"Tom Foppiano" wrote in message
...
Why is that?

"Bill" wrote in message
...
Be careful of the teak decks.


I can address that or at least my experience with Cheoy Lee teak decks.

The original thickness of the teak overlay is only about 1/2" and bedded and
screwed down to the glass deck. On my boat the screws were machine screws
tapped into the glass and into the ply core.

Everything was fine for the first 12 years but once the deck had warn down
about 1/8" the screw hole plugs started popping out, exposing the screw
head. Now the screw hole is not deep enough to put a new plug in it, the
srew can't be removed without breaking off. So you I ended up with about 50
open screw heads where water would accumulate. Also at the sametime the seam
filler started pulling away for the the edge of the seam. Every year I had
to reef about 10 ft of seam, prime and refill with polysulfide seam filler.

As might be expected with these failures, eventually some water might get
under the teak.. I don't know what type of adhesive/sealant was used to bed
the teak to the glass, but eventually it will desolve due to age or when
perpetually wet.. Over time this bedding compound becomes syrupy and ozzes
out where ever it can.

Over a three year period, I was finally able to catch up with the problem of
filling screw holes with epoxy (couldnt keep plugs it them) and refilling
the bad seems. I then sold the boat and warned the new owner to keep up with
the seam repairs.. He didn't and when he finally sold the boat 4 years
later, the old problem was evident..

IMHO I believe that if a boat is going to have a teak overlay deck, it shoud
be at least 5/8" thick so the screws can be counter sunk deeper and the
seams are deep enough to hold the seam filler as the deck gets thinner from
traffic or maintenance scrubbing and sanding.

I also had problems with the teak overlay on the cabin truck.. It was only
3/8" thick when finished.. Over time the moisture would start wicking in
around the edges and soon the bond would deteriorated.. All though there
never was a complete failure, I had several noticable cracks when it dried
out during summer..


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions