How To Spot A Quality Yacht Deck
The difference between a quality teak deck and one that is OK is not always obvious to the average boater. Small but important attributes together make for a long lasting Quality teak deck as they do in any product.
First of all is the teak wood. The teak must be clear, thats no knots or mineral ( black thin lines )basically you are looking for anything that will allow water to penetrate through the teak batten (planks) or trim and eventually underneath the deck. Once water is under the deck you will need to fix it sooner than later.
The the second aspect of the teak wood to look at is the grain pattern. The best is Vertical Grain and thats all we use at Ideal Teak. The tight straight lines of the wood close together and running straight from end to end of the board. The wider the grain or growth rings of the tree the faster the teak on the teak deck will wear. This is why plantation teak is not a good choice, it is grown to fast, wider rings.
We can now look at the design of the yachts teak deck. Boats are usually symertical to some degree. Magin trim layout and nibbing should match from port to starboard. There are rules to follow that will make a teak deck done on the bow one year and teak deck on the another area of the yacht years later, match. Small slivers of planking or margin trim should be adjusted to either a full batten or close to half a batten during the layout and drawing of the teak decking. This gives a cleaner look but also reduces the chance of the teak cracking or slivering over time.
The black caulking between the battens is another way to tell the quality and care that was taken in building of a teak deck. All the seams should be the same width. Standard is 4 mm or 5mm in width for larger yachts. If the caulk seams are not all the same width the deck will not fail it just doesn’t look as nice and may make you wonder what other things have been missed.
If your looking at a teak deck that a company has done and thinking about having your boat done take at look at these things it will give you some insight into the Quality of yacht decking they build.
