Yesterday we saw a boat I just fell in love with - an Oyster 485. I could live the rest of my days on this boat and be perfectly happy. My SO isn't quite so on board with that idea as I am but I'm working on it. The boat is rock solid. Below decks it is practically perfect and the boat is equipped to go anywhere in the world. On top it isn't as pretty but it's structurally sound, from bow to stern and the top of the mast to the keel.
But the teak decks are in their last days and that's probably why this boat hasn't sold. The broker thought so. Thankfully, the teak isn't screwed to the deck. That's a deal breaker for me. The broker said Oyster used a laminate teak product. Some of the deck seemed to indicate this but I really didn't get a chance to confirm that. I didn't want to chance breaking away any of the wood that looked delaminated to find out if I was right.
I think most of you guys know my abilities. I'm pretty sure I have all the tools to do the work. The big questions are what exactly is involved in replacing a teak deck?
- Can you do it in small sections? Even if it took a year, I'd be fine with that.
- Do you need a controlled environment?
- Can you buy stock teak and mill it or do you need some laminate product for proper adherence?
- When removing the old decking, are certain methods and/or tools necessary so as not to damage the deck?
There's lots of other questions I have but for now I just wanted some feedback on what one could expect attempting a project like this. Any help is appreciated. Thanks...