Pros and Cons of Teak Deck
Hi everyone,

I am currently in the market for a Swan 411 or 431, and a friend suggested that I ask current Swan owners about the pros and cons of teak decks. I have heard two complaints. One is that the decks can leak (the specific complaint was regarding a mid-1990s Baltic a friend sailed from Bermuda to Newport). Second, I've been told that the deck and cabin can get extremely hot in warmer climates, e.g. the Caribbean. I would be interested to hear from current Swan owners on these and any other issues.

Thanks so much,

Dimitri Garder

Interesting question, I am looking forward to the answers. I have a 40 without teak decks and have never had a boat with teak decks so not really qualified to debate both sides but... here goes.

### Pro teak deck
-great nonskid
-does not show dirt in particular that early morning walk up the deck leaves foot prints also when coming on board from land
-robust to dropped winch handles etc.
- looks good

### Cons
- Expensive to replace
- If screwed to the deck prone to leaking as the deck wears and the teak plugs degrade
- heavy

###Cons: Non skid decks
-show dirt
-chip/scratch when hit with winch handles etc
-original non skid is so rough after a few weeks sitting on it you can't sit any more...it is like sitting on coarse sand paper. This is probably not an issue for coastal sailing but for offshore trust me it can be painful.
- not as attractive as teak

###Pros non skid:
-cheap to repair
-light

###Summary: If I had to choose between two boats of similar overall condition (and price) I would choose the non skid if I wanted to race and the teak if I wanted to cruise.
Being pragmatic, you probably will not encounter two boats of similar condition and will probably end up taking the best boat available. Note some say that a boat with a teak deck is worth more. I am not convinced. To me teak or no teak is not an issue the overall quality of the boat is the determinant. Personally I would not buy a boat with a bad teak deck unless I had budgeted a large amount for replacement. Work this into you price calcultation. It is not cheap to do so from what I have heard and if it is bad shape you have the potential to have had water ingress into the deck... and more repair costs.

I have tried to be neutral and now look forward to hear from the the teak proponents who will probably disagree with my ramblings.

The most important point is to buy an S&S Swan. This you will not regret!!!

All the best

Mike from Storm Svale.

In my humble opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than a Swan with teak decks. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and a Swan is still a Swan teak or no teak.

I'd be curious as to what a Swan without teak decks would look like along the toe rail. The teak on our Swan 38 is flush with the toe rail and flush with other parts of the deck that make it look like a perfect fit.  Without the teak there would be more right angles and corners to stub a toe on. (I guess that's why they call it a toe rail?) Also, I'm guessing that water may not drain as good along the sides of the deck if this was the case.

When we bought our Swan 38, the teak was in need of refinishing, and some of the teak needed to be replaced. All of the screws had to be drilled out and filled with epoxy before screwing new holes. I was concerned about water ingress as the teak and caulking looked bad in spots. However, after drilling examination holes all around the deck into the fiberglass, the core was in great shape. Ours has a foam core in most places, and the fiberglass is thick. No signs of water getting in through the screw holes in 30 years. Of course it is pretty dry here in southern California.  If getting a new deck, you definitely want to go with the non-screw method, but if refinishing an older deck, if a lot of the wood is in good shape (ours was still pretty thick after 30 years), you may be able to stretch out an existing deck for another 10+ years by refinishing (new screws, holes, epoxy, sanding, etc...).

I also think that a Swan with a good teak deck has a better resale value than one without. (personal opinion).  Although if I had to chose between two Swans of equal value, one with bad teak decks, and one with new nonskid, I would probably go with the non-skid one. Refinishing or replacing a teak deck is timely and expensive, and takes time away from the joys of sailing these fine vessels.

-Nathan

S/V Inspiration (Swan 38/090)

having owned a hinckley 59 that had non-skid, swan 77-01 with teak decks, and a megayacht with teak decks, i suggest the following: teak is unbearably hot under bare feet in the tropics. it stains (red wine, coca cola, suntan lotion, potato chips, etc). it requires ongoing maintenance to keep from going grey -- though many prefer it that way. in the old days, teak decks were thicker; but with the recent shortage of good teak, now teak decks tend to be very thin even when new....so after a few sandings, they're EXTREMELY thin. they do look great (especially the first week you own them), and they offer good non-skid properties, but again, in hot weather you have to wear deck shoes or sandals because your bare feet can't take the heat. if you have crew and you and your crew commit to look after the teak, that's OK, otherwise, GRP (diamond-tread) or sand-in-paint non-skid is far more durable and easy to maintain, if less glamorous

About teak deck there are as many opinions as boatowners. The question is not rational, so the answer cannot be either. Last winter I remowed the 18yrs old teak deck from my Swan 36 from 1967. Of course after removing all the fittings on deck. I put all the deck  material in a box: it weigted 70 kg dry without screws. The deck was spackled, two layers glasfiber added and painted by a professional. Then carefully planned, designed and cut anti slip material by french TBS was glued with very thin layer white sikaflex. The result made my boat look ligther, cleaner and as new. No more detailed brushing(by crew of two), no sandpapering, no hidden sand, and no dropping in the bunks. This was my choice. Wash and sail!

When I bought Pleiades (1974 Swan 41/018) in 2005, I knew one of the reasons the owner was selling her was his fear that the screwed-down teak deck needed to be replaced. Since the rest of the boat was sound, I considered very carefully the ramifications of purchasing a boat with a, then 31 year old, deck.

The primary symptom exhibited at the time was that, when drying after rain, certain areas would remain wet due to water wicking by capilliary action along some caulked joins and the chain plates leaked.

To make a long story short: since there was no evidence of deck core moisture, no evidence of extensive teak delamination from the deck, I bought the boat.

Since then, I have not regretted my decision. I found that the deck was still at least 12 mm thick (1/2 inch) and that the wood was in excellent condition beneath the silver weathered surface. As a result, all I did was recaulk key areas, including all the deck pentrations, and I applied one treatment of teak oil but did not sand the deck. It would only have taken a moderate sanding to make it look like furniture for a short time before it weathered again. Hardly worth it.

In my opinion, the owner's fear of the deck condition, at least in this case, was unwarranted, and I think that nothing looks better than teak.