First of many questions re new boat - Teak decks

MedDreamer

MedDreamer

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Hopefully will soon have deal for S34 done and dusted and in anticipation of that I am already thinking of the new things I have to learn so you can expect several questions along similar lines over the next few weeks.

The first one applies to caring for teak decks.

1) What footwear rules should I impose?
2) How do I wash them? just with a hosepipe or with some form of cleaner.
3) Do I have to varnish/treat the teak at regular intervals? If so how often and what with.
4) Does saltwater stain the deck? Should swimmers always hose off when they get out of the water?

Fell like an excited newbie again /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks

Martyn
 
how refreshing to have an interesting boaty post here in the lounge ....... buy a round and pull up a chair ......

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

teak decks - first, do you wanna a chocholate box boat or a vehicle to live in and enjoy .......... I would frown on stillettoes and barbaques, otherwise its home - huh

second - do you wanna meet real ppl or only goons in deck shoes/trainers or lord forbid, naked feet /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

third - a boat is supposed to get sea water on its decks ... ffs

etc ...... is it big enough to holystone ? what is the corking like, how many crew ....... et al

maybe the boaty forum has more politically correct answers ... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
1) No hard soled or black soled footwear
2) Fresh water and soap boat cleaner as you clean the boat, occasionally with proprietary teak cleaner
3) Absolutely no varnish as it looks totally crap and no jet washing as it lifts the grain
4) How are you going to keep seawater off the boat when its rough? Seawater + sunshine age the teak attractively
 
never ever touch you teak with oil or any varnish just clean it with the one and only teakcleaner as posted by TCM, we are doing the distribution of it on the continent since last week !!! should be av. in your region shortly! let me know if you need some quickly or explanation how to use it /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
What everyone else said, except I have no experience of tcm's cleaner. Haydn's Patent Boat Removing Elixir diluted about 20 or 30 to 1 seems to work a treat on teak, particularly on the bathing platform where we get a lot of soot deposited. Always scrub across the grain, not along it, as well.
 
i was so amazed by the teakcleaner of WCF that i found it was time that the rest of the EU had to know that one and be able to buy it !
You just need a good sponge to get the dirt loose, i've never ever seen this before!
 
[ QUOTE ]
1) What footwear rules should I impose?

[/ QUOTE ] Shoes worn ashore are not worn afloat, and vice versa. If you wear them on the boat, you take them off before you go ashore and put on your shore-going shoes. Grit can easily get in the cracks of deckshoes, and will chew up the decks very quickly. Also, nothing hard-soled, or with a heel, or marking sole is worn onboard.
[ QUOTE ]
2) How do I wash them? just with a hosepipe or with some form of cleaner.

[/ QUOTE ] Never use a powerwasher or stiff brush - wears the teak out quickly.
 
Sand it down lighlty to give it a thorough clean.
Then apply two coats of Burgess marine wood sealer to give it a mellow teak colour. Walk on it in everything except stillettoes and hob nails.
Re-apply one coat of Burgess marine wood sealer about once a year or less. To clean off, wipe away with petrol and apply two new coats.
I stress Burgess marine wood sealer and not the gloop DIY stores sell as wood sealer.
 
If its not too late I'd suggest considering not having teak decks at all if its an option. Why?
1. They're not easy to keep clean.
2. They add up to a lot of extra weight to push around.
3. You'll have lots of problems if they leak ( and it's usually when rather than if, if you keep the boat for long enough).
4. They can be too hot to walk on. In the Med the teak bits of our decks are impossible with bare feet during the summer, whereas the non-slip white GRP is never a problem.
The bits of teak we do have, on the transom, in the cockpit and toerails are simply washed with sea water and a sponge. We prefer the natural oxydised grey to any high maintenance proprietary product. Avoid brushing, otherwise you'll "rake" out the soft grain and leave hard ridges.
 
>
>3. You'll have lots of problems if they leak ( and it's usually when rather than if, if >you keep the boat for long enough).
>

Not so, the teak is on top of the standard fibreglass deck instead of a carpet.

dv.
 
3. You'll have lots of problems if they leak ( and it's usually when rather than if, if >you keep the boat for long enough).

We visited a large French boat production factory whilst our boat was on order in 1997. We had teak decks specified, but managed to withdraw the option, and are very glad we did. On the production line we saw teak strips being laid on the boats which had been ordered with that option. I'm talking about the outer side decks (where carpet was not on offer!). The strips were being fastened over perfectly good non-slip GRP by stainless screws, the countersunk holes in the planks were filled later with teak plugs. Release tape was put in the bottom of each of the channels prior to the Sikaflex sealant which was later finished flush with the teak plugs. All perfectly standard, but how certain would you be that there had been no breach of the deck or layup allowing future wicking into the balsa core of the deck by at least one of the hundreds of screws used?
Forget teak decks and at the same time perhaps save at least a small bit of rain forest. And if your dealer says it comes from renewable resources ask how long it takes a teak tree to reach maturity.
 
I wanted teak decks, but buyers of secondhand craft can't be choosers, so a blue carpet and GRP nonslip it is. Main reasons I wanted them is because it looks fab, to avoid disintegrating carpet syndrome every 3 years, plus the larger craft have them as standard, hence more upmarket.

On the other side, I wouldn't be happy about laying a tender outboard down on a teak deck, footwear and oil would always be an issue, and maybe replacing 100 squids worth of carpet every three years isn't so bad after all.

dv.
 
Some folk like teak decks some dont, simple as that. I have teak and like i.
I very lightly scrub mine once a year, with nothing more than soap powder (daz or similar) swab down with sea water/soap (boat wash) as often as I feel like, wash down with fresh, when it's available.
No street shoes on the teak, destroys the teak with grit in the soles, no black marking soles. No stilettoes!
Otherwise I find teak easy to keep looking good and dont seem to have any problem walking on it in bare feet in mid summer in the meddy, maybe I have hard feet!
If having barbie, (frequently) I lay a bit of exterior carpet around the barbie and aft deck, then any dropped bangers etc, dont leave fat stains, although, a wash and then the sun removes/bleaches out any staining (after a while)
My boat is my home, I try to keep my home clean and presentable, as you all would.
Just as an aside, I have tried Burgess, and a couple of other ungents, been there done that! Leave them be, to age naturally, I put nothing on my decks.
Mine are 40 years old and dont leak, screws do now need to be pulled and holes deepend, re-plugged but not all about 10 a year, as they show.
I also had a home made magic teak cleaner and then brightener, but no longer use it, find it un-neccessary now, here in the meddy.
Sorry about the long post. Hope it helps.
 
If yours are 40 years old they must the proper full depth teak.
It seems that most boats and certainly the modern Princess, Fairline, Sealines etc use a very thin layer of teak over plywood. This stuff, when exposed on the bathing platform. flybridge etc lasts about 7 to 8 years.

I personally would always avoid this thin stuff anyway.

As a matter of interest what was your magic home made teak cleaning brew?
 
Mine are 3/4" teak on 3/4" plywood sub deck.
Cleaner. Caustic soda, household bleach, thick cheap washing up liquid.
50 - 50 soap and bleach, add caustic soda in water, (pre mixed in hot water), to this mix, until when applied, the teak starts to turn a little red when scrubbed on. This cleans the teak, to like new. Wash doiwn with copious amounts of water, a fire hose is best.
Brightener. Just oxalic acid crystals in warm water in a bucket, mopped on leave for five minutes, this will also nuetralise any caustic/bleach left in the grain, again wash down with copious amounts of fresh water. Your decks will ow look like they were laid today. Cant remember the mix ratio of the oxalic, I just throw a handfull in a bucket of water! Big decks!
Yes, the thin ply mounted teak deck stuff is crap, but then again, they only build princess etc. to last 7-8 years! In the first owners hands.
 
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