*rough* estimate).

If you've done this project, on what boat and how much time and money did it cost you? Maybe I can narrow in on an estimate that way.

Second, for a boat that appears in otherwise great shape but has this major flaw, how much would you try and knock off the price for that?

[JPA Cate]

You can figure this out for yourself. Find out what three boat yards would estimate, average the estimates. Use their work hours, being young and strong and healthy, you can probably do it in a similar # of hrs. You and your friend could work longer hours on the weekends, but it would get old fast. You'll figure out what you need to do to set up and put away, and leave the work space tidy for next arrival.

We had a friend who had a yard do a 40 ft. boat, conserving the teak, which he used for a deck around a hot tub subsequently. The yard charged him $20,000--back prior to 1983.

Ann

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by KelseyB

Looking at a 1988 Tashiba 40 with sad-looking screwed on teak decks that have a 99% chance of needing to be pulled up. I'm assuming that the odds of some amount of core rot in the deck (it should be end grain balsa in there) are decently high.......

I can't help with the time/money estimate however I think it is unlikely the deck is end grain balsa. I would expect the material under the teak to be plywood. And yes, expect to find rot in it.

[KelseyB]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We had a friend who had a yard do a 40 ft. boat, conserving the teak, which he used for a deck around a hot tub subsequently. The yard charged him $20,000--back prior to 1983.

Ann

Yowza! Yea, calling around to yards could be helpful. I'm guessing a majority of that $20k was labor.

[KelseyB]

Originally Posted by Wotname

I think it is unlikely the deck is end grain balsa. I would expect the material under the teak to be plywood. And yes, expect to find rot in it.

I'm also a bit worried about actually finding plywood - hence why I said it "should be" end grain balsa. No way to know until you cut in, which gives me pause.

Perhaps a better question is, "is it ever worth it?" Could there be a boat that almost certainly has this issue but is still worth pursuing, or am I fooling myself and should just move on to looking at another boat with some different issue before I get deeper down the rabbit hole?

I think it could be worth it for the right price on the boat. But the right price on the boat depends on the price (in the fullest sense of the word) of the job...

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by KelseyB

I'm also a bit worried about actually finding plywood - hence why I said it "should be" end grain balsa. No way to know until you cut in, which gives me pause...

I'm no expert on laid decks (although I did own one for about a decade) but AFAIK, end grain balsa is very unsuitable for a screwed laid deck. Screws do not hold well into any end grain timber, let alone balsa.

[JPA Cate]

Kelsey, roughly 3,000 screws, each one a potential leaker. Teak decks are hot in the sun, though one can bucket them down often with salt water.

Our friend's boat, surely the fee above was mostly the labor, and they preserved the teak for re-use. In today's market, based on inflation over the years, I would not be surprised by $30 k, but that is a wag, not informed.

It is a heavy boat with a heavy helm, and may not be willing to back up in a straight line, which ability is sometimes very useful, as in cross winds.

Ann

[psk125]

We have a friend who did a total refit of his 42' aluminum sloop, including stripping the teak deck. He repaired all the screw holes in the deck and repainted it. It took him about three years.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Wotname

I can't help with the time/money estimate however I think it is unlikely the deck is end grain balsa. I would expect the material under the teak to be plywood. And yes, expect to find rot in it.

According to one ad’, for ‘Gray Eagle’, a 1988 Ta Shing Tashiba 40:
➥ https://www.seattleyachts.com/used-y...agle/2820181_1

“... The Tashiba 40 also includes a hand-laminated FRP house and deck with end grain balsa sandwich construction. Where deck hardware is through-bolted, it is reinforced with encapsulated marine grade plywood using stainless steel backing plates ..."

See also ➥ https://sailboat.guide/ta-shing/baba-40

“... The Baba 40 hull is solidly built in hand-laid GRP, with hull thickness growing from 0.41″ thick at the topsides to 0.57″ at the waterline, and 0.90″ at the keel. The deck is cored with end-grained balsa, as well as high density closed-cell foam in the deck and cabin trunk ...”

[Fore and Aft]

Kelsey B I had a look at one for sale and it's not just the teak removal that's going to be a pia. There's a few deck fittings that are going to need to be removed. Now are those underside nuts hidden by cabin linings? As a person who has done his fair share of deck repairs this is where the fun and games start. You also really need to be inside a shed or well tarped up, as you don't want to create more issues from deck water leaks. The other issue is how well adhered to the deck is the teak. I have seen teak decking peel up easily. I have also seen it come up in one inch sections that took a good belting from a hammer and chisel. I would say forget the weekend work BS. You need to both go in hard and not stop until it's finished. I would allow three weeks for the initial removal, core repair and fibreglassing the deck. Then you can go to your weekend warrior stage for the fairing, painting and attaching all the deck fittings. But the issue with that is hard stand fees are not cheap. Anyway it's a project that's hard to judge the time until you start attacking it.
You can also ad up the square metres of the deck and get some price for fibreglass, epoxy resin and deck paint. Plus filler and glue powder and deck core.
Cheers

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GordMay

According to one ad’, for ‘Gray Eagle’, a 1988 Ta Shing Tashiba 40:
➥ https://www.seattleyachts.com/used-y...agle/2820181_1


See also ➥ https://sailboat.guide/ta-shing/baba-40

Thanks for the heads up. It is unclear from these descriptions whether the teak has been laid directly over the EG balsa or if the deck has been constructed with FRP (with a EG balsa core) on which the teak laid over that.

[leecea]

FYI, this older thread has some similar comments with price estimates, and the general consensus that you should look for something without a screwed on teak deck:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...al-191119.html

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Thanks for the heads up. It is unclear from these descriptions whether the teak has been laid directly over the EG balsa or if the deck has been constructed with FRP (with a EG balsa core) on which the teak laid over that.

The first one says “deck with end grain balsa sandwich construction”; and the second says “deck is cored with end-grained balsa”.
I've never seen [heard of] wood planking, used as a "skin", over any core.

[Woody]

Look at these photos to see what you might be getting yourself into. This took me about 6 months, with help.



https://pieinthesky.neocities.org/projects/westsail

[limte]

The Baba and Tashiba boats have end-grain balsa as a deck core. The screws do not depend upon the core for attachment, but rather the fiberglass deck, which is laid above the core. Actually, the screws were essentially used to hold the teak overlay in place until the adhesive used to secure the overlay to the fiberglass was fully cured. It is possible to remove the screws and still have a securely fastened deck.


It is not necessarily the case that the core has been damaged by water intrusion. Leakage through the screws holes is unlikely to be significant, since an effort was made during assembly to prevent the screws from penetrating the balsa core. Also, the screw heads were covered with epoxy, thus preventing significant leakage, even is the screw heads are showing.


Rather than replacing the decks, many owners have chosen to re-caulk the decks and replace the bungs, either installing new shorter screws after sanding the decks, or filling the holes with epoxy and not using screws at all. This is time consuming, but inexpensive if you do the labor yourself.



The teak overlay on the Babas and Tashibas was substantial in regard to thickness, so it is possible to remove the old caulk, old bungs, and screws, and sand the deck as needed prior to re-caulking, and still leave adequate thickness for many years of future use.


Bob S