Blue Hull / Teak Decks

[tangaroa]

Call me a romantic fool, but I've always secretly coveted any boat of any size that has an Oxford blue hull and teak decks.

I'm about to sign on the dotted line for a brand new boat (Hanse 342) and have the opportunity to specify said blue hull & teak decks except, anyone I talk to tries to talk me out of it.

They say that a blue hull marks up so easily and once scratched is very difficult to hide. making resale more difficult. Similarly, I'm told that teak decks are no end of trouble with leaks and additional maintenance.

Are they right? Your experiences would be appreciated.

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[tome]

You'll get varying opinions on this, but I agree about the looks. I have a teak deck and thing it's well worth any hassle.

Blue does tend to go chalky and fade with time, but maybe modern methods are less susceptible.

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[tcm]

dark blue hulls look the total biz. the main prob is elements of blue hull which face the sunshine as these can discolour - altho it can be cut back. When you leave the boat in high sun, in summer, gloop some polish on those bits and leave it all smeary - this protects that part of the hull and you just polish off on your return.

Depending upon the way in which it is laid, teak should not really be leaky in a modern boat. Best protection is to have clip-down canvas covers whilst you aren't on the boat - this avoids ridges being eked out by heavy rain. Clean the teak only with a sponge or vildeda styl;e floor mop, never any sort of brush - but with covers, you may not need to clean it too often.

As you are only too well aware, the combination looks fantastic. Chuck a few buckets of seawater on the teak decks for the best pictures in sunshine, and kindly post them here!

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[pvb]

More often than not, teak deck problems are experienced by second owners, after the first owner has scrubbed them into oblivion. If you're starting out with brand new teak decks, and treat them with care, there shouldn't be any difficulty in keeping them looking smart for 15-20 years. And they look so good, don't they?

Dark hulls can be a problem long-term. I had a couple of dark green Westerlys from new, and after a few years fender rubbing was apparent. But again, a dark blue hull is so distinctive. Go for it!

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[andyb]

I'm not so sure about leaving the polish on in strong sunlight, some polishes / waxes could eat into the surface especially if the hull is painted.
Just my humble oppinion through

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[AlexL]

Go for it! If we made decisions solely on based on logic and sound financial criteria then we'd never buy a boat in the first place!
I have signed on the dotted for a new Hanse 371 and it has blue hull, but no teak decks - we did origonally specify teak, but we saw some 341's in chatham with and without teak (both blue) and personally preferred the look without, but thats a personal thing - and note, like yours the decision was made based on the looks - not any practical basis. If you PM me with your e-mail address I've got some photos of some 341s i've seen on my travels with blue hulls and with and without teak decks I can e-mail to you (if you've got broadband, they're pretty big files )

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[westernsailor]

Teak decks - no experience.

Blue hull - I know about. The hull really looks cool ( from a distance) but is very easily scratched, and these are difficult to remove.
Be sure to get a fender apron.

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[swangirl]

Yes they are correct, and with a cheap, nasty boat such as a Hanse, the results will be all the worse. Sorry, but those yachts are very badly built. Hope you haven't signed yet.. Ha!
Cheers

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[zefender]

That's a rather ill-mannered post

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[Andy_H]

'......cheap, nasty boat, such as a Hanse....'. yet nothing in your profile to let us know what boat you own to why you feel able to critcise the choice of others. Or is the clue in your posting name?

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[Birdseye]

Not a very nice reply to someone thinking of buying a particular boat!

I was told by staff at Northshore that the level of pigment necessary to make dark blue gelcoat makes it much softer than white gelcoat and therefore much more prone to scuffing and scratches. Certainly the chalking that you eventually get shows up on dark blue in a way it wouldnt on white. And scratches often show up as white marks too. Finally, if you take the boat to the Med, dark gelcoat is a liability.

<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it.

 

[Marsupial]

The combination you describe will look great, it just needs a bit more maintenance - BUT what will make a difference is where do you intend to sail? I have a little bit of teak on my boat and it looks tatty more than it looks good dispite treating it with "kidd gloves" because the boat lives in the UK.

The blue hull has some other side effects that are not obvious - HEAT your hull will become VERY hot in sunshine, if you dont belive how hot find a blue hulled boat with white topsides in a sunny spot (not in the UK right now I know) and put your hand on a blue bit then a white bit - the difference will (should) surprise you. Are you intending to go to the med?

You pays your money and makes your choice.

Enjoy your new yacht

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[OldDevonian]

I had a series of racing dinghys with blue decks and sometimes blue topsides. Before each was sold I used a fine blue permanent marker to hide any scratches. The end result always looked a treat.

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[Douglas]

Beware of unskilled persons cleaning your teak deck with pressure washers. This happened to an owner I know, and the planks became fissured and pitted where the jet had dislodged the softer wood.

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[davidwf]

Was on a Hanse that had been in charter for a year, the other week. Whatever they use for varnish is truely amazing, not one scratch in sight. All in all I thought the quality of the Hanse was good, liked the white bulkheads gave an airy feel. Ignore those that knock them in most cases they've never been on one.

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[AlexL]

Apart from your ill mannered childish attitude, what are you basing this on?
I have seen many Hanses and test sailed one and spoken to many owners, including one charter owner, and have heard nothing but praise, and not just "Its OK" type praise, but absolute 100% positive praise. Yes they are cheap, but are pretty well put together, compared to pretty much everything else we looked at.
Oh yes and a Hanse 371 gave a Swan 48 a very close run in its class at cowes week, and beat it in quite afew races (the fact that a Hanse 371 and swan 48 are in the same class and the swan had a lower handicap says quite a bit really)

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[tangaroa]

Many thanks to all who responded and who, with one exception, offered some very constructive advice. Food for thought for sure.

I don't think the boat'll ever see Biscay, let alone the Med, our intended cruising area being the East Coast, Holland, Northern France and perhaps Scandinavia (though never say never). That being the case, I don't think blistering sunshine should be a problem most of the time ;-)

Though I've yet to sign, I'm quite content with my choice. I was recently on a two year old example that looked as though it had just left the factory (and it had not been valeted). At the price level I'm considering it's built as well, if not better than the obvious competition and offers quite a lot of 'bang for the buck'.

Whatever I decide, I'll post some pics of her when she arrives

Regards to all (bar one)

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[FullCircle]

Me! Me! I bought a cheap and nasty boat too, but mines French! Ughh, you should see the horrible finish, it will never last, wouldn't take it out over a pond let alone a proper estuary. Will give a new meaning to a cracking good sail, as it deposits lumps of itself in the wake. I mean lets face it Dahling, anything less than a 100 grand spent on a boat is not quite socially acceptable, unless its for a whizzo charter in faraway places.
How I rue the day I signed up for mine. Wish I hadn't been tempted by the free coffee on the big stand. Still, mustn't grumble.
Oh and ours is white so we can properly claim to be an AWB. And I tried to delete the teak from the cockpit too, but you can't. As everyone says, it looks lovely but too much hassle for me I'm afraid.
I am dreading when it arrives in March next year, I won't be able to look anyone in the face at the YC. Oh the shame of it.


<hr width=100% size=1>Engine now resembles Singer Sewing Machine - amazing what happens when you renew all the old bits.

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[zefender]

Is this the same SwanGirl that's been trying to buy a Centaur, or the one who had an unnamed 40' shipped from "down under"? With all due respect to Centaur owners, I think I'd prefer a blue hulled, teak decked new Hanse!

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