Tired teak deck: Different Question/Different Solution?

I just purchased a 1986 Oceania 42 and it has a reasonably intact but tired teak deck. It would seem the previous owner(s) used a pressure washer to clean it. The deck is between 1/4" - 3/8" thick with the softer wood portion of the wood grain noticeably recessed. Some of the bungs (~5%) are missing and there are some of gaps in the caulking and wood. At this time fortunately the sub deck is sound with moisture readings revealing acceptable levels.

I am not particularly interested in having to be ever vigilant in maintaining this somewhat fragile deck situation.

I am interested to know if anyone has taken a similar situation as mine and prepared/sealed the teak deck to receive a synthetic teak deck overlay. I do not see any upside in disturbing the currently intact, albeit fragile teak deck. That said, I am a newbie to owning a boat... is my thinking reasonable? Happy to learn of your opinions, suggestions, recommendations. Thanks.

Although I would probably be in the minority, If the substrate is not full of water (as you have stated) I would remove the entire teak deck mess and get the screw holes filled with epoxy, and skim coat the deck with a layer of glass and new non skid pattern.

Or just leave the deck alone, use teak oil, and enjoy the boat 'as is'.

It is not advisable to put anything over an existing teak deck. The underlying teak will still work and flex and this can eventually damage the bond between the teak and whatever you put on top and moisture will then be able to get underneath and you'll have the same situation you're trying to avoid or cure with the overlay.

The correct way to replace an original teak deck is to replace it.

One way is to remove the original teak, prep the subdeck, which on a fiberglass boat is usually a fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass sandwich, and then add sufficient layers of fiberglass to restore the stiffness lost when the teak was removed. Two layers are generally sufficient but you should get knowledgeable, credible guidance on this because every boat is different. The final step is to apply a non-skid surface to the top of the new fiberglass.

Another way is to remove the original teak, prep the subdeck surface, and then install a synthetic teak deck. I have seen photos--- not seen in person--- of this kind of deck on a couple of Grand Banks boats and it looked very nice.

A third way is to remove the original teak, prep the subdeck surface, and then have new teak decking installed on the subdeck. An advantage of doing this sort of thing today is that there are products available now that allow the new teak to be glued to the subdeck, not screwed down with a bazilliion screws that penetrate the subdeck.

Given the cost of labor and good teak these days, this is an extremely expensive option. For example we looked into having this done to our 1973 Grand Banks 36 back in the very early 2000s and the estimated cost to re-plank the main deck was about $30,000. The cost of labor and teak has only been going up since then.

So most people who elect to replace the original teak decking on their boat use the first method, replacing the planks with fiberglass and non-skid. This can be done by a yard, or if one understand the process, has the tools, and does the job correctly it can be done by an owner very successfully. An acquaintance with an Island Gypsy did this a few years ago and the end result is stronger and looks better than if the manufacturer had done it; the quality of this guy's work is very, very high. I've also seen it done very badly by an owner.

There are instances of people or yards installing a new surface of some kind over an original teak deck. While they have claimed success with this, the consensus of the people I'm aware of or acquainted with who have a lot of professional experience dealing with the replacement of a teak deck all recommend against this for the reasons I stated at the outset.

The teak deck on our boat is now 43 years old. It has been over-sanded or had applications of teak cleaner/restorer (or both) by previous owners so it is now at its minimal thickness. A couple of years after acquiring the boat in 1998 we had the main deck regrooved and re-seamed. It has held up okay but now needs a lot of repair work to the seams. There is a much better sealant on the market now than there was when the re-grooving and re-seaming was done.

It's not difficult work and I actually rather enjoy doing it, but it can be tedious and the deck has to be bone dry at the time. Hard to find these conditions in our climate but I'm hoping next summer to have the time and the weather to do the work properly.

We do not like fiberglass decks and bought the boat we did in part because it has a teak deck albeit a rather tired one. So we will continue to keep it clean and maintain it properly and see how many more years we can get out of it.

I have yet to see a TT with actual teak decks.

2x2 teak with calking between planks.

An added teak overlay i to a plywood deck is most common , a paint job option mostly for looks.

Since it is an option the deck stiffness is designed to function without thousands of pounds of wood screwed on.

The usual hassle is the screws holding the wood in place leak into the plywood , and it rots big time.

With out a repair to the plywood the strength of the deck is compromised.

I have seen windlasses lift as the boat backs an anchor in place.

If there was a cheap simple solution the TT would be priced higher .

Even if the chemists created a goop that could sink in and seal all the
leaks , it would probably not restore deck stiffness.

IF you wish to keep the boat , long term some repair is required.

Glue down the next teak paint job , rather than screw it down for long lasting results.

Dedcison Made

Thanks for everyone's contribution of knowledge and experience to my "tired teak deck" question. I have been checking in with synthetic teak deck suppliers/installers... although possible, they too recommend removing the old teak deck.

At the end of the day, like most things in life, pay now or pay (more) later. We hope to live aboard for many years, so if this fore deck re-fiberglassing project is the only major foreseeable maintenance job, then the piece of mind derived, when it is done correctly from the outset, will be money well spent.

catan man said:

I am interested to know if anyone has taken a similar situation as mine and prepared/sealed the teak deck to receive a synthetic teak deck overlay.Thanks.

Click to expand...

I have no experience w/ teak decks but agree w/ others - I would not apply anything to the existing. If they are still repairable probably best to do that.

If you haven't seen it...The best description of the removal & reglass I've seen is Ted's thread My Short Haul Refit starting at post #48 Note: the whole thread is well done and extremely interesting reading

I have added Synthetic teak to our Mainships aft / side decks and have a write-up w/ a few pics on a website "Bacchus" look at the projects section.

The is an old adage that applies here...."cheap is expensive"

Bacchus said:

I have no experience w/ teak decks but agree w/ others - I would not apply anything to the existing. If they are still repairable probably best to do that.

If you haven't seen it...The best description of the removal & reglass I've seen is Ted's thread My Short Haul Refit starting at post #48 Note: the whole thread is well done and extremely interesting reading

I have added Synthetic teak to our Mainships aft / side decks and have a write-up w/ a few pics on a website "Bacchus" look at the projects section.

Click to expand...

Don, Thanks for the suggesting Ted's thread. Also I thoroughly enjoyed your website. I suspect there is a synthetic teak DIY project in my future and appreciate the PlasDeck recommendation. Eric

I was taught that you need a minimum of 3/8" of teak deck to be considered serviceable. Based on the thickness of your decks I'd be thinking about removing them and looking at what modern options are out there. Assuming the boats under cover, you have the winter to work on it. Several years ago I looked at a boat of similar size but with more teak decks where the owner hired out the work. The teak was removed, all the prep, marine ply and then glass and non-skid was ~$10k. The job looked like a factory finish.

The Eagles teak decks are 37 years old, but my wife bought and likes the teak decks and trim. Teak decks fail because the ower did not repair and take care of them. Teak decks give plenty of signs and warning, and they do require some yearly maintenance. The Eagles deck where in poor shape when we bought her, but we elected to re fasten and calk. Ok, my wife decided I should.

Each year the deck is scrubbed down with 60 grit sanding blocks to get the dirt and while doing look for areas the need refastening and calking. But the most important is a new application of Daily Seafin treak sealing that is thin enough to get down into the tiny cracks as it dries hard, in the winter I do cover it which keeps 9 months or rain off.

So the cheapest and easiest is repairing and maintaining the old teak deck. Especially if you wife likes wants a teak deck

Teak Deck Dilemma?

We too struggled with what to do about failing teak decks on Sea Haven. After careful research we contacted a company called SaniTread and spoke to their technician. They were extremely helpful and supportive so we made the leap and have just completed applying their product to our entire deck, including flybridge. It is completely sealed and has non-skid in all the walking areas.

We heard that removal can affect structural issues with the fiberglass so opted to cover. Product bonds molecularly with the wood. We felt it was our best option.

We live in rainy Alaska and exposed teak is a non-stop maintenance issue with no weather to actually accomplish much. We cover our boat every winter with a shrink wrap structure to keep out the snow and ice. Circumstances made it so we had the cover on for two years in a row and knew the decks would never be dryer than they were.

The most important thing we did was remove the large fiberglass dual sided seat on the flybridge. We found rotten teak boards that were letting in water to the core. Fortunately we think we got it before it could do extensive damage. The product we used is a curing product that becomes as durable as a tire. It should be used by experienced and capable DIYers. It's not too fussy but you must follow instructions. You can contact the company anytime and they are very helpful with technical info. I don't want to go on too long so feel free to ask questions. Thanks.

Covering Teak Deck

How has your covered teak deck held up? No further separation of teak from underlay?

Jesse, Good Vibrations

It has held up great. No problems. Its nice to not have to worry about the deck here in the rain.

Love that teak decking!

Covering Teak Deck

Thanks for the reply akflyrod2.

akflyrod2 said:

We too struggled with what to do about failing teak decks on Sea Haven. After careful research we contacted a company called SaniTread and spoke to their technician. They were extremely helpful and supportive so we made the leap and have just completed applying their product to our entire deck, including flybridge. It is completely sealed and has non-skid in all the walking areas.

We heard that removal can affect structural issues with the fiberglass so opted to cover. Product bonds molecularly with the wood. We felt it was our best option.

We live in rainy Alaska and exposed teak is a non-stop maintenance issue with no weather to actually accomplish much. We cover our boat every winter with a shrink wrap structure to keep out the snow and ice. Circumstances made it so we had the cover on for two years in a row and knew the decks would never be dryer than they were.

The most important thing we did was remove the large fiberglass dual sided seat on the flybridge. We found rotten teak boards that were letting in water to the core. Fortunately we think we got it before it could do extensive damage. The product we used is a curing product that becomes as durable as a tire. It should be used by experienced and capable DIYers. It's not too fussy but you must follow instructions. You can contact the company anytime and they are very helpful with technical info. I don't want to go on too long so feel free to ask questions. Thanks.

Click to expand...

As a owner of a pretty well worn teak deck I have a couple additional questions.


Did you sand it all really flat prior to coating?
What type if primer was applied under the Sanitread coating?
Can you see the teak lines under the coating?
Has it lifted anywhere, at all?
How long do you feel it will last?
Do you feel this coating is technically different than kiwigrip, tuff coat, bed liners ofr any of the other high tech coatings?



I tend to be pretty conventional and follow the thought that the teak should come off to do a proper permanent repair but if this works as a stop gap for a few years without getting water under it and causing a nightmare it may be worth looking into.
HOLLYWOOD

Hi Hollywood8118, I'll try to be concise in answering.

Did you sand it all really flat prior to coating?

Just a good sanding to bare wood, then dug out any loose black caulk between boards. First layer goes down, then the liquid rubber part gets mixed with thickener to become a caulk consistency. We filled the missing gaps withthis and then proceeded with the rest of the application. it's multi-part so is slightly fussy.

What type if primer was applied under the Sanitread coating?

No primer, the first coat bonds molecularly with the wood. We wiped it down good beforehand with acetone to get any remaining oils off.

Can you see the teak lines under the coating?

Yes, we can see the lines, but I have a feeling if you wanted to do additional coats you could do a build up. The factory tech can answer that for you. They are extremely helpful.

Has it lifted anywhere, at all?

No, no lifting.

How long do you feel it will last?

The theory is forever. I believe it is also repairable if you cut or gouge it. Again, I'll refer to factory tech on that. The stuff that sets up in the mixing cup is similar to a truck tire in toughness.

Do you feel this coating is technically different than kiwigrip, tuff coat, bed liners ofr any of the other high tech coatings?

We don't have much experience with those coatings. We were drawn to Sani-Tread since the specs say it bonds on a molecular level, so it should be better than a coating. The non skid rubber granules go on before the final layer. We masked off areas of foot traffic to look similar to professionally molded in fiberglass non-skid. We were looking for a happy solution to avoid a costly removal and possibly finding out the structure depended on the boards for stiffness. For around 1500.00 and our labor we got a really good option that will outlast us and probably the boat. I should say we did not have any evidence of any deck core issues or damage and we're doing this as a proactive measure to be done with the worry since its only a matter of time on these boats until leaks occur and the damage is a resale killer. We are also painting all the exterior teak with high quality paint and replacing teak hand grips with stainless steel. New powder coated aluminum windows are going in and she will hopefully look ageless when we're done. Teak is romantic but I want to use the boat and not constantly work on it since we have such a short boating and working season.