A option for teak deck replacement

Removing teak decks is often more difficult and time consuming than laying a new teak deck. The problem with most older trawler decks is the use of screws to hold the teak down and then that screw is sealed with a teak 'bung' (plug). When the bung swells and shrinks it loosens and allows water to travel down through your screw and into the subdeck which will eventually deteriorate your subdeck. 'Spongy feeling' teak decks usually mean that the deck has either come away from the subdeck or that the subdeck itself is compromised. Most shipwrights will tell you to remove the teak decks and start over again....and in some situations this is correct. However, if your subdeck is sound or only parts of the subdeck are compromised you can make specific repairs to that area alone and then add a new teak deck over the existing deck. You may want to hire a marine surveyor to help assess your subdeck quality.

If your subdeck is sound you can sand down your existing teak deck to bare wood, fill all voids and then adhere 1/4" thick* x 1-7/8" wide teak decking to the old deck.
with a flexible polyurethane adhesive. No more bungs ...no more leaks.

regards....Ken

If you get a quote for new teak-- good quality teak, not the cheaper plantation teak which has a much shorter life when exposed to weather than old-growth teak---you will find that the cost of installing new teak on a deck will make the cost of removing the original teak and replacing it with a fiberglass, non-skid deck surface seem almost free in comparison. Particularly if the owner does much or most of the work himself. We've gotten quotes for replacing our teak planking with new planking. The cost to do this today is close to half the value of the boat.

If we were going to spend that kind of money on this boat, we'd rather re-engine it and replace the deck (if it was failing, which it's not) with a fiberglass deck.* FAR more value for the money than installing new teak.



-- Edited by Marin on Sunday 28th of November 2010 02:15:43 PM

We fiitted Marinedeck 2000 to the cockpit at about a third of the cost of teak. This was 6 years ago and I have just sanded it lightly for the first time to lighten it up a again. It gets slowly darker with age. It needs no sealer, and is extremely hard-wearing but not too hard on bare feet.
Picture was before I sanded it.

-- Edited by Bendit on Sunday 28th of November 2010 03:20:58 PM

I'm going to so some testing, but I've convinced myself to sand my current (old) teak deck down smooth then saturate it with CPES epoxy. After that, will sand again if needed, then glue down Flexi-teek or one of the other synthetics.

Aye.....the problems with having middlemen in our lives have made new teak decks prohibitive...even for the DIY folks.

Old growth, Burma Teak, 1/4" x 1-7/8" is available if you search for it on line, for about $18 per square foot.

I have a vested interest...I own the company.

Forums are sensitive when information and advertising collide, so I will only discuss technical matters.

Maybe others have experience with plastic teak and the prices they paid for the product prior to laying it and the problems after ?

At $18.00 per sq foot you simply get the wood....now you have to use elbow grease or hire someone to do the work for you. It is the labour that makes teak decks expensive.*

If anyone has questions on laying a teak deck....I may be able to provide one of a several methods.

regards...Ken

IF traction is more important than "looks" Treadmaster , is still the standard.

My teak decks are still sound as far as I can tell so last summer we re caulked the entire flybridge deck. Not really too bad of a job, it took us (wife and I) 2 full days.
The we re-caullked some questionable looking areas of the lower decks, again not that bad of a job in my opinion.
IF the decks were bad or get bad I would remove the teak and fiberglass them like Marin said above.

Keith said:

I'm going to so some testing, but I've convinced myself to sand my current (old) teak deck down smooth then saturate it with CPES epoxy. After that, will sand again if needed, then glue down Flexi-teek or one of the other synthetics.

Click to expand...

Keith... just wondering if you re-did your boat deck as outlined above? I am in the exact same situation was hoping to learn how your methodology worked out... hoping to follow your lead.

Unfortunately Kieth passed away this year so you may get an answer to your inquiry but it will not be from him.