Deck material

I'm looking into deck material for a work vessel. I find that in oak, the amount I need will weigh 17K pounds, but only 10K pounds in white pine. What does the rest of the world do?

Ryland

 

For working craft, you should track down some pitch pine. White pine is very soft and not suitable for a deck, but pitch pine is tough, rot resistant and very commonly used on working craft. Of course there's always teak or purple heart, but you'll need a second mortgage for these. Select quarter sawn or rift grain stock, as it'll wear better and more uniformly then flat grain stock.

On the other hand, you might consider a light weight decking stock, such as white pine or spruce, with a Xynole sheathing over it. The Xynole will make it tough enough to stand up to work boat conditions and it'll be a fair bit lighter then SYP or oak. Of course, you'll have a "goo factor" to consider, as it's not as easy as just nailing down a new deck, but it's not so tough, once you get a handle for it.

How big a boat and what thickness will the decking stock be? Is the decking over a substrate (plywood, tongue and groove, etc.) or is it part of the structural elements?

 

work boat decking

Thanks for the reply and your interest. This vessel is 61 feet long with a deck area of 56'X25' I plan to use two layers of planking, the first secured to steel deck stringers with carriage bolts, and the second layer laid at an angle and deck screwed to the first. the deck will be fabricated in sections to be removable for maintenance, upgrades and modifications. The planking at angles will lend structural strength for vehicular movement on the deck.

Ryland

 

I'd go all softwood, to keep movement to a minimum. Pitch pine would be my first choice for the top layer, though finding long, straight lengths is difficult on this particular tree. It has good wet foot traction, excellent rot resistance and wears well. The shorter lengths issue isn't much of a concern, with it screwed to a substantial subdeck. SYP or a good quality of Douglas fir would be my choices for the subdeck.