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Thread: Replacing a Teak Deck

  1. #16
    The QUEEN gave up her boat because of cost.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    I like wood, and I like sailboats. One of the things I do for a living is work wood. I used to have a sailboat business, and raced for money on the Prosail circuit in the 1980s. I can sail anything that floats, and some things that don't. Used to help deliver big boats up and down the East coast. I know a lot of people who own sailboats because they like to work on them. I like to sail them. I never want to mix wood, and sailboats, unless I'm sailing someone else's.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
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    http://iyrs.edu/

    There's an entire Marina in nearby Portsmouth, RI with nice sailboats in various stages of reclamation.

    Many of them were slowly rebuilt, as their owners could afford repairs.
    All too many of them are now in Estate liquidation after those owners passed on.

    http://www.byy.com/RIMarinas/Portsmouth/Welcome.aspx

    None of us will get more time.
    Spend the money,
    sail while you can.

  4. #19
    Some captains impress people on their sailboats by impressing people on their sailboats. Like in the War of 1812. Once when I started a new job the foreman told me the boss had a sailboat and advised me to turn down any invitation to go
    sailing. Said he had accepted once and spent a miserable day pushing stuff and pulling on ropes.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Matthews View Post
    None of us will get more time.
    Spend the money,
    sail while you can.
    That's been working its way to the forefront of my thoughts more and more, Jim. My first exposure to sailing was in 1970. I was 19. It was a 1936 Alden 44 and I was fascinated. Family history says we were sea traders living on Dingle Bay in Ireland. My dad had that look in his eye whenever on his boat, the one that told you he was off somewhere sailing to a dream location. That's been my dream for a very long time and time is running out. My SO has been from all in to serious doubts and back again. That feeling of the ticking clock is making me wonder if I just have to do it and hope for the best. I know one thing, being retired in Chicago isn't a good plan for longevity or sanity.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    Once when I started a new job the foreman told me the boss had a sailboat and advised me to turn down any invitation to go sailing. Said he had accepted once and spent a miserable day pushing stuff and pulling on ropes.
    Oh, that guy was a sissy! Sailing is a blast! But if the owner is Captain Bligh...

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    Northern Florida
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    I don't know your capabilities and don't know the Oyster 485, but in a previous life I spent many months and a few thousand miles on a Swan 441 with a teak deck and I've spent a whole lotta time around boats, boatyards and boat owners. I agree about sailing while you can. I'd caution you to not lose sight of the difference between having a boat and sailing it. (I'm older than you are - I can talk that way). IOW, if you can happily spend many months rebuilding the deck of this boat, perhaps while living on it under cover, then go for it. But if this is the dues you have to pay to get a boat you could not otherwise afford and if your sailing experience is not on the same level as your construction and woodworking experience - I'd be very cautious. Boat-repair projects NEVER turn out to be a smaller job than you expected, only the reverse.

    I believe all the teak decks I remember were screwed and plugged. If any were laminated - I was not aware of it. Solid wood with seams caulked gives some room for dimensional changes but it would have to be screwed down. That not an impossible DIY project and it could be done that way regardless of what the original was but you need to be careful of things like letting water into the core of the deck. I think you could do it with 1/2 inch or less of thickness.

    And that's a lot of boat. Palatial at the dock perhaps, but if you want to be sailing - 2 people can sail happily in a lot less boat than that. Think displacement - not length. That's probably twice as much boat as some just a few feet shorter. Everything will have to be stronger and work harder, including the crew. But it's a beautiful boat. I'd fall in love with it, too.
    Last edited by Alan Rutherford; 12-03-2014 at 5:23 PM.

  7. #22
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    Hi Alan,

    Thank you for the input. I agree with everything you said. I have yet to set foot on a Swan but it was my dream boat for a very long time, going all the way back to the mid 70's.

    I have about 8,000 miles sailing under my belt, mostly cruising but some racing, and what seemed like countless hours working on my dad's boat. Though I was much younger then. Out of six kids, I was the only one interested is sailing, but there was a price to pay. From sanding the entire bottom of a 45' sailboat to getting the boat back to working order after a boatyard caused it to sink in the Chicago River, I got a pretty good idea of the kind of work that goes into owning a boat.

    Initially I wanted something in the 40' range but my SO's requirements are different than mine, so we've been looking at 45'-50'. The Oyster 485 is the only boat so far that both of us seem to agree on. There are a few on the market right now and all but one are in our price range. What I like about the one with the bad decks is it has a 6'2" draft and 64' bridge clearance, making it ICW friendly and better for the Bahamas the 7' draft the others have.

    As for taking on such a major project, if things work out as expected, my SO will continue to work for at least the next two years. During that time the boat will have a lot of dock time and I'll have a lot of idle time. While I know there's always work to be done on a boat, it won't take two years to get the boat cruise ready. And if I really did take on the deck replacement (still undecided) I could also build some sweat equity. Then, when my sailing days have ended, the depreciation hit wan't be so hard to swallow.

    Something in me says this dream will never happen. My sailing experience includes the Great Lakes, Narragansett Bay, the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. My SO's sailing experience starts and ends on a Sunfish on a small lake in Missouri. I think that's why the boat has to be bigger and making the decision is harder. We'll probably end up buying a house and our sailboat will be a Sunfish.

  8. #23
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    Northern Florida
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    I hope your dream works out whether in this form or not. Maybe a little less house and a little more boat than a Sunfish.

  9. #24
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    I am very familiar wight the Oyster 485 and they are sweet boats. Have you looked into a product called "Tek Deck" which is a synthetic teak? I have seen it and it looks pretty good. It is supposed to be very UV friendly. It also has a nice feel to it with bare feet.

    The place to get a teak deck done cheap is in Trinidad. You up for a cruise through the Caribbean? If so, stop and say hello on the way down.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Rutherford View Post
    I hope your dream works out whether in this form or not. Maybe a little less house and a little more boat than a Sunfish.
    Thanks Alan. A compromise is the best solution, no doubt, but finding all the right "parts" to fit into the budget puzzle has been a bit more challenging. Owning a boat and a house is like having three residences, the boat, the house and the slip.

    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    I am very familiar with the Oyster 485 and they are sweet boats. Have you looked into a product called "Tek Deck" which is a synthetic teak? I have seen it and it looks pretty good. It is supposed to be very UV friendly. It also has a nice feel to it with bare feet.

    The place to get a teak deck done cheap is in Trinidad. You up for a cruise through the Caribbean? If so, stop and say hello on the way down.
    When we first saw the boat, the broker suggested synthetic decking. She said she felt that would actually increase the value of the boat because you'd have the look but not the cost of maintenance and the eventual replacement. I looked into many products and the pictures look great but what I'm hearing is the technology isn't there yet. Every first hand account I've read includes the material buckling in the heat. And the general consensus about value is the opposite of the broker. I've read many times things like this, "It's an Oyster. They don't do cheap." And they are right. Oyster is one of the few boat builders that doesn't cut corners, even in today's market. So synthetic on the Oyster is out but I won't worry about it until we are actually ready to purchase a boat.

    I like the Trinidad idea. I've never been to Spain. From what I'm hearing, you can cut the cost of replacement to a fraction of what it is here if you can make it to southeast Asia. Might take a year to get there but sightseeing along the way would be fun. When we cast off, I'll get your address and slip into port for a bit.

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post

    We just got back from seeing a 2002 Sabre 452 my SO wanted to see. It was perfect. It looked brand new. There was nothing for me to do. I haven't earned that luxury.
    I'm sure that if you have been around boats you know there is never "nothing to do"! Just go out for a quick sail, then head in and fix the head, tighten a shroud or two, diagnose why the bilge pump is not working on automatic, figure out what that topside leak by the nav station is all about, re-seat the bow pulpit, etc. etc...then when that's all done, take another sail and start over. Oh, and then there's the diesel... :-)

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