ideas for deck/sole

[JR-Shine]

I am thinking of putting a teak sole in the flats boat I'm building, but I dont like the weight and the $$$ that comes with teak. I figure it would be around $1000 to do a teak sole. Does anyone have experience using other woods for this. I do not like the "plastic teak". I want to do something different with this boat, so any wild ideas would are fine. Thanks.

Joel
Boatbuildercentral.com

[PAR]

You could use a teak faced plywood, though it too is costly, but may be considerably less so then solid stock. I've used pitch pine and cypress for decking, both were reasonably thick when compared to the same deck done in teak.

I recently used white oak on some bilge access hatches. This was 6/4's stock cut in 1/4" lifts. They were bedded in 5200 and screwed from under with S.S. screws through the plywood sub deck. They were oiled with my special recipe and should wear well, but don't have the lovely look of teak to me, but the owner liked it. The stock was left over from some rib repairs and was going to the burn pile unless I found a use so . . .

[JR-Shine]

Thanks PAR. Our plywood supplier has a product like what you are talking about. It a ply wood with a teak face, it has grooves with black rubber strips. It still very expensive (about $600) for the amount I need, plus its thin.

I really like the cypress idea. Can I use strips, and install it like a teak deck?

[PAR]

Now remember using cypress will require good control on grain, run out if it's to be sprung, and at least 30% thicker (more if you can afford the room) because it will wear fast then teak. It doesn't hold fasteners as well either, so close spacing, preferably from under. I would not recommend it without a sub deck. Teak is so much stronger, denser and more millable so a ply sub deck with a skin of 7/16" will get you close.

Coat the ply with 6 oz. cloth in epoxy temporarily screw the planks in place, then remove. Drill the screw holes over size in the ply and fill with thickened epoxy. Re-lay the planking (in bed of 3M whatever you like, 5200 if you don't want to ever get it off or other if you do) and drill for the screws (again) through the oversize holes, wet out the new hole with epoxy before you drive the screw home. This is the only way I will guarantee a deck construction not to leak. The only variable I'll permit myself is temporary fasteners from above (staples or brads) This allows the planks to be placed and the holes bonded without removing the planking, but the topside will need filling and additional work. I like the look of no visible fasteners so I do it the harder way.

It's raining good an I'm on line at this time of the day, instead of working. Pisses me off, hasn't rained for days and I had no epoxy/varnish/paint work going on. Now it rains like a hurricane and I have to finish up some varnish. Figures . . .

[JEM]

This one is not as exotic but how abut some light colored wood stained different shades. Alternate the pattern so it looks like a cedar strip canoe.

[PAR]

The trick to decking is dense, clear, straight and vertical grain in an oily wood. Most woods don't perform well in this regard, they rot to quickly, don't weather well, aren't dense enough, etc. You could use a less oily wood with the other properties being good, but will need reconditioning (oiling) much more often, which is the chore that gets let go for too long.

[Robjl]

I've seen several different timbers used.
Teak is head and shoulders above the rest.
Yes its expensive, but remember it takes the same amount of glue, jointing, and labour to lay inferior timber. And replacing the cheap alternative after it fails in 5 years takes even longer.
Go with the teak, or paint it with non-slip.

[Robjl]

You've probably finished by now and you may have used that left-over lumber that the guy in the timberyard said would be OK.
But if you are replacing the timber that hasn't seen the first season out I used a 2" chisel and a 4" angle grinder with a sanding attachment (24grit abrasive) on the only deck I ever had to replace. Horrible job.

[nero]

Generally I agree with PAR. However cypress is a soft wood. I am using it to strip plank my 14m cat with. Yes, it is rot resistant, but it is not resistant to abrasion. Any dropped tool will dent it. Even your thumb nail can mark it. Bonds well with epoxy and makes a strong hull core.

Maybe Sassafrass though not much harder than cypress. Cherry is hard. The specific weight of Osage Orange is .85. Three to 5 mm thickness of Osage Orange would make a hard surface. Exotic wood grain to it also. Bonded to a glass covered core it might work out less weight than others??

For Wild Ideas, I am planning on using industrial vinyl floor covering for countertops and perhaps cabin floors. Should help quite things down a bit. Not sure about the total weight it will add. The head and shower stall will be sprayed with truck bed liner. Anti slip, agreable to walk on, and easy washed down. May do the galley the same way. For the outside deck it will be antislip paint on top of the hulls. May get creative with some wood strips bonded to glass covered plywood inbetween the hulls.