Well following my request for information this time last year ... I had the cockpit on my southerly 110 done in "plastic teak" last winter and it has been a great success.  It replaced non slip grp white which was too bright - its easier on the eyes, less slippy, more comfortable for us humans, and the dog, is maintenance free, is easy to clean and looks just as good now as it did when fitted. I will have to "service the teak capping rail on her this winter and the tak block under the windlass but not the deck - I may even extend it around the boat.

 tim

             Chas, absolutely right. I work part of the time in Portugal: asked for a presale valuation on an otherwise very nice Bowman (built 1989) I had to point out how badly it was let down by its teak decking. The owner was close to tears. Redecking quotes around£20,000.....I have also had the sad task of overseeing the removal of a beautiful teak deck on a dutch steel yacht- the deck underneath was thin and perforated to the point that some areas could not be walked on.

As for screwing it to a foam cored deck-NO! My moisture meter squawks in protest at the thought. Reflect on the fact that almost all cored decks begin to show signs of water ingress to the core as they age just around fittings: when multiplied by hundreds for fastenings there is no hope.

Contemporary teak decking is thin- think of the weight otherwise, and not amenable to much refinishing. In a seriously hot climate it's not even cool to the feet and transmits heat below- a more serious drawback than you might think. 

It maybe that synthetic alternatives will stand the test of time. To outlast cheap teak decks on many modern boats it only has to hold on for 10-15 years.

Gwil-it wasnt Gordonstouns old boat you surveyed?-a beautiful looking Robert Clark designed 60 plus footer designed Dutch built of steel in late 60s.

A survey I had sight of in early 2000s revealed that you could poke a screwdriver through its steel deck hidden under a real teak planked deck!!

Phil

Welcome to the Forum Nick.

It certianly is and later, Tanshire in Elstead, what are you up to now?

Cheers

Chas

Hi Gwil

Glad someone else thinks objectively about these things. Shows I'm not just a grumpy sceptical old git!

I could tell you the difference in solar heat gain between bright white and dull brown if I looked at some of my text books but you're quite right, the difference is very significant.

---"Reflect on the fact that almost all cored decks begin to show signs of water ingress to the core as they age just around fittings:"--- Yep, thats why on another recent thread, I advocated cutting the core out locally and laminating the deck up solid.

Only 10 to 15 years? a good boat is barely "run in" by then! My Lochin 33 is over thirty years old and still in rude health. (Just like it's owner - very rude)

Cheers

Chas

 No Phil not the Gordonstoun boat- didn't those Clark boats have a lovely sheer by the way?- but all the same a lovely piece of round bilge dutch construction well maintained in every other way. The remedial work on the deck destroyed a fair proportion of the interior which the owner could not afford to reinstate to anything like the original standard.

 And Chas, I am living proof you can be a grumpy sceptical old git and still be right! A cored deck can be ok but...As an example, something like a 70's Westerley will very often show elevated moisture readings around those rather nasty U-bolt chainplates. The sealant has let go and the core is wet- usually only locally. The most worrying element of this is the crevice corrosion of the bolt promoted by its wet and oxygen starved environment. Not a big job at all to fix but if you leave it? Another good reason (and acknowledging my own investment in this!) for insurance companies wanting a regular survey.

I still feel, properly constructed, a cored deck is fine. It can be stiff without compromising the ballast ratio through excessive weight, provide great insulation, and be part of some very sophisticated, strong, and light overall structures. Try building the current breed of multihulls without cored construction!

Hi Gwil

I've got nothing against cored construction and fully apreciate it's stregnth to weight ratio, it's just the penitrations and local crushing forces imposed by things like stancheons that worry me.

I saw reference in one of the West Systems manuals to locally removing the core around fittings and filling the void with epoxy filler. This was done by bending a piece of metal rod (maybe 1/4" dia) and using it in an electric drill to locally remove the core (say 2" or so dia) then once filled, redrill the fixing hole.

It sounds like a good method to me as it both increases resistance to crushing and seals the core against water ingress. The trouble is that commercial boat builders wouldn't have the time to do things like that.

I've also got quite a few old holes in my wheelhouse roof (which is balsa cored) that have just been filled and we all know that just filling holes doesn't work. I've been gradually dishing them out with an angle grinder then glassing them up properly and finally making good the gelcoat. I can't get to the inside at the moment but the theory is that when I finally replace the head lining in a couple of years time; the core will be nice and dry by then so I can back fill the holes with epoxy and then make good the inner skin.

Cheers

Chas

In thatcas

Hi Chas

I am now living in Sandhurst and working on a project in slough i have a jeanneau40 down in gosport and working fo the day when i can take off for a few years

Good to see your still alive and kicking

 you hav PMs blocked ??

Cheers

Nick

Hi Nick

Still in the area then?  And you're obviously keeping well and prosperous. 

A Jeanneau 40 eh? Very nice indeed, got any pics?

I've got a Lochin 33 in Sparkes Marina on Hayling Island. It's an old one but I'm gradually improving it. There's some pics of it in the gallery.

I don't know how the private messaging works on here but I'll try and find out and send you my details.

Cheers and all the best

Chas

Hi Nick

I tried to send my contact details to you but it comes up that you don't recieve private mesages.

I'll contact Cathy and try to sort it out.

Hi John- yes, fine little boat but all the usual precautions apply. Modern boats- which although a few years old the Sadler still is- go so well because of clever weight saving construction. Anyone can make thick and solid laminate (very common in American construction) but in smaller vessels in particular performance would suffer horribly. And remember that light but stiff hulls can have a nice taut rig for windward performance as well.