Hennevanger says it is not necessarily a cheaper option to teak, but thinks it should last forever. Our findings, for the sake of brevity, are summarized in the accompanying chart on page 12. But they dont seem natural at all. Marinedeck claims that its decking is popular among younger boaters. Belvoir Media Group, LLC. Many manufacturers offer a range of colours, with the most popular being shades close to freshly-scrubbed teak, or silvered, weathered teak. The pressed cork is cut into planks, that, once assembled, and seen from just a slight distance, look remarkably like real teak decks. The sales and marketing focus is on larger yachts and production boatbuilders, different approach toward installation, effectively removing the Y from D-I-Y. 1. Tek-DekTek-Dek uses basic building blocks that consist of individual sections measuring 2 3/8 wide and come in 2.25-meter (89) lengths, or longer coils, if required. Whether or not theres already a pattern for that model of boat in the companys database also impacts pricing. We tested this aspect in a July sunny day (with external temperature of about 30 degrees) where we left the three teak panels exposed to the sun for some hours. Theres an increasing trend towards cork decking, according to Piet van der Staay of Marinedeck 2000, especially among younger boat owners. The company has been working on projects with major boat manufacturers the panels will be used, for instance, on the locker hatches of the aft deck of the Spirit 44E thats currently in build. To offset this Flexiteek plants one tree for every 10m2 of product sold. Common advice is to look for a product with large cork grains as these cope better with impact. And again when fabricated. not so much on the DIY market. Ocean Cork is available in 8mm and 4mm thickness. Many can be factory-made to match a template or CAD file, which significantly reduces labour and installation costs, while customisation can extend to logos and boat names. You install it by gluing it down to a clean surface with a two-part adhesive. Given the high cost of replacement this can have a significant impact on a yachts resale value. Now, its time consider another important aspect, that is the temperature that synthetic teak reaches when it is exposed to the sun. Unlike Tek-Dek and PlasDECK, which assemble mats by cementing tongue-and-groove joints together, Flexiteek uses heat to weld the thermoplastic sections togethera system not suited to DIY assembly. Watch this space. Gisatex sits at the lower end of the PVC price bracket. The texture can be anything from smooth to hairy. Soot, air and water pollutants, and spills can stainand discolor the deck in short order. Mailport: X-yachts, Soverel 33, tropical storms, Designing a Dump Line for the Multihull Mainsheet, Test Driving Furunos Cutting Edge Compass, Green Boating From a Practical Perspective, PS Advisor: Belaying Safety for Mast Climbing. Whit its portal It broadcast its original contents in five languages and in more than 200 countries developing 950,000 views a week. In addition to thermometric measurements, we also tested the sensation of warmth transmitted by the materials, walking barefoot on the different teak panels. You then fill in the remaining deck area with the tongue-and groove sections. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. One of the best-known brand names, Flexiteek, is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is expanding rapidly, with demand consistently growing at 20% annually. As a result, the only way to be absolutely certain a source of teak is sustainable is to use salvaged material (or to ensure that the teak can be GPS-traced back to stump). All are 74 long, and vary in width and thickness. For applications where wide sections of straight planking are required, Tek-Dek also supplies a wider, 4-plank section. The impregnation of resin means end of life disposal is not as easy as for untreated timber the recommended option is to use it as fuel in biomass generating plants. Cork, in this application, has superior thermal and sound insulation properties, as well as being highly resistant to damage from UV light, salt water, and even chemicals. Also, who are the US manufacturers of faux teak decking? The total cost for boats of similar sizes can therefore vary dramatically depending on the complexity of each of the panel shapes. Foam decking: 150-200 Modern teak decking is thin enough so that frequent sanding just isnt feasible, although occasional sanding can be called for if the surface is severely stained or scarred. It can be made in custom panels and in different thicknesses and is manufactured with an effective acrylic-based pressure sensitive adhesive for quick peel-and-stick application. There are many companies producing this material today but only three are the most popular and the most widespread ones. Of course, its a subjective yet important choice since, once chosen, the synthetic teak has the implicit characteristic of maintening the same appearance over years. We found all three are appealing alternatives to traditional teak decking, but wed put Tek-Dek ahead of the others due to its more DIY-friendly nature. The veins in relief, reproduced during the processing phase, are instead very marked and visible throughout the panel. Like Flexiteek, MarineDeck 2000 is advertised for express use on larger vessels where broad expanses of deck require replacement). This time, no sample passed the test: all of them let themselves be pierced ( the Permateek with a little bit of difficulty). removed everything with what is the most used method on each boat, ie water. The planks come in four sizesnormal, narrow, margin, and king plank. Permateek is made of harder and rougher plastic, Flexiteek is softer while Plasdeck is somewhere in between. First published in the April 2020 edition of Yachting World. It has a similar appearance to teak and can be worked in the same way, but has an expected lifespan of 50 years. Prices are typically 50% to 60% above those for the companys standard solar panels. They have now been acquired by Flexiteek, which is a compliment on the standard of quality manufacturing performed at their U.K. location. Margin boards come with either a radiused edge or a square one. We tried many times and we reached a 36-degree inclination: an excellent goal, beyond which no material produced enough friction for the shoe to remain glued to the surface. Were anticipating an opportunity to work out some of our aggressions, as well as the chance to study what looks like an interesting and useful group of products. Cer-Deck, sold by Italian company Ceredi, also has a soft, slightly cushioned feel, very high resistance to degradation in sunlight and is colour stable. DRB Marine Flexiteek, instead, while not registering the lowest surface temperature, when it came into a prolonged contact with our foot, proved to have the lowest warmth retention capacity. The former can look amazing at boat shows, though in the real world it can maybe look incongruous to those who understand the damage regular scrubbing does to real teak. Your email address will not be published. All three teak replacementsTek-Dek, Flexiteek, and MarineDeck 2000can provide a good-looking, stain-resistant, low-maintenance deck at a lower cost than natural teak. The 2G version, launched six years ago, is fully recyclable, while microballoons are used in place of chalk filler, which reduces heat absorption (certain PVC deck types and colours have been known to get very hot in direct sun). Hi. Synthetic Teak DeckingPVCPolyVinyl Chlorideis a type of plastic that can be readily modified by manufacturers to match almost any desired set of physical characteristics. For. The company has been in operation since 1986 and says there are still decks in good condition from its early days. Cork is also is a good insulator, so decks remain comfortable to walk on even in strong sun. The synthetic teak we tested is, in alphabetical order, the Flexiteek, the Permateek and the Plasdeck. As for the tactile sensation, we noticed that theres a big difference between the three products. Thank you, I am looking for a template for my 37 ft 1989 Pearson Sail boat. The Permateek was the hottest one, with a temperature of 60.8 degrees, followed by the Flexiteek with a temperature of 57.3 degres and the Plasdeck with 53.5 degrees. VAT). Once this was done, we set out to subject each deck to a program of systematic abuse. One considerable advantage of laying a synthetic deck as compared to a natural wood deck is that you dont have to drill any holes for screws, thus you dont compromise the structural integrity of the underlying deck. And the installation is much easier than with real wood because synthetic decking can be cut easily with a sharp utility knife, and most of the caulking required for teak decking is eliminated. We drool at the sight of beautiful honey-colored teak decking, but settle for molded-in, low-maintenance fiberglass nonskid surfacing. ConclusionsIts a bit premature for us to make any firm recommendations at this pointwell know a lot more after our extended exposure tests are completed. There are varying ways to clean a teak deck. Different products may need vastly different amounts of labour, which obviously affects cost, while detailing and edging is a major factor in the price of factory-made panels. We dropped heavy objects onto each decka plumb bob, from a height of six feet, to be specificin order to evaluate dent resistance. The company, which has been established for 10 years, sells matched repair kits for 10 and says a very long lifespan is expected. Light weight is a further advantage, but custom panels are not available. Another supplier, Ocean Cork, produces 8mm planks as standard, but 4mm is available if weight is critical. These synthetic teak panels are offered for sale in many colour options, so you can choose the colour combination you like the most or that best matches your boat. I am in search for a synthetic deck manufacturer who already has templates for the Leopard 50 Please email me at kevindeanferreira@gmail.com if you happen to know one. Weve tried to give indicative prices for different options, but these are exceptionally difficult to pin down. And while it will last for a long, long time without maintenance, it wont necessarily look good that long. Temperature concerns while there are many aspects to consider. In conclusion, this second test concludes with Plasdeck and Flexiteek coming joint first and Permateek in last place. All surfaces are sanded when manufactured. Real teak decking: 500-600. We made one deck with Esthec and set this right next to a real teak deck, managing director Dennis Hennevanger remembers, having been immediately taken by the product. And it looks great. A natural deck can be washed, but power washing can easily erode the wood. The product is therefore very UV resistant and remains elastic as the oils dont evaporate over time. The Permateek Classic, instead, is very different from the others since its darker colour makes it more similar to aged or oil-processed wood. This product is also marketed as PlasDECK by a company called PlasTEAK. All are more resistant to scarring and denting than teak. The latter, we thought, looked more like natural teak due to that variation. However, Lignia decks are just as labour intensive to lay as real teak. Rounded edge pieces, or margin boards make for a neat installation, and if a complete deck is desired (rather than, say, a hatch cover), a wider central king plank can be obtained. Over a three to five year period it will slowly take a light grey hue, but this can be sanded back to reveal the original colour. And, to reassure us that our measurements were meaningful, one of our testers stood on each deck and made subjective evaluations of how slippery each was. Thank you! Made by Stazo Marine Equipment in the Netherlands (the U.S. representatives operate out of the Stazo office in Thomaston, ME, and Marquipt in Pompano Beach, FL. The test started at lunch time, that is the hottest time of the day. Lignia is the latest product to be launched on the market, based on pine grown in FSC certified forests. So far, Tek-Dek and MarineDeck 2000 have exhibited the best resistance to staining and the easiest clean-up. Esthec is a part of composite floor specialist Bolidt, which makes flooring in any shape for industrial applications through to decking for ships. Flexiteek panels are available in either 1- 7/8 or 2-3/8 wide planks, and buyers can choose panels with either six or more planks, up to a maximum of 12. Yachting News is an interactive multimedia magazine dedicated to the world of boating. It also has the benefit in being faster to dry than teak, which is handy in areas used for seating. We went out of our way to stain them, using gasoline, dirty oil, antifreeze, coffee, and whiskey. VAT) per square metre: Synthetic teak: 200-300 2021 - THE INTERNATIONAL YACHTING MEDIA Designed by BLive Communication. We take our responsibility to the environment very seriously and we are not prepared to risk using unsustainable wood.. Teak doesnt look good from a sustainability perspective either. In many cases they also offer multiple advantages over real teak, including better longevity. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Teak is classified as a heavy hardwood with a density of approx 930kg/m3. Sanding can present further problems if the sandpaper picks up caulking material and deposits it in the teaks grain. Hi I am in search for a synthetic teak deck manufacturer that has templates for Princess 92 55 with Flybridge. This way, the centre of gravity of the boat remains lower, which contributes to reduce heeling when sailing while improving performance. You then glue down these pieces, using a two-part epoxy, and hold them in place with weights. Flexiteek is available in a standard 5mm thickness and 11 colours, with plank widths from 45mm-200mm to replicate everything from planking to covering boards and cappings. When installed over aggressive non-skid, the grooved back may allow for water penetration. This factor, re gardless of how you feel about environmental issues, makes teak an expensive material. Also, quite important, particularly on racing boats, the abrasion test. How We TestedWe started out by making a small (roughly 2 x 2) deck section with each of the three products, using a sheet of rigid fiberglass as a sub-deck. Tye Conway of UK-based decking specialist Elite-Teak says that typical installed prices in the UK are often lower than elsewhere in northern Europe, with many jobs falling into the following price ranges (ex. Hi Jim, Search the site synthetic teak or faux teak or any of the brands you are interested in and youll see several additional tests, including the follow-up to this one, that might answer your questions. This is an important aspect to take into account when dealing with a boat. Hence this report. Material costs are a little less than for teak, with typical savings around 5-20%. The maximum inclination reached by the shoe without slipping was very similar for all materials. Lignia, shown to great effect here on the decks of the Spirit 50CR, is a real softwood product treated to give it the appearance and longevity of teak. Both left-hand and right-hand margin strips are available (one with a tongue termination and the other with a groove), as are king strips. Marinedeck 2000 consists of cork granules with a synthetic polyurethane binder. Your test only showed the appearance and We thank all three manufacturers that, as proof of their good faith, accepted the test without hesitation. Rather than having you piece the deck assembly yourself, the company asks that you make a paper pattern of the shapes you want. The company recently extended its warranty to 10 years. VAT). Life expectancy for expanded foam materials is around five to seven years for harsh use, and longer for less-heavily used boats. THEINTERNATIONALYACHTINGMEDIA.COM| SUPERYACHTS.NEWS | YACHT DIGEST, VIRTUAL BOAT SHOW |TUTTTOBARCHE |TOUSLESBATEAUX |TODOSLOSBARCOS. Also With This ArticleValue Guide: Synthetic Teak, Contacts Flexiteek Americas, Inc., 954/973-4335, www.flexiteekusa.com PlasTEAK, 800/320-1841, www.plasteak.com Tek-Dek International, 604/880-3737, www.tek-dek-international.com MarineDeck 2000 (STAZO Marine Equipment), 207/354-0914, www.stazo.nl, www.marquipt.com. From a sustainability perspective, a big drawback with PVCs is they are plastics and will therefore remain in the environment forever. Flexiteek decking on the SW105 Kiboko III. From an environmental standpoint, natural teak comes from forests that are in real danger of depletion. We do have some fairly clear initial findings, though. After harvesting, the timber is impregnated with resin, before being dried in a curing process to ensure the resin is locked in at a molecular level. Ocean Cork is one of many firms to offer eco-friendly teak alternatives. These sections feature tongue-and-groove joints, with molded-in caulking strips. Thanks for this article, very interesting! We followed (and evaluated) instructions, and (if we thought they were required) we used manufacturers technical support. We tried many times and we reached a 36-degree inclination: an excellent goal, beyond which no material produced enough friction for the shoe to remain glued to the surface. This suggests that the material composition (Flexiteek G2 patent) ensures greater heat dispersion. The company holds patents for non-migratory plasticisers that are bound to the molecular structure. a simple cleaning carried out with the hands under the flowing water. Well, there arent many alternatives we could suggest to supplant a classic yacht, but there are some viable alternatives to natural teak decking. Teak oils and various protective treatments can help preserve the appearance of a teak deck, but tend to commit boat owners to continuing periodic treatments This defeats much of the purpose of using teak in the first place. MarineDeck 2000 costs $28 to $29 per square foot (exterior grade), which includes adhesives and all other materials, and comes with a five-year warranty. Fungus inhibitors throughout the material hold back the formation of the green mould that can all too easily grows on real teak decks, especially during persistently damp winters. Moreover, the sensation of warmth remained on the foot for some minutes, which confirmed the excellent warmth retention capacity of the material. All the materials passed our crash tests (we dropped anything on our samples, even very heavy items) and no damage was registered. As a result many of the new yachts seen at boat shows actually have simulated teak decks made of PVC. Then you send that to a local Flexiteek distributor, and you get back a preassembled mat thats ready to be glued down, complete with margin planks. The result is the same for all the three products: stains were removed with a simple cleaning carried out with the hands under the flowing water. The synthetic teak decking systems weve seentwo PVC-based and one cork-basedare, once installed, quite similar in appearance and texture. Bleaches and chemical cleaners workat least to some extentbut tend to remove the oils that made teak the choice in the first place. Rupert Holmes explains whats wrong with the marine industrys obsession with hardwood and looks at real world teak alternatives. Its produced under high pressure, which gives the feel of high-density material, but is still flexible and absorbs knocks well. Unfortunately, a ban on importing this illegal timber into the EU hasnt stopped the trade, as evidenced by court cases in countries including Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Holland following the discovery of illegally imported teak. We lust after a bright-finished classic wooden yachtone by Herreschoff, say, or Aldenbut yield to the practicalities and buy a fiberglass sloop. A UV inhibitor in the coating would obviously be of benefit, but coating the deck would bring you back into the endless cycle of periodic refinishingwhich teak decking is supposed to eliminate. The material is guaranteed for five years. It is 6-8mm thick and is available with a strong 3M self-adhesive backing to minimise labour costs when fitting. Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez/VOR. They look great at boat shows and at chic Mediterranean quays, as well as providing excellent non-slip properties in the most demanding of conditions. For applications where wide sections of straight planking are required, Tek-Dek also supplies a wider, four-plank section, which cuts down on installation time and effort. A thicker deck is usually not an option, due to the high cost of teak and the amount of above-the-waterline weight that this would introduce. Sailing, it seems, involves a constant struggle between heart and brain, with a similar dynamic ocurring between time and money. Sean Roebuck of ProCast, SeaDeks leading UK fabricator, says prices including VAT generally work out in the range of 114-151/m2. Don Regarding longevity, well have a much clearer picture of which one is best in six months or so. The price has gone up dramatically, supply is dwindling, and, Every sailor is familiar with the wet cough of the diesel engine, and the acrid smell of its exhaust. However, the typical nuances of wood are absent. A key problem is illegal logging of rainforest in Myanmar, one of the only four countries in which the species grows. The teak option reduces output by only 6-8% compared to an equivalent standard panel, while custom sizes and shapes can be created without increasing prices. Available products can be split into four broad categories: Many of these dont absorb liquids and are therefore easy to keep clean as any dirt stays on the surface. More specifically, Flexiteek shows veins and shades that make it, in a natural way, very similar to real wood. we tested is, in alphabetical order, the Flexiteek, the Permateek and the Plasdeck. Over time, if not exposed to pollutants, teak gradually ages to an attractive silver-gray color. In any case the material is inherently resilient and is significantly better than teak at resisting wear and abrasion. And teak isnt particularly flexible, so dealing with curves and/or arched decks can be tricky. The material also easily absorbs heat from the sun, making it uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet when in the tropics or Mediterranean summer. remains lower, which contributes to reduce heeling when sailing while improving performance. It proved to be multi-purpose, highly efficient in all respects and even the most similar one to natural wood. The upcoming Spirit 44E will be fitted with teak-effect solar panels. Italian solar panel manufacturer Solbian has a range of panels with a pigmented layer that creates different colour schemes. The cost of Tek-Dek is $24-$25 per square foot, including adhesives for the bedding and tongue-and-groove joints. High traffic areas can become glossy, but these can be gently coarse sanded back by hand to the original matt finish. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! Need follow up please. Anyone who saw the Spirit 50CR at last years Southampton Boat Show can attest that a quality yacht with Lignia decks will look stunning. Plasdeck, too, is biscuit-colored but its finishes are less processed, which makes it look a little flatter and less natural. If Permateek submitted a similar color to the others, the temperature difference is insignificant. PlasDeck is less well known in the UK but has been established for 15 years, offering a range of PVC products in 28 shades that look and feel like wood. Comparative test for the three leaders of synthetic teak decking. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Rather than using a basic one-plank-wide section as a building block, Flexiteek offers multi-plank panelsan approach that has both advantages and disadvantages. The following table shows the overall weight of teak decking on a 13-meter sailboat. The maximum inclination reached by the shoe without slipping was very similar for all materials. Theres also a good deal of caulking to doeach joint where planks meet must be caulked to keep water from getting under the decking and lifting it. Bricks, or containers filled with sand are sufficiently heavy to work well here. I also like the technical side of Esthec, he adds. As my Company handles the Importing for the Americas, lets remember that DRB chose not to go with an existing factory that had worked well for the last three years, and continues to increase the quality control levels in order to maintain the #1 status. You then pick up the mats, clean the deck, mix and apply the epoxy, and replace the matsits a lot like laying flooring in the home. In Yachting World August 2022 issue we talk to one of the biggest names on the offshore racing scene, Kevin Escoffier and take a look around his brand new foiling, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, 4 eco-friendly improvements to upgrade your yacht, How hybrid sailing yachts finally became a feasible option, Behind the scenes film goes inside British Olympic sailing squad, WATCH: Loic Escoffier rescued after capsizing 70 miles south of Fastnet Rock, Amazon Prime Day boating deals: How to save big on sailing kit this summer, Crew rescued from upturned hull of new Farr X2 after keel loss, J-Class yachts kick off Superyacht Cup Palma in style, 2020 Vende Globe preview: Pip Hare and Paul Larsens guide to the fleet, Spirit 111: This sailing art gallery is one of the most sensational yachts ever built, Video: See inside 9 of the most amazing modern sailing superyachts, Lagoon 46 first look: Updating this catamaran is a significant step for the yard, Excess 15 first look: This vibrant catamaran can sail in the lightest of winds, Dragonfly 40 yacht tour: This cruising trimaran can do 24 knots. Natural teak haslong been a material of choice for boatbuilding. This way, we had the opportunity to test and compare, in a very simple way, the features that most affect the choice of synthetic teak (all our staff was involved in the test and everyone was asked to express his own opinion).