Wauquiez Teak Decks

[crazy diamond]

Is there anyone out there who could advise what to expect the teak decks of a mid eighties Wauquiez 38 to be like in terms of condition? Should they be replaced? Leaks? Rot? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[svquest2]

Wauquiez has a good reputation but any fastened teak deck is apt to develop leaks. Normally the teak is bedded in a caulk and fastened through the bedding to the Plywood or fiberglass below. The seams between the planks eventually shrink and gets in, gets through the bedding at the fasteners, propagates to somewhere else, and leaks through some other fastener hole... They are extremely hard to fix, but sometimes can be fixed if you have access to the underside of the entire deck. Normally they need to be removed and replaced.

It is hard to determine the condition by age alone as it often depends on the service they have seen. If you don't know that they are leaking, then they may not be today. Who knows about tomorrow.

Good luck

Joe S