Replacing teak decks

[Sybarite]

I have seen some quality second hand yachts for sale at very interesting prices because the teak decks need replacing.

Instead of replacing like for like, would replacing them with something like Trakmark, Treadmaster or similar be an economic idea?

Has anybody actually done that and what would likely be a ballpark figure for a typical 36 footer?

Thanks.

 

[pvb]

It would certainly be cheaper than new teak, but it's still a big job. Need to remove a lot of fittings, take old teak off, clean up deck, fill holes where screws have been, and smooth and gelcoat any areas which aren't going to be recovered. Using Treadmaster would of course perhaps reduce the boat's value; especially on larger yachts. Conversely, it might make the boat easier to resell.

 

[sailorman]

The best boat to have teak decks is somebody else`s boat

I have seen some quality second hand yachts for sale at very interesting prices because the teak decks need replacing.

Instead of replacing like for like, would replacing them with something like Trakmark, Treadmaster or similar be an economic idea?

Has anybody actually done that and what would likely be a ballpark figure for a typical 36 footer?

Thanks.

 

[Sybarite]

It would certainly be cheaper than new teak, but it's still a big job. Need to remove a lot of fittings, take old teak off, clean up deck, fill holes where screws have been, and smooth and gelcoat any areas which aren't going to be recovered. Using Treadmaster would of course perhaps reduce the boat's value; especially on larger yachts. Conversely, it might make the boat easier to resell.

I've seen what looks like about £20k price reduction compared with others on the market, the reduction being explained by the need to renew the deck. I'm just wondering how much of that amount would be eaten up with a replacement cheaper than teak?

I wouldn't choose to buy a second-hand teak decked boat because of the inherent cost time-bomb in it. OTOH this might be an opportunity to acquire a desirable boat that would otherwise go beyond my anticipated budget.

 

[pvb]

I've seen what looks like about £20k price reduction compared with others on the market, the reduction being explained by the need to renew the deck. I'm just wondering how much of that amount would be eaten up with a replacement cheaper than teak?

If you were to do much of the work yourself, the cost wouldn't be huge. And it is work which mainly could be considered DIY, in contrast to laying a new teak deck, which is a very skilled job.

 

[Ashman]

We replaced our treadmaster with Marine Deck cork from Stazo Marine in Holland - we purchased enough cork planks, glue and caulking to cover all the decks on our Victory 40 for £5.5k ....that was three years ago. We fitted it ourselves and are very happy and proud of the end result. It is non slip and in our opinion an attractive cheaper alternative to teak or the plastic deck systems.

 

[rustybarge]

View attachment 28708We replaced our treadmaster with Marine Deck cork from Stazo Marine in Holland - we purchased enough cork planks, glue and caulking to cover all the decks on our Victory 40 for £5.5k ....that was three years ago. We fitted it ourselves and are very happy and proud of the end result. It is non slip and in our opinion an attractive cheaper alternative to teak or the plastic deck systems.

Isn't cork a very soft material, how has it worn?

 

[Ashman]

There's no sign of wear so far after 2 years use. It is a mixture of cork chips and polyester resin so very tough although very easy to cut, sand and lay.
With a thickness of 9mm it should last many years and probably more than teak. So far it has been impervious to spills of diesel, red wine and barbeque splashes. Apparently they use it on commercial vessels including ferries in Australia!

 

[Koeketiene]

View attachment 28708We replaced our treadmaster with Marine Deck cork from Stazo Marine in Holland - we purchased enough cork planks, glue and caulking to cover all the decks on our Victory 40 for £5.5k ....that was three years ago. We fitted it ourselves and are very happy and proud of the end result. It is non slip and in our opinion an attractive cheaper alternative to teak or the plastic deck systems.

We also opted for the Stazo Marinedeck 2000.
Very pleased with it.
Fresh water and green soap once a year is all it needs.

 

[Tranona]

I have seen some quality second hand yachts for sale at very interesting prices because the teak decks need replacing.

Instead of replacing like for like, would replacing them with something like Trakmark, Treadmaster or similar be an economic idea?

Has anybody actually done that and what would likely be a ballpark figure for a typical 36 footer?

Thanks.

Trakmark is dead. Treadmaster out of fashion and comparable in price to fake teak. Choices are fake teak, either cork based or plastic which may or may not be acceptable depending on the boat. Some boats just will not sell without their teak decks so the owner has to either bite the bullet or sell it cheap to someone who will. This can easily knock 15-30k off the value. Not a big deal on a high value boat but a killer on many old low value boats.
Some AWBs where teak is a glue on option and most are made without it quite reasonable to rip it of and make good the underlying surface. Older boats can also be finished with glass epoxy and painted. Much cheaper and more serviceable than sticking stuff on, but some folks prefer the teak look.

 

[vyv_cox]

Isn't cork a very soft material, how has it worn?

My cockpit seats were done in Marinedeck 2000 something like 13 years ago. They remain in excellent condition, a little darker than when we laid it and with a few very minor dings and chips but not worn at all.

PBO ran a series on relaying teak decks last year, written by Paul Chandler. Very comprehensive instructions on exactly how to DIY, including building a steamer, making bending jigs, etc. AFAIR the cost was around £5000, very labour intensive.

 

[Blueboatman]

I amongst others have posted recently on the feasibility of this, perhaps subconsciously prompted the post, even.?
A word of warning. If you are not a hands on kind of guy then , like the iceberg, most of the ££labour that you will be paying will be to address the unseen!

Aesthetically, which may be an issue to some people, some boats when denuded of their teak can look awfully bloated and white..

 

[CFarr]

I amongst others have posted recently on the feasibility of this, perhaps subconsciously prompted the post, even.?
A word of warning. If you are not a hands on kind of guy then , like the iceberg, most of the ££labour that you will be paying will be to address the unseen!

Aesthetically, which may be an issue to some people, some boats when denuded of their teak can look awfully bloated and white..

I agree with the aesthetics. after looking at many yachts for sale recently, teak just looks right whereas many of the imitations were a bit Dale Winton.

 

[rustybarge]

I agree with the aesthetics. after looking at many yachts for sale recently, teak just looks right whereas many of the imitations were a bit Dale Winton.

It's quite hard to tell what material a hull is, a well faired wooden hull will look as perfect as a Grp one; for a short time anyway. Err, well maybe a very very short time.

So on a modern Grp boat it's the detailing that's going to make the difference between function and desirability. Inside there's no problem using household materials, a long as they are reasonably damp proof....domestic fake flooring is so realistic it's impossible to distinguish from genuine timber, but you can't use it on your decks.

So you're stuck with either the real thing ( ruinous), or plastic faux or cork.....I vote for the cork, at least it's real !

 

[wazza]

The wonderful world of teak decks..!!

We've a Najad 343 from 1981 that has teak decks... WHEN it comes time to rip it up I may well have changed my opinion. Taking the **** off will be the worst part.

I've looked into 'fake' plastic teak (sounds horrible, but some are rather nice), cork, treadmaster type matting and grp/paint..
Tekdek IMO is the best of the 'fake' stuff but unfortunately it is expensive but would most probably be my first choice..
GRP/paint looks very good on the American boats like Island Packets, Endeavours and such like so there is a viable option. And obviosly not near the expense of the tekdek..
On my boat I don't think the treadmaster type matting would look good so, a no there..
Cork, I've seen some good versions (as previous in this thread) but close up in picture I've not been a fan. So until I see one live and like what I see that's off the list too..

 

[Stemar]

The best boat to have teak decks is somebody else`s boat

+1

I've seen a few fake teak tops and they're all horrible to my mind. Maybe I haven't seen a decent one. Each to his or her own, I suppose but it seems to me that for a true classic, only the real thing will do. I'm a half-decent wood butcher, but I wouldn't tackle it, so it's going to inflict a serious, perhaps critical, injury to the wallet area. For anything else, saving several thousand pounds on the price of my dream yacht at the cost of a month's hard graft getting the old teak off and making good, followed by some decent deck paint could be very tempting. Of course it won't look as good a well-laid bit of teak, but I reckon it would look better than any of the imitations I've seen and a hellava lot better than manky, splintery teak, with the advantage that maintenance and repair is easy and the cost minimal.

 

[TiggerToo]

Ashman: I must say, that looks smart. Well done. How difficult was it?

 

[nimbusgb]

Tekdek around £120 sq m. And that excludes the cost of stripping and prepping beforehand.