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Old 25-04-2015, 20:36   #1
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Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Hi fellow sailors/cruisers/boat nuts,
I have a 1989 Hans Christian 38 Telstar that I’m upgrading. One of my projects is removing my teak decks and replacing with the synthetic teak made of flexible PVC. There are a few sellers here in the US and I have received a few quotes. It’s basically going to cost me about $4,400 for the entire boat! OUCH! So I did some digging and found the manufacturer in China who is willing to sell at a fraction of the cost (a little more than half of resale). The only catch is that I have to buy 100+ square meters of it, which is enough to do about 7-10 boats (based on boats similar to mine). I plan on making the purchase and fronting the money, but is anyone interested in getting in on this? I’m going to be buying way more than I need, obviously. If so, send me a message. Also, I’m thinking of getting the slightly grayed/weathered teak instead of the one that looks brand new, but I assume that I can get a mixed order… depending on how people respond. You can google different sellers to see the colors that are available.
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Old 25-04-2015, 22:12   #2
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

After looking at a number of synthetic teak installations I've decided they aren't worth it. The hot surface is a killer and I looked at a 3 or 4 year old Bavaria that had the factory installed plastic teak lifting in the high traffic areas.
I'm going to give the Seacork a whirl. I like the look and it won't blister bare feet in the hot sun. Greener too.
Check some of the posts on CF and you may change your mind.
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Old 25-04-2015, 23:07   #3
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

I could be interested but not before July and I only need about 50 square feet for my rear deck.

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Old 26-04-2015, 05:09   #4
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Russell.
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Old 26-04-2015, 08:07   #5
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

I wouldn't give you a nickel for the stuff.
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Old 26-04-2015, 08:48   #6
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

You might want to advertise on the Tiny Homes website. That stuff would make a beautiful floor inside those Tiny Homes. Easy to install, great on bare feet or shoes or just socks, easy to clean, etc. Average Tiny Home is 8 x 20 = 18 sq yds. Just a thought.
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Old 26-04-2015, 09:12   #7
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Do you have any photos of what the Chinese are offering. I just ordered custom cut pieces with borders for my cockpit from TEK-DEK in the UK. I am thinking of installing the same material on the cabin sole.

I may be interested in 5-7 square yards, but I need a look at it...

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Old 26-04-2015, 09:16   #8
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Quote:
Originally Posted by svfinlandia View Post
I wouldn't give you a nickel for the stuff.
That's pretty rude and not at all helpful.

To the OP, There are a lot of synthetic teak products out there so you should probably post a link to the actual product. I used synthetic teak and holly inside my boat and I am very pleased with it but it was a bear to install.
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Old 26-04-2015, 09:27   #9
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Really risky. The Chinese can make great stuff (think Iphone) but I've experienced all the following in a different business when dealing with Chinese manufacturing companies

The Chinese company lies about being the manufacturer for the US company (including placing fake internet news postings)

Their material produced for the US company was done on a special production line with different materials and better workers. This special line is a secret.

They did have a contract with the US company but lost it due to quality problems. Often this happens because the Chinese company subs the work out to a different factory after the inspector from the US leaves.

The US company gets the material that passes quality control. The stuff that fails is sent to customers who aren't likely to place another order anyways.

The US company expects to throw out 1/2 the material received in each order as below their quality standards and prices accordingly.

Why this is such a problem with plastic decking is that it can look great until it gets a year of UV. The labor to put down the decking and then remove it when it fails is far more than the cost of the material.
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Old 26-04-2015, 09:47   #10
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

My previous boat had a high quality glued teak deck. My current has Nuteak in the cockpit and selected areas but not the bow. I much prefer this solution.

While the Nuteak is hotter than white gelcoat, it seems cooler than real teak. A large part of the cockpit is shaded by the bimini so it doesn't matter there.

The Nuteak is five years old and looks as good as the day it was put on. At five years old the teak on my old boat had a few permanent stains and bad spots, despite really careful maintenance - probably 20 times as much in hours as the Nuteak. I even allow potato chips on the new boat.

The Nuteak is much easier to clean than teak because mildew can't get into the grain. It's also easier to clean than fiberglass non-skid. The Nuteak can be sanded with 60 grit sandpaper for the very few stubborn stains. This also brings back the nonskid.

The Nuteak isn't cheap and I had their dealer install it even though I do a lot of work on the boat. That's because when I looked at other boats with plastic teak the difference between an obvious plastic deck and "is that teak?" was installation.

The plastic has to be cut and fitted like real teak boards to look best - you need a king plank if you do the bow, board width has to be even and run the right direction, you need well fitted trim boards around the edge, and where it butts against vertical fiberglass (which always has a curved transition) the edge has to be straight and close but not so close that the teak curves up.

I don't have an interest in Nuteak and think that there are other products that are probably just as good. If (when) I get a new boat, I'll repeat the same light fiberglass forward, plastic teak aft combination.
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Old 26-04-2015, 09:52   #11
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

I tend to agree with CarlF you need to be very careful getting stuff directly from China, there are a lot of crooks, just aching to get money from US citizens. I have bought a lot of stuff, and found things like motors wound with aluminum wire painted to look like copper, solar calculators battery powered with fake solar cells, magnets that were just steel temporarily magnetized, the list goes on and on. Teak decking reminds me of the flooring laced with the formaldehyde recently. I certainly would not put any money up front on something like this. See if you can figure some way to be able to safeguard your money on the transaction, like a deposit with a third party until delivery and satisfied with the product.
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Old 26-04-2015, 10:15   #12
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Not personally interested in the Chinese purchase. I've spent part of the last several years on the project of replacing now-40-year-old natural teak on my 1975 NAUTOR 50 with PlasDECK, and I'm sold on it. The materials are NOT all the same. And yes the quality is indeed the installation; and the amount of labor is significant. The deck is indeed hot, but I don't think substantially more so than natural teak.

Working hard on it now every day, and happy with parts of it that date over 5 years with little maintenance.
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Old 26-04-2015, 10:45   #13
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

I'm just about to finish a complete restoration on our original teak decks. They look great and the entire job took around 300 hours.

Next time around if we still have the boat, or another boat, I'll definitely be replacing with synthetic deck materials like what's being used on the new Lagoon catamarans. Might be the Nuteak or something like it. I'd find out what's being used and then have someone with many installations behind them install your deck.
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Old 26-04-2015, 13:19   #14
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Hi Russell,
Check-out this product from England (I believe it is now available in the US)...its made of rubber and cork and it is T O U G H - N O N-S K I D - G L U E S W E L L - SUN R E S I S T A N T and you can buy it in the exact shape you want. I put some on the coachroof of my ketch in 2008 and its still like new ! You have never seen anything so "non-skid" - even when wet, its better than the real teak I have on the deck.
Treadmaster Marine - the very best alternative to wooden boat decking

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Old 26-04-2015, 23:11   #15
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Re: Synthetic Teak Decking – Purchasing in bulk – Who wants in?

Re: China
There are some legitimate, good manufacturers. Problem is that there are a LOT of rip-offs.
From personal experience ( read that, lost money ), ONLY deal with Alibaba or MadeInChina exporters who are well-rated. Have made many purchases through them, never had a bad experience.

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