Teak Decks - Turkey

[Tranona]

Yes, if you look at the history of using teak for decking, it first became popular as a COST SAVING measure in the USA in the 1930s because the material was then very cheap (cheaper than other timbers previously used) and more importantly needed no further finishing so reduced labour costs. Because it was used on what have become "classic" boats it therefore acquired high status.

However, post war it fell out of favour as the downsides of leaks and maintenance became obvious and the cost of material rose. Along comes GRP - not a very attractive material and somebody came up with the idea of laying teak on a perfectly sound, functional watertight deck - leading to the problems that many of the early example have today.

As a buyer, you either have to get a price reduction sufficient to pay for replacement as Moscowman seems to have done, or buy at the right point in the cycle, which is either nearly new or just after the work has been done! Problem with the buy cheap bit is that it tempts one to try and get more for your money, stretch the budget and not necessarily have the funds to do the work.

It will be interesting to see how the more recent thin veneer panel decks stand up. The cockpit of my boat has lasted well so far - 8 years with only a couple of places where the caulking is breaking away. The one big advantage is that it is glued on so the substrate has not been pierced and there are no plugs to either pop out of provide a path for water to get in. If it does not wear away, maybe the best of both worlds.

 

[absit_omen]

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If you try using a normal drill bit it will "grab" and plough into the deck.

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I do not use a counersink or a counterbore. I use a Lip and Spur Bit which produces a crispier fitting than a packet of crispy bacon crisps.

I have done 100+ today.

 

[BrianH]

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It will be interesting to see how the more recent thin veneer panel decks stand up. [...] The one big advantage is that it is glued on so the substrate has not been pierced and there are no plugs to either pop out of provide a path for water to get in. If it does not wear away, maybe the best of both worlds.

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Clearly an improvement not to drill into an already waterproof surface. However, teak wears away at a rapid pace and I cannot believe that a thin veneer can be long-lasting.

That same wearing makes many teak deck owners replace their disappearing plugs by drilling even deeper into the deck to reset the screws, compounding the eventual leaking problem, because leaks don't come from the newly-plugged point but from trapped water that enters from all over the deck, sometimes from unseen caulking failures, and spreads under the teak.

Way back in the early 1970s, that very respected Canadian yacht designer George Cuthbertson, chairman and founder with his partner George Cassian, of the famous C&C yacht builders, was interviewed about his design philosophy. This is what he had to say:

"The example ... is teak. I'm very concerned about that one at the moment. The market has been brought up to believe that teak ... means tradition. Nothing is further from the truth.

Everybody talks about a teak deck as the ultimate. Before the war a teak deck was unheard of except on a sampan. A builder like Herreshoff or Nevins would never use a teak deck - it's far too heavy for decking. They'd use a long-leaf yellow pine or another wood native to North America, not an enormously heavy lumber that comes all the way from the Orient. This business about teak is not true but the public has been told it's true."

And this was before the insane practice of adding the teak to an existing and robust deck material by screwing into it.

 

[macd]

"in a Med climate, is there really that much risk of permanent and damaging leaks?"

Have you any idea how hard it rains after the tourists have gone home? Last winter was monsoonal.

Meanwhile, on the subject of removing plugs, a tip: drill the centre of the plug with a small (say 2mm) bit, then screw in a self-tapper. With any luck it'll work like a puller, lifting the old plug out. If the old glue is still in good nick, the plug will probably break up, but still give you a start at grubbing it out.

 

[absit_omen]

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Have you any idea how hard it rains after the tourists have gone home?

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Don't patronise me. I have had six winters in the Med. Never had a problem with decks or leaks.

 

[ironspud]

I have a 1981 Albin trawler with teak decks. Four years ago we covered the teak with Tuf Flex, a rubberized compound. This sealed the decks from water. However------the person who applied the compound allowed water to breach the teak and then sealed it in with the Tuf Flex. Now I have coring (black fluid) leaking from under the Tuf Flex. The area of concern is about 10 feet long and three feet wide. The remainder of the sealed teak is dry and poses no problem. I want to repair the affected area but have no idea of just what to do. Any information is appreciated.

 

[julianbeecham]

Hello, I am in the same position , did you ever find a cheaper alternative in Turkey or do you think that 700 euros per sq.metre is the going rate - ouch!

 

[ccscott49]

I love my teak decks and yes, I do know they were the chep alternative years ago. Luckily mine are 1" thick, laid on 3/4" ply, bronze screwed to the deck beqams, at 10" ce3ntres, so no real worries, this is the first time, they will have been replugged, they dont need re-caulking, plenty left to trim off, light sand and good clean. Anyway, I wont be fibreglassing mine for another 39 years, as thats how old they are now!