431 new deck
Hi there,

I'm the happy owner of a 1977 431 Swan, Hull Number #014.
The thing is, I'd like to do a complete overhaul to the deck.

Have you guys done anything like that?
Does anyone know if there's any manufacturer I can contact in order to buy an already prepared deck set for a 431?
I'm thinking on both real teak decks and teak substitutes...

Looking forward for your response,


Francisco Allamand
'Alimaña'. Swan 431
Chile

I don't have recommendations, but are you sure you need a new deck? I have a 411 with the original deck. I didn't want to pay $45k (US) for a new deck, so I've worked to prolong the life of the existing deck. It was bad in places, so I had to replace several pieces and a few wooden plugs. I also re-caulked a few joints. After that, I carefully sanded the entire deck to even out the surfaces, but I sanded off only the minimum amount of wood. The results have been fantastic.

Once I did the stabilization process above, I put on a mixture of Teak Wonder and Semco oil that several Tayana 37 owners have used to maintain their decks. Neither product lasts very long by itself, but together they protect the deck up to a year. I was going to post my results later this fall, but here's a photo of my foredeck after 6 months in direct rain/sun. If you like a silver colored deck, this may not work for you. But a light tan colored deck?

Don 411/11

MY 411 had a new deck put on in 2000 that's in good shape yet. it was CNC cut prefab then shipped to the boat for installation. The individual boards are not full depth and screwed to the deck, the saems are essentially cosmetic, even though it's real caulk and needs to be maintained. teakdecking dot com...Sarasota FL - I've spoken with them, they have a number of Swan templates from past jobs...

Geoff, Corazon, 411 #41

Francisco
Don Chisholm of Zeevogel. Swan 43 1971 - my deck are 1989 and the seams needed work. I talked with Teak Deck System in the US. They do outstanding work and quoted me $39K for a new deck package - I would still need to remove old and instal so most likely the same cost or more to do that.
I ended up hauling out and pulling all of my seams and re caulked them with Teak System caulking which is great. I re plugged most of my screws also and replaced three planks. The result looks like a new deck. My original deck was 14 mm and I'm around 8 mm now. I pulled the seams with a Fien multi tool and build a guide system for a small rotor to take the seams deeper for re caulking. A ton of work and I a woodworking heritage. If you can repair the deck you'll be surprised on the life remaining but it's a lot of work or love in my case.
Check out Teak Deck Systems site - you like these guys.

Cheers