Considering Teak Cockpit Makeover

[Foswick]

Ugh ... I think I have just about resigned to a complete cockpit makeover. When I bought this boat (about six weeks ago), I knew I had some teak repair to do in the cockpit. There are a few split pieces and the overall look is shabby. I figured I would replace the bad pieces and recaulk and sand everything, and I would be basically happy with the results.

Last week, I removed the floor grating, repaired, cleaned, etc. and they look great/grate. (The picture shows the "before" state.) And, I've started to renovate the toe rail with really nice results. So, this makes me start to be a bit pickier about the state of the cockpit seating and locker lids.

So, I removed the aft-most portside locker lid and brought it home to get a sense of what I was getting into. It is pretty typical of the state and construction of the other locker lids. About half of the teak decking strips you see in the photo are attached to plywood to form a locker lid. The other half is screwed directly down to fiberglass.

I disassembled that small lid (in the photos above), and found all wood to be in questionable condition. I initially thought that I would just replace the substrate plywood and rebuild the lid using the existing teak. But, that is looking less feasible. I am concerned that, although I might be able to do that in some places, I wouldn't be able to do it consistently throughout the cockpit, resulting in an inconsistent patchwork.

So, I am considering the idea that it might be easier to completely rebuild from scratch using new wood - maybe just keeping the most viable pieces of the original cockpit. I do want to keep the appearance of teak, to be consistent with the style and vintage of the boat.

But ... I am actually considering synthetic teak, such as PlasDeck. It kind of goes against my grain (so to speak), but I have a couple of reasons for this. First, like I said, I think anything other than a wood look would be out of place on the boat. But, I also don't mind having a cockpit that is not screwed down, creating a bunch of holes in my boat. And, I don't mind not having to take care of all of that teak. Finally, I always sail with my dog and, eventually, his claws will take some toll on the teak surfaces.

I ordered a sample of PlasDeck to see if I like it or not. I don't know if I have ever seen synthetic teak actually on a boat, before. So, I'm not sure about how it looks. I have seen EVA foam decking that is meant to look like teak, and I don't care for the almost cartoony look of it. Though, even with that said, I do understand the appeal and haven't entirely ruled it out as a practical option.

I guess I don't really have a question, here. I'm just looking for someone to talk me into or out of any particular option.

I should mention that I am pretty handy, but I don't have a lot of patience to take my time to get it right. This is one factor leading me away from trying to salvage the existing materials.

 

[shemandr]

The part that is screwed down to the fiberglass: If that's cored fiberglass can you be sure the core isn't wet?
I think synthetic could be an option. In July 2024 issue of Soundings magazine there is an article in the Boatworks section regarding modern synthetic decking materials. There are more options than ever. The article highlights Aquatraction but also mentions Seadeck. I'm sure there are others.
Either a full redo of the teak or synthetics will cost. I would have a look at the synthetics.

 

[Foswick]

If that's cored fiberglass can you be sure the core isn't wet?

It isn't cored. I can see the underside well from inside the engine compartment - just screws through fiberglass.

There is a mystery that I'm keen to solve, though. If you look at the picture of the cockpit - on the forward edge of the cockpit, there is a bulkhead with a small round port. Inside, on the bottom edge of that bulkhead, there is something like teek veneer plywood with old water damage along the bottom edge - right about at the level of the teak decking in the cockpit. (The source of the water was rectified some time ago, but the damage is done.)

My assumption has been that the decking had some water incursion that seeped into the core material and wicked over to the interior of the bulkhead. But, looking underneath, there does not seem to be a seam in the fiberglass between that bulkhead and the top of the cockpit seating. It appears to be either a single molded piece or the seam was well taped. But, I can't get an unobstructed view from below, so I'm not sure exactly what it actually looks like.

As with most boat projects, this will be a can of worms. When I get the decking off, I will find out how water made its way into that bulkhead interior. Which means I will need to address that. And, having addressed that, I should just replace that interior surface. And so on ...

What really has me stumped about that water damage is that it definitely was resolved, somehow. Water is (almost) definitely not leeching in there anymore. Since the cockpit appears to be original material, I have to assume that someone just rebedded and/or recaulked some of the cockpit, and that stopped the water.

If that turns out to be the case, I am going to fiberglass over the area before putting the new decking down. I don't want to cover a permeable seam with teak. Water WILL eventually find its way back into that seam.

 

[Foswick]

By the way, I just came in from the shop where I tried to clean up the pieces of that small locker lid. That pretty well seals my fate - that I won't be reusing the existing material. I think that I would be lucky to salvage about half of the existing wood, and even then, I would have to repair a bunch of dings around screw holes and such. It would never look great.

Now, I just need to decide whether to go teak, synthetic teak, or some entirely different direction.

Cost is a consideration. Shopping around I think I can do something in the neighborhood of $100 USD per sq/ft for teak (not counting any plywood bases). I have roughly 30 sq/ft to do - I haven't measured exactly. So, that's about $3000. I always double and add $7 to boat estimates. So, $6007 for a new cockpit - seems reasonable. What drives up the cost is the fact that about half of my square footage will be bullnose trim. The 1/4" decking is actually only about $30 sq/ft.

(Why $7? I used to do a lot of estimates for software projects and had a knack for coming up $7 short of where I wanted to. So, now I just add $7 to all estimates. I double all boat project estimates because ... boats.)

Considering PlasDeck, we're looking at about $1000 in materials. So, I estimate that to be $2007. Big difference. Pretty tempting.

 

[Steve L22188]

I love the estimating formula!

The $7 is new to me...the doubling of the cost is not. Don't forget: take the number of estimated time units (hours/days/etc.) and square that number. That's the new estimated hours/days/weeks to complete the job. Then divide that number by two to get the number of trips to the hardware/big box/West Marine store. A four-hour job is really a two day job (16 hours)... with 8 trips to the store.

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi Foswick.
There is a third option that you haven't talked about.
Maintenance free fibreglass.
I understand the beauty of wood on a boat, but after all we are actually talking about somewhere to sit.

Take a walk around you dock a look carefully at some of the glass cockpits before you jump in.
My view on Plasdec and other faux teak is that it looks ok in small doses but the area that you have in your cockpit would be overbearing.
I could be wrong though.

gary

 

[Foswick]

A four-hour job is really a two day job (16 hours)... with 8 trips to the store.

Truth.

I had my son help me install a vent tube in the propane locker a couple of days ago. He asked how long it was going to take. I said, "About an hour ... no more than two." We both laughed.

What actually happened was we spent about an hour looking at the project and I ultimately decided not to do it at all. (That's a different story, but I made the decision that the risk of the current unvented locker was lower than the risk of any option we had for installing a vent in the space available. I'm going to build a new locker this winter.) So, the project will end up about 6 months longer than estimated and the original $50 estimate will balloon to a few hundred dollars. That's about par.

 

[ggrizzard]

20 years ago I used this product for a cockpit application. It's still there and
there are no signs of deterioration except a slight fading of the color.
No maintenance has been done other than cleaning with boat soap.
The material can be cut and sanded like wood, but I don't know how well it
reacts with glue, sealant or epoxy.
Here is the web site:

PlasTEAK Products - PlasTEAK Inc.

www.plasteak.com

 

[Foswick]

[...] after all we are actually talking about somewhere to sit.

I hear you. But, the surfaces are actually much less used for seating as they are for walking. They are the primary surface that my dog walks/sits/lays on, in the cockpit. And, it is the main walkway in, around, and through the cockpit. In fact, our feet almost never touch the actual cockpit floor except when sitting on the transom lockers at the helm.

My view on Plasdec and other faux teak is that it looks ok in small doses but the area that you have in your cockpit would be overbearing.

I tend to agree. That is one of the main reasons I have pretty much ruled out EVA. I think little patches of EVA at key locations looks good. But, when entire decks or cockpits are done with it, they are just too uniform. It looks OK, for what it is, but it isn't the look I'm going for.

Aside from the obvious (cost and longevity) there are a few considerations for me. First, there is the look of it. It has to look natural at first glance. It's OK with me if the illusion doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Second, my dog needs to be able to get some traction. Our previous boat had decent non-skid on fiberglass throughout the cockpit, but my dog just couldn't get secure when we were heeled over. Third, it is nice to have relatively dry seating. Finally, it needs to age well. I'm OK with the fact that it won't last forever, but it does matter what it looks like as it ages.

On these criteria ...

Natural look: Teak is the clear winner. Fiberglass, I guess, comes in second because it looks like what it is.

Traction: Again, teak wins. I think it is only bested by EVA foam. Fiberglass is the clear loser here. I have never found a non-skid surface on fiberglass that really works for me. I don't know about synthetics, yet.

Dryness: Ironically, the absorbent teak makes for dryer seating than we found in our fiberglass cockpit. This is just because water doesn't bead up on the surface. So, our teak gets damp but never has drops of water to sit in. Don't know about synthetics, yet.

Aging: That is one of my concerns with synthetics. I would be disappointed if the installation looked pretty good for a few years, then looked plasticy about 10 years before it was actually worn out enough to replace.

Still researching.