WISE MEN SAY....

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sailormanbigd

sailormanbigd

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Jul 24, 2006
628
Legnos, Starwind, Regal Mystic 30 cutter, 22 trailer sailor, bow rider NEW PORT RICHEY, FL
hi ya'll. I have an od25cb that is getting a make-over. I was at Home Depot the other day and came across that synthetic decking material. My question is...do you think that it would make good teak replacement of deck handrails, companionway wood guides, slide track for sliding hatch, toe rail, etc. What I'm thinking of is a resonable cost, durable mat'l that will reduce maintainance but not ruin the asthetics of the deck plan. I love the look of well finished teak but am getting older and would rather sail than work on the boat. As always, your expert advise would be greatly appreciated and heartedly adheared to, maybe. Has anyone used this stuff? Does it take stain? does it rot, or does uv degrade it faster than teak? Help>
 
JeffC21331

JeffC21331

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Apr 7, 2006
118
Hunter 25 Spicewood, Texas
We have that on our boat dock

We used that synthetic decking when we built a new boat dock. My advice would to be careful in how you use it. The stuff looks incredible when it is new, although still not as nice as wood. Over time with sun exposure and moisture, it loses its consistent color. We have places on the dock that are in full sun and other places that stay shaded all the time. The dock is now 3 years old. Mildew and mold stick to this material. The other concern is strength. I certainly would not use it to make handholds. It works fine for flat supported surfaces, but it does not have the rigid quality that real wood has. Chunks of it can be taken out if impact occurs as well. We chose the synthetic for the low maintenance. That it does well. Not have to seal the decking every few years like wood requires, is a big plus. I just don't think I would be satified with the look of it on a boat after it ages and is exposed to weather.
 
sailormanbigd

sailormanbigd

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Jul 24, 2006
628
Legnos, Starwind, Regal Mystic 30 cutter, 22 trailer sailor, bow rider NEW PORT RICHEY, FL
more

well, if thats the case than where do i get teak lumber? I have a working knowledge of wood working tools but can't afford W.M. prices.thabks for your input.
 
P

PrivateerTradin

Fake teak

I have looked at that same stuff at Lowes as well...I also found another material made from recycled cars, that was worthless for use on the boat... But, I am still looking around for SOMEthing that I can use instead of the wood on the Venture I am going over this winter... So far the only thing close was a plastic teak product offered at the Miami boat show Feb of this year...They were proud of it...But it looked really nice. I asked the salesperson about it being hot on the tootsies and he said, "No more than real teak." *grr There is not a lot of teak on the Venture now...Just the handrails and the slides for the hatch and companionway...I am really considering fairing them out, epoxying them over and painting them either white, or whatever hull color we decide on...(Right now, Navy Blue.) I'm doing this on a shoestring budget, and "Work with what ya got." seems to be the best solution, I have come up with so far. ;D Skip
 
Brian D

Brian D

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Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
I too have been looking for teak

That stuff is so dang expensive. I might just move to mahogany, or some other dark hardwood. Anyone know the weight to density ratio of teak and other woods? Ah... found it: Balsa .11 Pine .36 Alder .38 Redwood .40 Cedar .42 Mahogany .45 Laurel .47 Cherry .50 Elm .50 D Fir .50 Magnolia .50 Walnut .53 Teak .56 Goncalco Alves .56 Birch .60 Maple .63 Beech .64 Oak .65 Rosewood, Bolivian .71 Rosewood, E. Indian .78 Water 1.00 Cocobolo 1.10 Ironwood 1.30
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

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Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
The good stuff costs as much....

Been thinking of using it myself on some decking, but not the stuff from Lowes or Home Depot. The good stuff costs as much as the real thing, without the maintenance. I was tempted to ask this question on a powerboat site if there are any, and I'm sure they exist. The immitation teak has been used on expensive powerboats for the last several years. BTW, I would never use anything from a discount lumber yard on my boat.
 
T

T J Furstenau

Real Wood - Not Teak

I replaced some of the wood on my boat (seat slats, seat supports, trim pieces) with a wood called paduak. Was considerably more affordable than teak, but upon researching it, found that it had very comparable characteristics. Good strength, holds up to environment well, etc. As I need to replace pieces in the future, I'll be very likely to stick with paduak. T J
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Oak and maple are nice too

I'm a "light colored" wood guy. it just makes the cabin look and feel bigger than the dark woods do. As long as you keep up on the finish they last as long as teak. Teak wins hands down though on exposed surfaces. It just has so much oil in it it can't wet wet enough to rot.
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
There are many native wood species

that are suitable for exposed locations. The strongest, hardest, most stable is black locust. As fence posts it will last for fifty years. Black walnut is nice it is moderately durable will last as fence boards for twenty plus years. Sasafras is light colored, strong, durable, and locally available. Bald cypress is strong, light colored, weathers well, is very durable.For small pieces of wood red mulberry is an excellant material, yellow when freshly cut aging to a nice brown, as durable as b.locust, not quite as hard. Get away from the big box stores and find a local arborist. He will know someone with a portable sawmill that can supply you with almost any species you want. I got some Paulonia wood from a friend that has a band mill. It is light, very fast growing, stable when dry, very soft and very light. About 18 pounds per cubic foot. I can tuck a six foot six by six under one arm and walk away with it.
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

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Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Bill Roosa.... I agree.....

I agree 100% with you about the oak and maple on the inside. Whenever I make a new table for myself or someone else its usually white formica top and edge banded then I use oak for the fiddle rails. I Affix the oak fiddle rails with stainless screws and finishing washers because I have found that eventually, especially on a table top., water will somehow penetrate the oak (yes, even white oak) and turn it black. I also like the openess of white and light color woods inside. Afterall, ancient seaman painted the insides of their boats in light, bright colors. The term 'bright work' was for woods that were varnished/laquered or whatever, but just not painted. As for teak being bulletproof, I disagree with your statement "It just has so much oil in it it can't wet enough to rot". I have seen Teak rot, get termite attacked,split, and have the grain removed from in between the hard grain lines. Teak is far better than most, but it too must be maintained. Someone else mentioned 'padauk', which happens to be one of my favorite woods. Unfortunately, exposure to sunlight will eventually turn it into a most beautiful coffee bean brown color when in fact, I like the reddish color.
 
sailormanbigd

sailormanbigd

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Jul 24, 2006
628
Legnos, Starwind, Regal Mystic 30 cutter, 22 trailer sailor, bow rider NEW PORT RICHEY, FL
CLEAR AS MUDD

Thanks for all the information, except I'm just about as confused as before the original post. I live in florida, central west coast. The "old school" lumber yard have all been run out of buisiness from the "big box" stores, ergo I use them because they are there. I could do a searsh online to see if there is any of the traditional yards still left somewhere? Hell, I never even heard of some of the products mentioned. Oh, I"m not a rookie, my friends used to call me mr wood, cuz I built everyting from wood. Decks, furniture, benches, swings... I guess everyone concurs that the synthetic wood from H.D.?lowes is ot the stuff for me. I just wanted an affordable alternative to teak. I noticed alot of the new boats(stricktly sail ST. Pete) used plastic or stainless instead of alot of wood to reduce maintainence. That would be a stark and sacreligios act to a classic 30 year sailboat. Patrick
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Patrick, The big saw mills are rare but there are

many portable sawmills. http://www.forestryforum.com/ http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/sawdry.pl http://www.valuecreatedreview.com/bentwood.htm The attached links are recommended by a member of the wooden boat forum. You should be able to find someone in you neck of the woods to cut the exact species and size you want. I had an uncle that belonged to a wood workers club. He said that one member claimed to know Pine and NOT Pine. He could look at any species and tell you that it was pine or not pine. ;) I am fortunate, I have a saw mill close by that can get almost anything I want. Bought a 1x8 x12 piece of c;ear hickory last week for some trim in a house I am working in 16$ and go home.
 
Rick Webb

Rick Webb

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Jun 2, 2004
3,648
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
I've Been Wondering Too

There is a place in Gulfport MS I would go to when I lived in Biloxi and a real good place towards New Orleans (used to be anyway, not sure about now). There is a good place for cedar (real saw mill) I'd like to hear if anyone knows of a place between Mobile and Jacksonville.
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
see if this link is any help

http://forestry.about.com/b/a/256296.htm Ross
 
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