teak deck replacement (Albin 43)

I'm looking at making an offer on an Albin 43. It has teak decks that have been painted white. The good news is that I can probably slap another coat of Awlgrip or even Rustoleum on the decks for another year or two. But eventually - I'm thinking the REAL correct answer is to replace them...

Questions:

1) For now, how long will painting the decks hold me? Am I ok as long as I keep them painted?
2) When the time comes to replace them - yes, they have screws... How hard is it really to get the screws out? Are they generally pretty loose, or will a BUNCH of them probably be a major chore with a pair of vice grips, as the head will certainly be worthless?
3) Can I get a dremel and just grind the screws off instead of trying to pull them out?
4) Then what? Can I seal the screw holes (thickened epoxy?), then apply a coat or two of epoxy, and then put down some sort of faux teak decking?
5) Is there anything that has to go down under the faux teak decking?
6) Is there a preferred option for "maint. free" decking? Or is this like asking old guys what their favorite motor oil is?

Thanks!!

Replace them. Sold an Albin that had 3 coats of non skid paint on the teak. Should have left it there. Looked nice, but became leaky.

This is a really big job. However it is not too technically difficult. It is a lot of back breaking grunt work. Having said that the real way to fix the deck is to remove the teak and screws. Then depending on what condition the core is in you may get by with just filling the screw holes and painting the deck with something like Kiwigrip. However most likely the coring will have some rot due to water getting into the core. If so then you will need to cut out sections of the top fiberglass deck. Remove the rotted core, replace the core and then epoxy the top fiberglass deck back on and repair the top glass and paint. It can be a lot of work, just depends on what condition the core is in and you probably will not be able to tell until you remove the teak decking.

Teak provides stiffness. When removed, after fairing, usually 2 layers of fibreglass are laid on what is the real deck underneath before painting. But that is after the "real deck" and its core is established to be good, or is made good. I doubt "faux teak" will perform that function.
Get a quote for the repair, and compare it to the price of the boat.
As the decks have required "work" they were probably leaking. Check underneath and around for the knock on effects of water entry. How are the tanks, especially the top surfaces?

" For now, how long will painting the decks hold me? Am I ok as long as I keep them painted?"

If you purchase the best paint ($ 25 not $15 a gallon) that is used for painting the roof of house trailers.

Home Depot in roofing section , not paint section, the deck should not leak until you wear the paint off.

It is Very flexible and stays sealed even with movement under it.

Metal trailer roofs expand and contract.

It will be an OK as no skid as it does not flow to have the paint gloss.

It is not as tough as regular paint so dragging anchors across is not recommended, but boat shoes are fine.

It goes on tinted blueish , but dries white , and is fantastic at keeping the deck cool as it resists insolation with ground titanium.

Yes the teak adds stiffness. So if you remove it you need to add the fiberglass layers as previously posted.
In Taiwan when these boats were built , teak was cheap, much cheaper than laying fiberglass, hence the future leaky decks.

No clue how long paint would last on teak decks. It's an oily wood, my guess is not too long before it started to get splotchy.
I'd consider stripping the paint before painting over what's there. At least then you can see what the teak really looks like before deciding wat to do. We have used a Home Depot stripper on a few pieces of teak and it's not harmful to anything else. I think it was a citrus based product.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Painted over teak is likely a sign that the previous or current owner was trying to stop leaks.

If this is the case then as Commodave pointed out you should assume leaks and rotted core. You can find the rotted sections as they will feel soft and spongy under foot and if you “sound” the decks with a hammer they sound dull.

Not to scare the bottom paint off of you but I’m in the middle of a complete boat deck replacement right now after a season of “just getting by” with some leaks. In my case it was easier to remove and replace the entire deck (glass over marine plywood) then to fix sections. It’s will depend on how the deck “sandwich” is constructed.

So to answer your questions:

1. It depends. Possible, but you may have leaks and encourage further rot.

2. The fastest way to remove deck involves a small crowbar and a hammer. It’s a destructive process to the teak that leaves the screw heads in place. Then you can remove 1000s of slotted screws with a screwdriver or a pair of needle nose vise grips. Cutting the teak in-between rows of screws with a circular saw helps.

3. Remove them as you’ll need to fill the holes. I only had to cut off 10 in total on my boat deck. The other 2000 unscrewed easily. [emoji6]

4. Yes, then plan to fiberglass over the entire deck. This assumes you’ve repaired any issues with the core.

5. Yes, fiberglass

6. Awlgrip, etc

As others stated already it’s not hard if you have the DIY skills and the stomach for it, it’s just a LOT of labor.

Check out Boatworks Today on YouTube for some videos that will help you get your head around it. Also Sail Life documents a complete re-core of a sailboat on his channel.

Finally get a good survey so you know what you’re getting into with this boat.

A little more on my project if you’re interested (and brave).

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43615

Good luck!

Is this your first boat, or your last boat? Use the search feature in here and use “teak deck” as your parameter- you will find thatzits the third most talked about after anchors or twins/singles - maybe 4th as I now remember smelly heads ;-)

"Yes, then plan to fiberglass over the entire deck. This assumes you’ve repaired any issues with the core"

This is perhaps the best solution as you will avoid the smell of rotten wood.

But structurally there is no reason not to simply glass down a thick (perhaps cored) deck on top of the rotten deck

The boat will be stiffer and the extra glass might weigh less than the removed teak overlay..