Teak vs Oak

[Andy]

The 1/2" half-round 15 ft. wood strip on my either side of my 1988 Hunter 30 is very chipped, worn, and needs replacing. Since most of the damage to it over the years seems to be from scrapes and chips, I was thinking about using oak rather than teak, so as to get more durability. Has anyone ever done it? What are the pros and cons?

 

[Ken Pfaff]

Availability

The only advantage of Oak over Teak is that it is easier to locate. Teak is usually available at Speciality Lumber Stores. Of course the Oak will not match the remaining Teak onboard, and you will have to varnish the Oak.

 

[R.W.Landau]

Other options

Mahogany is a nice wood but may not match your boat. If it is grey, I would use cypress. Cypress has good qualities both water and abuse resistant. It can also be varnished a retain it's natural color.If you decide on oak, only use white oak. Red oak rots at a faster rate. r.w.landau

 

[Dennis]

Maybe No Wood

I thought about removing mine and replacing it with tape - it would be a lot less work. But, if you want to keep it, use teak. Teak will not rot where oak will.

 

[R.W.Landau]

PVC

If you want to look into it, you might try PVC.A friend of mine is in the sign business. He made a seat out of a piece of this PVC sign material. It is uv stable. It comes in different colors too. I do not know the options you may find on this material but figured you may want to look into it.r.w.landau