Refit Sunseeker Predator 72: Flexiteek or Teak?

The 2014 Princess V72 I just purchased will need the decks, cockpit, and swim platform redone soon. It really is a crime that these manufacturers use such a thin low quality teak for decking on boats costing upwards of 3-4million dollars. In south Florida can anyone name some reliable companies that do teak replacement. I’ve seen Teak Decking Systems on some searches I’ve done.

Teak decking systems is very popular. Yacht Management in DANIA BEACH,FL at Harbortowne did a bunch of steps and a complete flybridge deck for me once on a 64' MY and did an excellent job. I agree, the thickness of the teak decks on most all of the Euro boats is hideously thin for the price point of the boat. I deal with lots of Euro new boats...….nothing like the thickness on a Hatteras.

Thank You , great info Capt J . Not sure if you mean , use Ammonia then Gary's golden teak or just one or the other?

Use either Ammonia, cascade dishwashing detergent, or oxycleen powder as step 1 to clean the teak. (I've gotten away from Ammonia due to the fumes). Then after cleaning and rinsing that off thoroughly, use Gary's Golden Teak as step 2......as directed.

Bleach and soap for the first step is an alternative. If you can let the bleach sit for a few hours or even overnight It will be try by the morning) it will lighten the teak wood considerably. I use a commercial spray bottle to apply the soap and bleach and then brush counter to the grain with a soft bristle brush. Amazon teak oil is another good 2nd step. Amazon oil offers a golden or lighter colored oil. Apply the oil to dry teak otherwise you will trap some moisture which will lead to dark mold growth under the oil. Light reapplication of oil thru the season should keep everything looking pretty good..

Thank you both , but most of you would laugh if you saw the little bit of natural teak I have on my boat . Just four 12 x16 step pads and an original nice Ocean Yachts teak swim platform with boarding ladder and six teak rungs . Lol..that's it.

I like to keep my teak natural yet I want that golden look. I have done the full treatment on previous boats on the swim platform but find the oil washes right out after running the boat a day or two only, so I gave up oiling the swim platform along with any other teak decking or steps plates.

So my question is how do I keep it looking good on the swim platform or will it still just wash out with the modern day products?

You probably don't want oil on step surfaces anyway - but once you get the teak clean and the color you would like it, a weekly wash with basic soap brushed across the grain should do it. That's how I do my teak platform. When needed I add bleach. Swim platform if its like mine gets loaded with water underway and is not a good candidate IMO for oil - as you say it just washes away. Also, Oil never really drys depending on how you apply it and tends to catch and hold dirt.

Yes my plateform is the same , gets awash underway.
Anyway I finaly did a search on YF and found many similar ways to clean/upkeep the teak decking etc.
lol, I like to start a fresh thread anyway just to here back from my on line boating friends .
Bottom line is will not oil any of it and try ammonia in a spray bottle and a soft scrub deck brush , then get that Gary's Golden teak stuff and give that a try.
Won't bleach mess up the paint ? Or due you dilute it with water and then sprayed on. Just incase I go the bleach route.

I use a diluted 50/50 solution, but like you I don't have much outside teak. A couple of deck chairs, table and the swim platform.

My cockpit is gelcoat so I don't have paint worries. We had an Egg Harbor for 13 years before this puppy - now your talkin' teak! And I don't miss it on the outside at all

Yeah but it sure looks nice when varnished and kept up ! I've got a 33' Egg in my yard , in good shape. But most of the teak got the white paint treatment . Yuck! Kind of killed the look of the boat.
Always loved the old 37' sedan ...with they could have copied that boat in Fiberglass and kept the old great wooden interior layout, including the gunnert pass through refrigerator !

I keep up on my toe rails , teak trim , cabin door , and the Ocean Yachts original teak oval with varnish , not paint. It's woth it to me after is all said and done.

Heck, my last big boat was a 42' 1962 convertible sedan Matthews ...with ALL teak decks , cockpit , forward and side decks..all original. I generally kept them covered up in Cetol light, to help plug up the leaks..lol.
Never really kept them natural , so that is a weak point of mine . Natural clean golden teak.

Cetol teak, looks a hell of a lot better than the light. 2 coats of the Cetol teak color and then a coat or two or three of the cetol clear over it.

To me Cetol looks like an unnatural finish. Something about the coloration. To me its natural wood, oil or schooner varnish. But every one has their own preferences.

Cleanslate, our Egg was a '77, 33' SF that we purchased in the early eighties. I worked for hours, days and weeks keeping that teak Bristol. She was a beauty!

I agree with your choices, but from a maintenance/longevity standpoint Cetol clearly beats all 3.


The teak color from Cetol is not too bad. The trick with Cetol is no more than 2 coats of the color, then build the rest up with another 2 coats of clear...….then it looks normal......If you put 3 coats of the color, it looks like a muddy fake mess. I'm not a huge fan of cetol from a looks stand point, but it adheres and lasts if you put the cetol clear...….Awlwood is a nicer product (from Awlgrip).

Capt J , that was my old boat back in 2001 or so, Cetol just came out with the light then I used two coats on the decks only, gave me a seal, but still retained the grip when wet, sort of, lol. I would do a light sand and west system yellow foam roller on a new coat each year. Never more than two coats.
Always used varnish, mostly Captains , on the toe rails, hand rails , cockpit, transom etc....I should have named that boat "Varnish" lol.

My current boat, Ocean Yachts 42, I use Epifanes Clear Gloss varnish . Which looks super great and gives me good results here in South Jersey.

Very nice ! I got Ya , my Matthews had entire cockpit sides that were mahogany varnished and the classic accordion deck house / bulk head door that stacked up three panels to port and the one starboard hinged door stayed put . This opened up the saloon to the aft deck and gave you 20 ft long area to use.
Had varnished cabin sides to half way up on the exterior ...and a varnish transom
I would use two entire quart of varnish just to do one coat on the exterior varnished wood . I had so much and many big areas to cover I would west yellow foam roller it on and tip with a foam Jen-Poly brush ..

This was just the varnish work , then the many coats of Z-Spar 99 white I put on the hull....nuts ! But fun at the time.

Got to go, I'm starting to feel sick! Lol.

Good day All, Reviving this old thread on FlexiTeak Vs Real teak. I've had flexi Teak on my older Searay and it held up extremely well, it was 2G scrubbed style with some nice bordering and install was a 10. See pix below. Anyone that walked on the boat thought it was real teak. We sold that boat and now have a Sunseeker 57 Pred, 2018. It has the typical 1/4 Teak deck that is inset and flush with the platform. I am the second owner and the previous owner killed the teak. So I have to replace it. I see that sunseeker is now using flexiteek on the new builds. So my question is how do you think this will fair on the resale if I decide to install flexiteek? Wondering if the thought process has changed since 5 years ago.

Also, up in the north east USA, Long Island, there are no local companies that I have found that can install real teak. Does anyone have a resource should i decide to go that way?

Lastly, talk to me about teak. From the research i have done you want Burmese teak only and NOT farmed teak.... or is that all BS?

I think real teak looks classier and such. One of the yachts I manage happens to be a 2022 Sunseeker with the flexi teak and it looks like it clear isn't teak from 10' away. BUT there is no maintenance to it, so there's that as well as the lower install price.

Hi Capt J, there are so many brands of synthetic teak and i agree that most of them look fake. The Flexiteek looks very much like teak as i have had it before. Do you think it will affect the resale, now that the new boats have them? Which model sunseeker do you you manage?

Interesting that Sunseeker now uses Flexiteek.

I have the original Flexiteek on a 2004 boat and love the fact it still looks as it did and no maintenance.

I recently redid the teak on my Sunseeker and am regretting not using Flexiteek.