Decking - alternatives to teak

[Theodora]

I want to plank over a marine ply deck with a durable wood. In a Florida climate, teak can get very hot under the bare foot due to its oils. An alternative is to use MarineDeck2000, an agglomerated cork product that looks good. However, I would prefer to use a wood that does not heat up so much as teak.
Any naval architects or builders have any suggestions for this duty?

[waikikin]

White beech makes a nice light coloured deck. Regards from Jeff.

[FAST FRED]

While it doesnt have the Pinashe of wood we have used the moulded no skid look often.

Simply get some heavy cotton mosquito net and cut ,trim till you get pleasing coverage.
Outline the area with a light pencil and roll on a thin layer of 2part EPOXY paint.
Lay the cotton on and roll on another layer of epoxy.

Have no idea of the physics byt the cotton absorbes the epoxy accentuating the surface.

Looks sorta like the sole of a Boston Whaler when done , fast cheap & repairable.

And as hot as the color you chose to walk on.

FAST FRED

[Theodora]

Jeff,
Do you know anyone with White Beech deck experience I can talk to?
John

[waikikin]

John, Ive laid a fair bit of teak & a few jobs in beech,the beech is nice to work & should be cheaper material wise- adhesive & seam compound will be the same though. generally a little softer than teak so you could go a bit thicker for wear.Glued it with sika with their primer or with international epiglue- precote of everdure seemed to promote adhesion on test pieces.I saw a beautiful example of white beech used on a Cole 46 "Wood wind" built in the 80's where it was combined with teak margin boards- absolutly fabulous to see. You can get it through maybe Caporns or Trend timbers or Anagote timbers in Sydney , dont know about the Singapore availability but I think it comes from the Solomon Is. mostly.Regards from Jeff.

[Theodora]

Jeff,
Thanks for the recommendation. I am wondering how it weathers - does it go silvery like teak or does it retain it colour? Also, is it a wood that's prone to shrinkage, letting water down between it and the underlying marine ply?
The most important point for me is whether it gets as hot as teak underfoot - do you have an idea about that?
I'm building in NZ so I would expect it will be readily available there, but I'll give the timber suppliers you've mentioned a call.

[waikikin]

It goes silvery if left unoiled- brighter & lighter & more consistant in silveryness? than teak, under oil its a light yellow colour.If sawn & dried correctly it should hold up on seams good- definatly use seam tape & the correct primer for the seam compound.One job I worked on was a architectural "nautical aesthetic" where the material was supplied "on price" by a house builder- wide boards-slash sawn-not good, we did it, it looked ok on the patio but I wouldnt have put that style of material on a boat. Best to go narrow boards(45) & Quarter sawn for any overlay decking job.We dont generally lay stait onto ply- usually dynel over ply or to glass.The guy that did the Cole 46 "woodwind" was a Kiwi, Ian Gillies I think, havnt seen him for a long time maybe he's back over there, if not theres plenty of NZ boatbuilders to give you some tutoring on it. Regards from Jeff.

[Vega]

Originally Posted by Theodora

I want to plank over a marine ply deck with a durable wood. In a Florida climate, teak can get very hot under the bare foot due to its oils. ... However, I would prefer to use a wood that does not heat up so much as teak.

Are you sure that it would be different with other wood? With pinewood the deck can also get uncomfortably hot under the Med sun. (I know what you mean, its stupid to have to put your shoes on to go to the deck )

[harhhnt]

Anyone wanting to know about cork decks? Contact Marine-Solutions.com
or e mail harhhnt@aol.com. We have been isntalling cork decks for 7 years and can give advice, sell you cork, install your deck, make a deck from a pattern. Best of all you will get real information from some one who really knows. Harry Hunt