Pros and Cons of Teak Decks

Hey LC....

When I spoke with the Grant of Frontier Marine Designs, we talked about teak decking. He mentioned things that can really mess up a teak deck, even small things like peanuts (the oil can stain the wood)....red wine?? Another horror story...

He mentioned a Swedish company that was making a synthetic teak that looked like the real thing...the only difference is that if a peanut is dropped or wine spilled on the deck the cleanup only requires a simple west, soapy rag to clean the mess...not some poor deckie re-varnishing the deck....

Maybe Lars (AMG) can learn more about this company in Sweden????

Cheers,

Mark

Teak decks are beautiful !!!! No doubt about that.

1. Part of the general job discription of yacht crew is to maintain the vessel in pristeen condition that includes cleaning teak decks. Not an unpleasant task on a warm day.

2. Sealants and oils do protect the teak and look good if applied correctly however they do have some undesirable side effects, they tend to be slippery when wet, some products can stain paint, because of the darker color that the deck takes on they are also hotter.

3. Yes you can wash teak with regular detergent but to get that freshly sanded look, most people use a 2 pack system, the first part generally has a caustic soda base which will damage paint work in time especially if left on the paint for any length of time. The second part is an acidic base usually oxalic acid or phosphoric acid these products will also damage paint over time. If you like the weathered sunbleached look then you need to avoid areas where industrial and city dirt can land on the deck and only wash the deck with regular detergent and when possible hose down the deck with clean seawater, however this is only really possible in really REMOTE locations.

4. Having had some experiance with teak veneer and solid teak, I personally would avoid veneer or any teak that is laid on the sub deck less than 3/4" thick, because anything thinner will warp allowing moisture underneath which will cause problems in time. On metal corrosion, plywood rot, fibreglass osmosis and delamination. I have heard the arguments of builders and other experts over and over. But I have seen it many times with my own 2 eyes that in time these problems will occur.

Dispite the downer's that I have presented there is a no more beautiful deck than teak.

Nice post Garry!

I overheard a favorable comment about a product called PlasTEAK, but I have no experience working with it. Maybe the best of both worlds...

http://www.plasteak.com/boating/plasdeck/plasdeck.html

Don Smith is using it on his 42' Center Console for steps in various places. I remember the surface texture being granulated, so it wasn't slippery. The color was fairly realistic, but most importantly, the color should remain consistent if it's truly a UV stable plastic. My only question would be how well it resists chemicals that might be used elsewhere on the deck, such as paint stripper, Acetone or MEK. Any of these solvents would attack plastic.

Evening....

I did a little Google search and found the company in Sweden that makes the synthetic teak...here is the link:

http://www.flexiteek.no/

Looks like a possible alternative.....it would be nice to see how the new owner of Aussie Rules likes the synthetic teak!!!!

Cheers,

Mark

Everything in life comes down to a balance of 3 things; time, quality and $$. To have one in your favor is good, two excellent, three is nigh on impossible. My initial reaction to this product is that it is plastic and will therfore lack the feel of a natural product, I would be very interested in hearing from someone who has used it and there opinions of how it feels.

Marine deck 2000

I rembered that i read the Article in Boat International June 2003 that the 42m
( Sport Fisherman ) name Forty Love was equiped with a like Teak looking material that is called Marine Deck 2000. I searched in the net and found the link

http://www.stazo.nl/html/exterior.html for some more info.

Seems that this is a proved material and a alternative to teak ! ?

Below the picture of the Aft. Deck

We have used Flexiteek on about 35 boats over the last three years. The look and feel is like teak or better. Better in that it is really nonskid, also when wet.

It is as sensitive to grease as real teak, but can also be sealed as real teak to give it a little better protection. It is of course very sensitive to aceton...

A weak point is that it darkens with age, which can partly be recovered by sanding, but I don´t know how it will look like after more than three years...?

Anyway, it is about the same price as real teak of similar dimensions. It looks a lot better over time with less maintenance, except that it darkens.

On real teak, if kept clean, as in flushed almost every day and using those semisoft pads (brown) to rub away dirt, it will last a very long time with the perfect light sand colour. To recover bad maintenance is the dishwasher powder trick very efficient, with hot water on small and pre-wet surfaces with a lot of flushing afterwards. Maybe sanding to get an even surface and never ever use brushes and especially not with the grain!

I have left a yacht after five years with the teak looking and feeling almost as new without using any "teak products".

Soap

Try the lifeboy soap

http://www.lifebuoy.co.uk/
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/21/1045638486091.html

Here is a product I have found some time ago from a company called INTEK. The product is called INTEK TEAK ONE STEP and they say it is now being used by several cruise lines. It mixes with cold water and you put it on using a soft brush and rinse. Thats it...
http://www.intekmarine.com/

They also have a line of other very useful products. It would be worth your time reading about these. I have not used these products yet but I will give them a try when the time is right.

News Release

INTEK Technology
3945 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
Toll Free: (866) 273-1177
Office: (703) 273-3020
Fax: (703) 273-3573

For Immediate Release
July 16, 2003

Carnival Cruise Lines Selects INTEK Teak One-Step as The Exclusive Teak Cleaning Solution For It's Fleet.

After an extensive environmental and product performance review, Carnival Cruise Lines announced today the selection of INTEK Technology's Teak One-Step as the only authorized teak cleaning product for all eighteen ships in its fleet. In addition to the testing and evaluation, Carnival compared Teak One-Step's performance to several other teak cleaning products on multiple ships for a period of several weeks. At the conclusion of this comparison, Carnival proclaimed INTEK'S Teak One-Step as "the most effective and easiest to use" of all the products tested.

Teak One-Step is a nonacidic, nonhazardous, biodegradable, one-step teak cleaner, conditioner and brightness enhancer. It rapidly and safely removes dirt, salt, oils, microorganisms, stains, mold and mildew, at ambient temperature, without raising the wood grain or producing other deleterious effects. It gives excellent results when used mixed with ordinary tapwater, without damaging teak or brightwork, and without altering teakís natural oils or appearance.

INTEK Technology, a provider of specialty chemical products announced the introduction of the INTEK Teak One-Step product to their already extensive suite of environmentally safe and effective specialty chemicals at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2003.

For more information on Teak One-Step visit the INTEK Technology website @ www.intektechnology.com

Seems to be very similar to my dishwasher method, only much more expensive and they say you should use a brush! It may be less harmful to the environment though, but it is hard to figure out by their declaration. Buy the smallest pack and compare to dishwasher powder and find out the difference!

But dont use a brush, the brown scotchpads you attach to a handle is what you should use on teak.

I launched the idea of dish-powder about 12 years ago in Golfe Juan and Antibes where there were a lot of people selling expensive miracle stuff, and from there I know it has spread around the world, now perhaps to somebody making it a teak product? Would be nice to have it compared anyway...

Back in the days of wooden ships and iron men they used a flat pumic stone and seawater. I also have used laundry powder, many years ago and it did a great job. But I must admit as to having done some sinful things to teak out of the desire to be more time efficent ( lazy ) the overall result being the loss of pride and satisfaction, not to mention the damage to the teak.

They were called holystones back then, and were made of sandstone. Smaller ones were refered to as "prayerbooks" and larger stones were called "bibles".

Part of the beauty of a yacht is seeing the "real" woodwork kept in good shape. There is no substitute to gleaming varnished teak or mahogany! I've seen teak painted over with white polyurethane, in order to "avoid" the work of keeping it looking bright, and this is effective, but sad too because it hides one of the beautiful elements of a yacht.

In my opinion, teak decks can be maintained "looking brown" but "looking white" is a whole lot easier and the teak really doesn't mind it at all. If you have the time and the crew to keep it looking brown, that's great, but otherwise, letting it go white is fine, in my humble opinion.

Synthetic Teak Deck

Jury rules in Flexiteek's favour

By IBI Magazine

A jury has ruled in favour of Flexiteek, a Norwegian producer of synthetic teak decking, in its patent infringement against PlasTEAK and PlasDECK in a US district court. A statement issued by the company reads as follows:

"The case was filed in June 2008, alleging that the Tek-Dek products formerly imported and sold by PlasTEAK, as well as PlasDECK's current line of synthetic teak decking product infringe upon Flexiteek's US Patent Number 6,895,881 (the '881 Patent).

"The District Court made additional rulings of law which considerably strengthened the '881 Patent. The District Court ruled that Flexiteek International AS was the owner of the '881 Patent, and that the '881 Patent was valid.

"Flexiteek's main competitors, Tek-Dek Ltd and PlasDECK Inc, have been taking the position that Flexiteek was not the owner of the '881 Patent and that it was invalid. The District Court's rulings demonstrate that the position taken by these competitors lack merit.

"The District Court also rendered what is called a "claims construction" which defines what the claims and terms of the patent mean. The claims construction significantly broadened the scope of the '881 Patent against any and all potential infringers.

"Shortly, the Court will issue an injunction prohibiting PlasTEAK and PlasDECK from making, marketing and selling the infringing products. The injunction will also apply to all the PlasDeck distributors and installers around the world.

"The jury determined that the early PT-Products (Tek-Dek's products imported to the US from the UK) were infringing on the '881 patent. Therefore, we believe this verdict is enforceable against the present ongoing patent infringement of Tek-Dek."
(26 June 2009)

CaptJ, just remember that ammonia and aluminium is not a good combination.

Using a soft brush with the grain probably means you can feel the grain. If you use a pad sideways to the grain, you get a smooth surface where you can not even feel the caulking.

On synthetic teak, there are different brands and I have only used Flexiteek, which is not slippery at all, especially not when wet. But it can get hot...

Today there are also other types of wood replacing teak as a result of the rainforest debate. From what I know, teak is not rainforest, it is leaf felling, but it is still a tropical tree.

Once you have the teak sanded properly always clean against the grain is what works for me. No oils-certainly never on the deck as that would get quite hot.

Panama has teak plantations near my wife's families' houses. Nothing else grows or lives in teak plantations as the trees are somehow caustic to quite a bit of life.

Oils for Teak Decks

It been a very ong time ago now so I don't remember any details, but I was once on a vessel down at the Ocean Reef Club in the keys. Docked next to us was a beautiful old Trumpy classic.

I recall a conversation with the skipper that claimed to use transmission fluid (and or mixture involving) to get his beautiful golden teak decks after his cleaning them.???...kept them from greying so rapidly.

Anyone ever hear of such an application??