Andy Pitt

BRIDGING THE CLASSIC GAP

Custom yacht building for boats below fifty feet is quite rare these days. The days of building classic wooden yachts with varnished bright work, teak decks and caulked wooden hulls are even rarer and there are very few craftsmen left who can even undertake such work. For better or worse the efficiently designed factory built yacht is by far the most common yacht seen anywhere. Time and the cost of labour are the two governing factors in this. Ask most any modern day sailor and they will tell you they have busy lives, limited time, and would rather be out sailing than sanding and varnishing wooden boats. Despite this there are traditions of classic yacht building which many owners will not give up and some even take to an art form. The well designed and executed teak deck is perhaps the best example of this.

1. Teak: Teak is one of the most stable and durable woods. It’s hard wearing and less prone to rot than most all other timbers. It’s heavy, 60 lbs. a cubic foot so on the modern yacht it does not need to be too thick. Laid on a glass fiber deck or coach roof it’s not structural but decorative. Thickness is related purely to the fastening method. Screwing and grain plugs are rarely used so there can be a saving on weight, labour and the cost of the teak. Modern sealants and epoxy glues allow the teak to be reliably fastened to the glass fiber. Still some owners prefer the teak planks fastened with screws and grain plugs to give an additional ‘classic look’. If using screws and grain plugs the minimum thickness is about 10mm as the grain plug needs to cover the screw and have enough wood over it to allow ware, scrubbing and sanding.

2: Swept or straight: Planks can be laid parallel to the outside rail (Swept), straight, or a combination of both. By far the most attractive is the swept deck but on motor yachts with large flared fore decks the planks are often laid with side decks straight and the fore deck halfway between swept and straight. Planks which are too wide will make the deck look heavy and ugly so a thirty five footer will have planks of about 35mm wide. The caulking seams, the gap between the planks, must match the plank width and the overall length of the yacht. Teak decks with excessively wide caulking seams look ugly and if in doubt make the seams narrow. A thirty five footer will have seams of 4mm.

3: Covering Board & Margins: The covering board is the first wide board at the outboard side of the deck running parallel to the toe rail. It’s wider than the other deck planks and this accentuates it. On some boats a water way, three to four inches wide, is left at the edge and painted white which contrasts well with the teak. The covering board is cut and fitted first followed by the ‘margin boards’ around the main superstructure and fittings.

7: Plank Butts: It’s often difficult to find really long pieces of teak so deck planks have to be joined. The ends of planks, margins or covering boards, are joined by a plain lapping butt joint where one overlaps the half thickness of the next by 40mm.The planks must have the same run or layout on both sides of the vessel, i.e. a butt joint at a point on the Stb. side deck must have the same joint at the same point on the Port side deck. Planks must not butt at the same place across the boat unless there are at least two, preferably three, planks before using the same point again. A distance fore and aft must be at least three meters to the next butt.

8: The King Plank: The center fore and aft plank is called ‘the king plank’ and runs parallel to the center line. It’s much wider than the deck planks and usually tapers slightly at the bow and the stern. All deck planks that meet the king plank are notched into it.

10: Fastening the teak: The planks, margins and covering boards can be fitted to the vessels deck and coach roof with marine adhesive or good quality epoxy glue. The teak and fiber deck are cleaned with acetone or other degreasing agent before gluing. A primer is applied to the teak and allowed to dry and Sikaflex (221) adhesive applied to the deck to about 2mm thickness. The planks are fitted one at a time and held in place with heavy weights like lead, iron or concrete cones. Alternatively small aluminum plates can be made about 70mm long and 30mm wide with a screw hole in the centre. They can be screwed into the plank seam bridging and compressing the planks either side.

11: Grain Plugs: Grain plugs, if you have to use them, are cut and tested to find a firm tight fit. Choose an off-cut of teak from the same piece as the plank or the same color and density. Cut a number of plugs in a strip. Fit the grain plug with epoxy or resorcinol glue with the grain running in the same direction as the surrounding timber. Drive it home and allow the glue to dry. When cutting off the excess plug, cut with a super sharp wood chisel with the grain, about 2mm above the deck. Then shave down carefully with the chisel or sand off with a belt sander.

12 Preparation & Caulking: When all the deck planks have been laid and the plank seams cleaned and made equal in width the deck is planed and sanded until smooth and level. The complete deck is then cleaned until dust free. Caulking seams are cleaned with soft rags dipped in acetone to remove the surface natural oil from the teak. A primer is applied (Sika 290DC/215) to increase the bond between the teak and the rubber compound. When dry, bond breaker tape is fitted into the bottom of the seam. It is best if the caulking compound is not bonded to the bottom of the caulking seam but to the side only. When the teak deck moves with moisture and drying the rubber seam will move only connected to the sides and not break. The caulking compound (Sikaflex 290DC) is filled into the seams from the cartridges or sausages. The usual practice is to have a 3mm wide hole in the cartridge tip placed the in the bottom of the seam. By pressing and moving the cartridge towards you the seam will fill from the bottom up. Generally there are no air bubbles but if these appear take a wet spatula or finger and gently press down on the Sikaflex while pulling it toward you. When dry, usually after two days, the complete deck is sanded with a belt sander.

Care & Upkeep: Prior to launching the yacht it’s a good idea if the completed deck be sealed with a suitable, non shiny, non visible sealer such as Hemples Teak Sealer. This will keep the dirt out of the wood grain for many months. Depending on location and air pollution decks need cleaning at least once a month. Teak decks must not be cleaned with high pressure cleaners or wire brushes. Heavy scrubbing with stiff brushes, with the grain, will remove the softer fibers leaving a rough and uneven surface. The best cleaner is brown soap which has natural oil.

For & Against: There is no question that a well executed teak deck enhances the looks and value of both sailing and motors yachts. Racing sailboat owners will not want the additional weight though teak decks are sometimes fitted to competition sailboats like the International Dragon which sometimes has a 3mm thick teak deck. It’s difficult to quantify the value of a teak deck as beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Teak decks have good not-slip value but some say they are hot in the tropics and require too much maintenance. This is for the individual owner to decide but wood is a natural product and most agree wood is beautiful.

Cost & Re-sale value: The cost of sawn teak in England for an average thirty five footer would be about GBP 2,500 the Sikaflex adhesive overall will be about GBP1,700. One man with reasonably skills, and basic hand tools, can fit a teak deck in five weeks. The re-sale value of the yacht will also increase but for most owners not the main point. It’s the choice to have a production boat with some individuality and some of the traditions of classic yacht building. The End.

Teak Deck Tips: 1. Planks will be 8 to 10 mm thick and about 35mm wide for 35 to 40 foot yacht. Most boat builders say the teak should be ‘quarter sawn’ which means the grain of the wood is 90 degrees to the deck. This is the most stable and hard wearing timber. In fact boat builders ‘cut and fit as best possible’. It’s important the teak is dry, 10 to 12 % moisture. If the teak is too wet cut the planks and lay them sun for a week or so. Keep the wood dry and clean.

2. Basic joinery tools are needed plus a jigsaw, small router, small workbench and even a small band saw can be put on board or next to the boat. An electric screwdriver is a big help if using hold down plates.

3. It’s a good idea to draw up the center line of the deck and pencil in some of the deck planks, any faults with the deck will show themselves and it’s worthwhile to spend time on this. There may be a difference (Port & Stb.) in the distance from the center line to the covering board and the same number of planks must fit and meet at the same point. If the distance is not the same the smaller side can have all the planks planed by a small amount (say 0.25mm) when all the planks are fitted many millimeters can be saved without the eye detecting a difference.

4. Glue planks with Sikaflex 221, Epoxy glue, 3M 5200 or other). Ask your dealer for a user brochure which gives all the information you need plus many tips. Sealant cartridge guns are available and often supplied free by the sealant supplier.

5. Tools can be purchased from most hardware or discount stores or check the Yellow Pages. Apart from basic joinery tools like wood chisels, hand plane and saw a work bench, electric drill, jigsaw and small router are all necessary. The best quality and most popular electric tools are BOSC or Makita but other makes are often as good.

6. Teak Suppliers: Check the Yellow Pages.

UK Robbins Timber Brookgate Ashton Vale Bristol BS3 2UN UK Tel:+44 117 963 3136. Fax:+44 117 963 7927 Email: timber@robbins.co.uk Marine plywood, Hardwoods, Softwoods, Fasteners and Adhesives

Sikaflex: Sika Limited Watchmead Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 1BQ Telephone: ++44 (0) 1707 394444 Fax: ++44 (0) 1707 329129 Sales order fax:++44 (0) 1707 377300 Sales order email: sales@uk.sika.com Technical enquiries email: technical@uk.sika.com

Epoxy Glue: Matrix Mouldings: Unit 5.5 Paint Works 277 Bath Road Bristol BS4 3EH United Kingdom sicomin@matrixmouldings.co.uk Telephone: 0800 0744 788

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