"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:55:00 -0500, Rob wrote:

mmc wrote:
I've heard cherry is a good alternative to teak and was wondering about
using the plastic deck lumber for things like handholds, toe and rub
rails.
Anyone here have experience with plastic lumber for exterior trim?



Here is one. My bet is that it's not cheap!

http://flexiteek.com/


It's not cheap but it looks good and requires far less maintenance
than the real thing.


Flexiteek is good, but how it looks is very dependent on the installer's
skill and experience.
It doesn't require oiling obviously (like your GB's decks) but it *does*
get dirt embedded that eventually
requires more than scrubbing with soap to remove. It also will get scrape
marks in it if you drag
something heavy or sharp across it. Fortunately, the ground-in grime and
scrapes can be lightly sanded.

I had Flexiteek installed on the deck of the Navigator's cockpit. In the
four years that I had it
on the boat, it required a light sanding twice to keep it looking good. But
you are right.
It ain't cheap.

For cleaning real teak decks (like on the GB) the best recommendation I
ever received and tried was "Electrasol" dishwasher powder. Mix about a
cup in a gallon of water and scrub with a heavy deck
scrub brush. Electrasol has just the right amount of grit and light bleach
to remove all the dark dirt stains in the teak and leaves a beautiful,
golden hue when dry. It was better than any marine teak wood cleaning
product I ever tried and I never had to sand the deck to remove the stains.
I typically did two cleanings a season with it and it only took about an
hour each. Of course, our GB was smaller.

I imagine it would work equally well on unvarnished or otherwise unsealed
teak trim. I never tried it
as all the teak brightwork on our GB had been recently varnished or
polyurethaned.

Eisboch