Removing teak decks

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Jeffmorrell7

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Nov 14, 2022
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Does anyone have a referral for removing teak decks, repairing holes and converting to bright white non-skid? I’m interested in pricing and a local source for this service in the S Cal area. Opinions on this conversion are welcomed as well. 1988 36 GB Classic
 
It is really expensive to pay someone to do it. And in California it is tough to find a yard that will let you do the work yourself. I would guess $15K or more.
 
You could probably hire out some young construction type workers and have them remove the decks. It is a lot of labor / time and will get really expensive paying yard rates. Once the teak is removed any glass person can finish things up.
 
We don’t have a boat in California anymore but it was difficult to get a marina to let you do that kind of work in the marina. I hadn’t thought about it but Peter’s suggestion of Ensenada is a good one if you want to hire it done.
 
A few thoughts on this and more info is needed. First what type of vessels is this and how is the deck constructed ? Is this a typical Taiwanese plywood subdeck glassed on both sides, a sandwich or cored deck with Balsa or Diyvinicell or foam core or just teak over glass. How thick is the existing teak and what is the approx distance between screws thinking possible salvage value here but more hours. Would you possibly know if the teak is fully bedded or just in way of fasteners. I realize a lot of questions but any yard or independent crew will want this info. A yard will do it but you may want to look for an independent crew or shop for this. My crew years ago did a Grand Banks 36 for a Mexican National who took the boat to Mazatlan to run for a hotel. This was like 1975 -76 and as I recall the job was well North of 12-16k as reference.

Now to play devils advocate. Depending on construction once you remove the teak overlay you may be confronted with other problems like wet and rotted subdeck, a lumpy and unfair subdeck surface that would need remedy before painting and nonskidding. If the subdeck is dry and sound and the deck is truly fair then top coating and non-skid is straight forward. But the GB my shop did had to be overlayed with 4-6mm Okoume ply fully bedded in Polysulphide after smoothing the real high spots with fairing discs. I would therefore be prepared for the cost of such work and the fact that only removals will reveal this problem. The old expression of ‘opening a can of worms ‘ can apply here.

One last thing though I haven’t experienced it but was told by other shops that removing the teak can result in springy decks but this would depend entirely on the integrity of the subdeck. Also understand all deck fittings, stanchions etc will have to modified for the elevation change which with GB’s involved deck stanchions with deck feet and as I recall attachments at the bulwark cap rails. Plus once the teak is removed it will reveal once hidden gelcoat or paint along cabin sides etc and it willlook like hell so we had to fashion trim to hide this otherwise recoat and try to blend.

Not sure as I left Cal years ago but my shop and others had work slips for work of this type

Good luck
Rick
 
I am in Marina Del Rey, CA and have used a guy for about 15 years now on a number of projects. He took off my teak deck on my 52' Kha Shing trawler and then painted with Awlgrip non-skid. Turned out really good and was reasonable. Drop me a PM if you like and I can give you his contact info. I still used him today for varnish and paint. Very good work.
Steve
 
Wow, that escalated quickly. That small leak turned into deck removal? Did you have a good surveyor look at it yet? Or is the purchase dependent on survey results?
 
Purchase is dependent on surveys. I’m simply trying to determine worst case scenario before we proceed. Sounds like WC is about $15-$25k and best case is chasing leaks and maintaining decks and stanchion fittings.
My thoughts after researching yesterday is this….a replacement GB in the ‘85-‘95 year model will likely also have leaks and maybe worse. I think the fact that it appears along the hull rather than coming through a headliner may be a positive and may indicate the stanchion screws need resealing. I think we’ll proceed and ask for a few dollars off the price as a result. Thoughts? Is my thought process straight here? I’m moving from a Tiara Open that has been maint free and bullet-proof so this is my first step into older trawlers.
 
My teak decks didn't leak (or if they did it was minimal) but I chose to re-caulk them rather than remove them.
If the caulking is good, teak decks don't need much maintenance, and they are cooler and softer to walk on that fiberglass.
I don't know about Grand Banks, but on my Albin the teak is structural. If it was removed, it would be necessary to lay up some fiberglass to maintain their strength.
There are a few things to take into consideration.
 
I did my flybridge myself, with the Admiral helping. It was nasty but really not all that bad. For the lower decks I stripped all the old caulk out using an electric caulk remover, which worked great. I added new paintable caulk and painted the deck. On a 1 - 10 scale I would rate the paint job at about a 6 as far as looks etc.

I am now covering the decks with vinyl.

pete
 
Pete Meisinger said:
I did my flybridge myself, with the Admiral helping. It was nasty but really not all that bad. For the lower decks I stripped all the old caulk out using an electric caulk remover, which worked great. I added new paintable caulk and painted the deck. On a 1 - 10 scale I would rate the paint job at about a 6 as far as looks etc.
pete
Click to expand...

Yes we also did our own work. It was really not a bad job, just a lot of sweat, and blue tape!
Tools used and a pic of a lot of blue tape.
 

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Wow that’s a lot of taping off. I had a caulking crew years ago and never once taped off unless it was a small patch job. We used pneumatic caulking guns and on larger jobs a crew of three to four. All reefing on long runs was done with our special seam saw. One guy just filling empty tubes and tending air hoses. Our preferred product at the time was DETCO or CaulkTex. After seams were payed we’d clean up, then couple hours later spray the decks with a plasterers mister to give the cure a kick. Couple days later we’d chisel off excess compound then sand flush. No taping necessary and that new teak look.

I don’t think CaulkTex is still around but they formulated a really tough” long lasting product that was thiokol and epoxy. Hard to mix as it was stiff so air guns were necessary. If I was laying decks and caulking today I’d use Teak Deck Systems SIS400 and battery guns. No seam priming needed which saves lots of hours. Sands well nice product I’m told.

Rick
 
Great Job Jay. i am attacking my teak deck in the spring, about 120 square ft..by electric chalk remover are you using a special blade on a oscillating tool ? i am expecting it to be a 3 day job..
 
I used a Fein blade for my oscillating tool. Got it a Jamestown Distributers. Pricey but works well. They are very sharp so it will cut your finger and also cut into the teak if you are not careful. I taped each side of the seams, filled and struck the excess off. I used a pneumatic caulk gun and was very glad to have it. I believe it took around 20 tubes of TDS 440, if I remember correctly. Killed my knees.
 
michaelnyc said:
Great Job Jay. i am attacking my teak deck in the spring, about 120 square ft..by electric chalk remover are you using a special blade on a oscillating tool ? i am expecting it to be a 3 day job..
Click to expand...

I used a hot knife I bought at Defender. It easily cut the caulk, but it's "U" shaped so it didn't get the edges. That's what the bent screwdriver is for. It scrapes the groove to get the caulk out of the edges and bottom. Usually one scrape cleans both sides. Then I ran the sanding belt in the groove to make sure the edges were clean.
My plan was to not sand afterward, that's why I taped the seams. I wanted the caulk to stay a little proud of the deck to be non skid. It worked for the most part. I did have to sand a very little bit because some of the tape removal pulled a little caulk with it so there were some stringers left. Timing is critical with TDS 440 and getting the tape to pull cleanly.
It took my wife and I all day to do the flybridge, but it came out great.

edit: I don't remember how many tubes of caulk it took, but I DO remember that I bought what TDS told me I'd need for the square footage and it was way too much. I used probably 70% of what they suggested. I had more to do so it didn't go bad, but it does have a shelf life. I was able to store it in my basement in CT, and it lasted about 4 years until I used it all up.
 
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I have a "hook" blade for my oscellating tool. It worked only OK. It tended to go off track and start digging into the teak.

The electric tool referred to is a heated snout with a hook which gets hot by being close to the snout. It costs about a hundred $$ but it will be the best hundred you ever spent if you are recaulking the decks. Cuts through the old caulk, literally like butter.

pete
 
Thanks Guys, great advice. I have experimented on a small section and agree the OS tool can go off track so tried the bent screw driver, sharpened the edges on the grinder and seems to do a reasonable job. defiantly will look into the heated snout and Yes my old knees are not looking forward to the task.
 
Jeffmorrell7 said:
Purchase is dependent on surveys. I’m simply trying to determine worst case scenario before we proceed. Sounds like WC is about $15-$25k and best case is chasing leaks and maintaining decks and stanchion fittings.
My thoughts after researching yesterday is this….a replacement GB in the ‘85-‘95 year model will likely also have leaks and maybe worse. I think the fact that it appears along the hull rather than coming through a headliner may be a positive and may indicate the stanchion screws need resealing. I think we’ll proceed and ask for a few dollars off the price as a result. Thoughts? Is my thought process straight here? I’m moving from a Tiara Open that has been maint free and bullet-proof so this is my first step into older trawlers.
Click to expand...

Ooohhh, yeah, lots of thoughts! Nooooo!!!! As many have mentioned already, this issue is a very real, very large can of worms. Your HOPE is the deck leak(s) can be found, and remediated with some judicious maintenance. The reality is probably way over towards your Worst Case (WC), being a total deck refit. In my humble opinion, you should very much listen to the side of your brain whispering "WC", particularly going into a post-survey price negotiation, and bearing in mind that selling an older GB is no longer a slam-dunk. A boat that never was, or ever will be maintenance free, particularly with known deck leaks, and now 37+ years old, even in fairly weather-benign SoCal.

I hope you found Dr. Death (Bunker Hill https://www.marinesurvey.org/surveyors/united-states/california/newport-beach/bunker-a-hill-ams/ is my absolute #1 choice in SoCal) for a surveyor, and again, IMHO, I'd be ruthless in negotiating a significant price reduction as remediation of teak deck leaks, particularly as you've apparently already found some. AND, I'd engage several local boatyards for quotes to remediate same for leverage. While I think taking the boat to Ensenada is probably a good suggestion, it's not one I'd consider unless and until the boat was my own, and I had supreme personal confidence in dealing with out of CONUS yards.

Regards,

Pete
 
SteveK said:
Has anyone just covered over the teak.
Click to expand...

Yes. A gentleman named Charles Coulotta did that with truck bed liner. He wrote an article on it for PMM. I spoke to him several years later and asked him how it was holding up since I was thinking about doing it to our then current boat. He said it was great and holding up fine. But we sold the boat before I ever tried it.
 
I bet it would cost a lot less to just cover it if a mind is made up to eliminate a teak deck. Not sure why it is not more common. And if someone says glass will not stick then put a veneer of 1/4" plywood on it and the glass.
 
How about a mainship? No teak. That being said I have a 40' Albin. Re-caulked the seams. It's tedious as hell but if you don't mind tedious it comes out good. I think pulling the bungs and screws (also tedious as hell) drilling and filling the holes with epoxy and new bungs helps a great deal. Now I'll be on to removing the quarter round trim between the deck and the cabin and recaulking that gap and maybe it'll be watertight sort of. In the end in our circumstance if it gets us through and the boat is scrapped in the end that's good enough.
At least they are not wood boats.
 
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Carl, exactly, but I like teak. I was wondering why everyone thinks they have to remove it to accomplish their end goal by creating a bigger job for the same finished result.
 
SteveK said:
Carl, exactly, but I like teak. I was wondering why everyone thinks they have to remove it to accomplish their end goal by creating a bigger job for the same finished result.
Click to expand...

If you gave the decks a good sanding, made sure all of the seams were filled, and applied the semi clear it might look pretty nice….and seal the leaks. I would certainly try it before I tore up my decks.
 
Carl,
Thank you for the suggestion here: "This is interesting if you were inclined to cover the teak deck. Comes in a semi clear. Has been mentioned here in the past.
https://www.semcoworks.com/products/...39615884263577"

I just went to their site and I'm very interested if anyone has applied the Semi-Clear to their Teak Deck? I use Semco teak sealer but I find I have to re-apply it every 3 months....kind of a pain. The product that Carl mentions has a 5 year warrantee. About $100 a gallon..... not bad.
Has anyone used this product? Would love to hear.
Thank you.
__________________
 
covering teak decks

Has anyone covered a teak deck?


In a word YES, and it worked great. No regrets.
This was covered on this site several decades ago , at LENGTH,:dance: and when I sold the boat many years after the project deck was still fine.
No regrets, covered it with "pickup truck" bed liner.
Significantly easier and cheaper today. I used DURABAK as i recall.
It can be applied by the consumer, no special equipment needed today.
 
yes ,I did it successfully and would do it again.
I posted details years ago here, if you want more and cannot find it, send me a priv. message with your e mail and I will send to you.
CCC
 
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