Ok, I get the message that teak while nice to look at is mor work than I really want to do. By the way my new boat is all aluminum. My next question is then Has any one tried the Elephant skin products like on sail boats? or the composit cork product used on cruise ships? (marine Deck 2000) I would like a direct glue down type of product. Are there any suggestions of other products to use? John E. Gamble Jr. Escondido California johnegamble@msn.com

I've totally rebuilt the top deck on my 1986 Taiwan-built trawler due to leaks caused by poor construction and improperly bedded teak strips. So far, I have about 90 hours in the project, and am at the point where I can use the boat again, although I still need to do some major cosmetic work to restore the deck's surface. I intend to relay teak - but this time I'll do it in a manner I hope will never, ever leak! Everything attached to the fiberglass deck's surface (rails, radar mast, and eventually the deck's finished surface) will be bedded in thickened epoxy under the upper layer of fiberglass (as recommended by several sources, including West and John Marples). The finished deck will consist of 2-3mm marine ply (the thinest I can find), with teak strips bedded in the ply with epoxy. In essense I intend to make my own deck material with a teak veneer as the outer surface - I can build it off-boat in the shape to fit the area. I'll fasten the material in place with a very few screws, and an adhesive, then trim the edges with thicker teak strips. It should look like a "real" teak deck, but will not be fastened in the traditional manner. I've considered the West method, and built a lazarette hatch cover using that technique. It worked, but it was a mess putting together in my workshop - I wouldn't want to have an even bigger mess on my boat! Teak is a lot of work, no matter how you choose to maintain it. But, I like the look and I'm willing to invest the time for that very traditional look! If you don't want the work, don't get a teak deck! I think they'll all leak eventually _if_ traditional construction techniques are used! John Gamble wrote: > > Ok, I get the message that teak while nice to look at is mor work than I > really want to do. By the way my new boat is all aluminum. My next question > is then Has any one tried the Elephant skin products like on sail boats? or > the composit cork product used on cruise ships? (marine Deck 2000) I would > like a direct glue down type of product. Are there any suggestions of other > products to use? > John E. Gamble Jr. > Escondido California > johnegamble@msn.com -- Bob McLeran rmcleran@ix.netcom.com M/V "Sanderling" Docked at Point Patience Marina Hailing port: Wianno MA Solomons, MD Hampton 35 Trawler

At 11:01 AM 6/25/99 -0400, you wrote: >I've totally rebuilt the top deck on my 1986 Taiwan-built trawler due to >leaks caused by poor construction and improperly bedded teak strips. So >far, I have about 90 hours in the project, and am at the point where I >can use the boat again, although I still need to do some major cosmetic >work to restore the deck's surface. > >I intend to relay teak - but this time I'll do it in a manner I hope >will never, ever leak! Everything attached to the fiberglass deck's >surface (rails, radar mast, and eventually the deck's finished surface) >will be bedded in thickened epoxy under the upper layer of fiberglass >(as recommended by several sources, including West and John Marples). > >The finished deck will consist of 2-3mm marine ply (the thinest I can >find), with teak strips bedded in the ply with epoxy. ===================================================== Any thing you drop like an anchor or something else will gouge a hole right through the teak surface. AL . Captain Al Pilvinis "M/V Driftwood"--Prairie 47 2630 N.E. 41st Street Lighthouse Point, Fl 33064-8064 Voice 954-941-2556 Fax 954 788-2666 Email - CaptainAl@Juno.com Website http://home.earthlink.net/~yourcaptain