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Teak sole and gunwale/covering boards new install

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Beau, Feb 23, 2020.

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  1. f3504x4ps

    f3504x4ps Member

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    The company that does the teak soles for Hatteras is in FTL, I'll try to find the company. They glue the teak to a fiberglass sheet and then the fiberglass/teak is glued to the existing gel floor. No screws are used. I love the look of golden teak. They are also using 3/4in teak, they offer other thickness also.
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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  3. DOCKMASTER

    DOCKMASTER Senior Member

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    I agree with this totally! When I was looking for a boat I didn't think I wanted a teak cockpit deck. But that's what my Donzi had and I liked everything else so I bought it. 8 years later now and I love the teak deck and can't imagine anything else. We don't varnish it or oil it. Just an occasional soap and brush clean and leave it natural. Our deck is almost always wet from rain or wash down hose, fish blood, etc The teak is not slippery when wet and hoses off easily.
  4. cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

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    Very nice. IDK Beau, you maybe able to measure your boat on your own, get it prefabricated by one of these teak companies and install it your self/ with a friend or have your yard near by install it under your supervision per the teak fabricator...that's what I would do.

    Hell ,better yet, make a cardboard template up and ship that to them by UPS. Along with photos of your boat.
  5. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    My origins are thru an Egg Harbor- first thru my dad.. I have had extensive experience with teak. You ain't gluing an overlay on Bodacious. I'm looking for a first class installation that results in removal of glass. My coving board are already raised. I need those removed and replaced with solid teak. Just saying....that's what came from the factory
  6. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Wow, I did a 44 Striker that way in the early 90s. Instead of caulk, used blackened epoxy.
    That boat still working in Lower Alabama. Deck still in serviceable shape.
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    You got my interest up now.
    Well, You may be drinking MD or BF for a while after all.
    I'll toast some TB from afar.
  8. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    To put it bluntly, it's a very bad one. Sorry, but you asked...

    Is teak nice to look at? Of course!
    BUT, it's also expensive, slippery when wet, awfully hot in strong sunshine, and very demanding.
    Besides, it's a disposable item, particularly when glued on top of fiberglass, rather than used as a structural component on wooden boats.
    And having owned a wholly wooden built trawler for 17 years, with acres of structural teak decks (3/4" thick), I know what I'm talking about.

    Let me put it this way: as I understand, you are talking of a 22 years old GRP boat, whose deck (I guess) needs nothing at all, if it weren't for your aesthetic wishes - correct?
    Well, the moment you put teak on it, you can wave good bye to such fortunate situation.
    At best, you'll need to replace it in a dozen of years.
    And at worse (depending on how well the job is done, the teak selection, its seasoning, and another dozen of other factors), you might have moisture in between the teak and the GRP after a couple of years, if not even earlier.

    Bottom line, I couldn't summarize my view better than Capt Ralph already did: I love wood on other boats.

    All that said, if you'll decide to go ahead with the idea, I can only add two final words: good luck! :)
  9. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    I didn't notice this bit, when I guessed that your GRP deck is still fine.
    But what do you mean by that, exactly?
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Teak Decking Services does the teak for a lot of major yacht manufacturers and do a great install...…. THIS is the preferred method of glueing the teak to fiberglass sheet, then epoxying sheet to existing fiberglass deck. Teak should go right over your existing covering boards.

    You do want to oil teak covering boards as it helps greatly in keeping them from splitting due to the thickness and board width.
  11. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Last edited: Feb 26, 2020
  12. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    BTW. artificial teak is not even a consideration. I'm looking for a factory level installation, if I do it at all. As Capt J agreed earlier, I'm looking for a Jarret Bay type refit. That may mean extensive glass removal.
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2020
  13. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    I agree that leaving teak natural on thick solid boards is a disaster waiting to happen. And iroko is even worse, BTW.
    On the other hand, having tried to discourage Beau as much as I could, if he really aims at aesthetic over practicality, varnished is even better than oiled.
    A proper maintenance PITA, though - below is the reason why I know.
    Brought back to bare wood every 5/6 years, and refreshed with two hands every given season!
    [​IMG]
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Yes, you just go right over the top of the molded covering board matching it's shape on the forward, out bound and aft sides, then a piece comes around where the coming pad would be if equipped, like the Hatteras 45' EX. I've never heard of anyone grinding that off to put teak. Your boat is built of many SF of that era and it's raised so water running off the side decks doesn't wash into the cockpit.

    Like in the pictures of these teak covering boards:
    https://www.**************/boats/2015/hatteras-45-express-sportfish-3646313/

    Same boat without teak, both boats have the raised gunnels in the back.

    https://www.**************/boats/2017/hatteras-45-gtx-3650438/
  15. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Thanks, gentlemen.
  16. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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  17. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    You're talking of caulked planks, I suppose? Nothing wrong in leaving them natural.
    It's with the border planks and covering boards, that you'd better protect them.
    Also in my previous photo, the caulked teak planks forming the deck sole have always been left natural.
    Not a good idea with big chunks of teak used for covering boards, though.
    Over time (depending mostly on thermal excursion and sun strength in your boating grounds), they become prone to splitting/cracking, if neither oiled nor varnished regularly.

    That aside, I struggle to understand what you meant by Jarrett Bay refit with glass removal.
    I never saw a Jarrett Bay in flesh, but AFAIK their boats are built with cold-molded wooden hulls, aren't they?
    And even without knowing the details of JB technique, the decks of such boats are simply impossible to replicate, on a GRP hull.
    I mean, even if you would cut and remove your GRP cockpit sole completely, and ask JB to rebuild it from scratch, they would have no way to mate it with your hull in the same way as they can do with theirs, where the deck becomes concurrent with the rest of the hull structure.
    In fact, I'm pretty sure that they would advise you against that!

    For covering a GRP deck with teak, the technique described by Capt.J is indeed the more widely used nowadays, also by boatbuilders.
    Who by the way outsource the production of these pre-built to measure decks to companies focused on woodworking as such, i.e. not only for boats.
    But I would be very surprised if JB would use that system, because I expect them to use the traditional method instead, with single teak planks laid on beams and caulked afterwards, leaving aside the details of what normally goes in between.

    Just be aware that it's a non-return decision: if for any reason you wouldn't be happy with the result, restoring the GRP deck as you know it would be a mission impossible.
  18. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Thank you for your thoughts, Mapism
  19. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Capt J

    The photos illustrate my point better then my words. Where the hattie shows a teak covering board, I already have a fiberglass "covering board" out of the mold. If I put a one inch teak board on top of that I'd have a heck of a mound surrounding my cockpit.

    My question is only an exploratory inquiry. If this project gets too complicated or expensive, the boat stays exactly as it has been for the last 22 years!
  20. cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

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    Ju
    Just do the cockpit perhaps, I think that would look good also. I do not think it's a good idea to mess with your glass covering boards, let that be.
    And all this talk about large teak boards splitting , being slippery etc. never happened on my 50 year old Matthews , which like your Egg , had even more teak decking both fore deck and aft.. I kept it dry and clean and it was great.
    Add ANY coating to it, like in some of the posts above, then yes it will be slippery when wet. And varnish or Cetol it, forget walking on it.

    My previous and current 1974 Chris Craft dory had/ has the original teak gunnels and they were not oiled, and I keep them that way. They are fine as can be . Teak is a general term, I don't think all Teak wood is created equal so you may get some drying out/splitting from different '' inferior'' grades of Teak.
    Same always goes with Mahogany. You have different qualities of wood.

    Beau, I just want to help you spend some of your money !! Lol:) So I'm pushing for Teak, somewhere on your boat.