Removing Teak Deck

[WayneS]

We continue to have sooooo much trouble with water leaking through our decks that I plan to completely remove the decking this winter and not replace it.

It looks like the guy who put it on used rivets and now, no matter how much re re-caulk, water still gets in.

I plan to remove all the wood and seal all the holes up with epoxy before using a good epoxy paint with non slip additive to finish off.

Has anyone done such a trick before, if so, am I going down the right track.

Regards

Wayne


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[AlanPound]

We had this done to the coachroof on our ketch last winter, whilst overwintering in Smir (low tech task+cheap labour=good fit). Motivation was similar - lots of worn teak, and a few deck leaks (most of which we had stopped already, but the writing was on the wall (deck) for the teak).

We epoxy filled the screw holes, faired, then painted with two-pack, and finally a proprietary non-slip (don't know the make - could probably find out though).

I'm pleased with the result. Will be doing the deck the same way this winter. A more extensive task. Will be taking up stantions and other non-structural fittings to remove the teak. Anything that is a part of a structural below-deck attachment (chainplates, windlass etc) we intend to to leave a teak 'boss' and either fair it and paint it, or leave it teak (depending upon what makes most sense on a case-by case basis). We did this on the coachroof in a couple of places (beneath powered winches etc), and it worked out fine.

It should save getting on for a ton of dead weight at deck level, be lower maintenance, and leaves the option of having teak reinstated at some point in the future (with more skilled labour) if desired.

Alan

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[Mirelle]

Good for you

I have never understood the teak deck fad.

Anyway, I think this is quite regularly done in the USA, where secondhand boats with teak decks laid over glass usually command a lower resale price because of the problem with leaks. Worth checking the US websites eg Cruising World.

I shoud declare an interest; I have a wooden boat with a painted (Coelan) teak deck!

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[heerenleed]

Love teak decks! But only on neigbours boat!

Good idea. When we bought our Nicholson 48 the decks had been destroyed by high pressure washing over some 10 years. No leaks yet, but no more than 2 mms of teak either.
Last spring we removed the teak of the aft part of the boat and replaced it with Marinedeck, a planking made of cork granules and artificial resins (behaves like cork but is plastic really)

Removing the old teak was the worst job. Cutting and preparing the planks was more like jig-saw puzzling for adults. The stuff is easy to cut, you can bend it rather well so you don't need to cut every rounding. The glueing was OK but the caulking was pretty messy, but no more than caulking teak decks.

The good things are: no more srews (= no more future leaks), acoustic insulation, insulation against cold or heat, weighs anly 10% of teak decks AND you can completely DIY, if you are not a complete disaster. Costs: in the Netherlands apprix 80% less than teak decks, if you compare a self-installed Marinedeck with a professionally installed teak deck.

This spring we did the fore and side decks. We started that job last autumn, but had to abort the work for a small medical problem. Therefore, we finished the removal of the old teak, filled the holes with 2-pack epoxy filler and than gave it two coats of 2-pack epoxy coating (brand: double coat by The IJSSEL, (Netherlands). This would waterproof the decks for winter, and it did exactly that.

By the time we had done this, we had discovered two leaks in the stbd side deck, we removed the ceilings in the corresponding lockers, checked the balsa core (wet, but not yet damaged) and let this dry over winter before covering it up again.
So we were (only) just in time. This spring we finished the fore and side decks, and are very pleased with the result.

If I was to do it again, I would have coated the aft section with epoxy coating as well before installing the new decks.

We also did not remove the old teak from under the chainplates. We sanded it well and gave it extra attention when caulking the decks.

good luck!

<hr width=100% size=1>Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by heerenleed on 02/09/2003 09:21 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[tcm]

From the posts below this seems a good thing to do. I would say that teak just in the cockpit is pleasant on the feet. But on most of the deck unnecessary of course. A noticeable thing in warm weather is tht the teack heats up the cabing below dramatically - teak is too hot to walk on sometimes, especially if sanded flat. To take this further, there is a lot to be gained in winter and summer by insulating (self-adhesibe foam would be easiest and quickest) above the headling. With a reflective white deck, it will stay cool in summer and warmer in winter and less prone to damp .

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