FLEXITEEK In 2000 Flexiteek set out to re-invent teak decking. The result – a patented product that looks every bit as beautiful as traditional teak. Available in stylish, contemporary colours, with the option of customised designs, lettering and logos. Flexiteek have designed their decking to be safe and comfortable in extreme conditions. And to last for many years, with minimal maintenance. Over 200 of the world’s leading boat builders fit Flexiteek 2G. Thanks to their global distributor network, they can easily fit it to your current boat, be it a tender or a superyacht. For more details Tel: +44 (0)1621 869609 or visit
www.wilks.co.uk
such as the sensor and fibre optics technologies are enhanced. Extremely useful for safety and security on board while offering a hi-tech and modern sophisticated look, the idea has been put to good use by Waterdream, a Dutch boatbuilder famed for its superyacht tenders.
KEEP IT CLEAN In days of old when every vessel that went to sea was made of wood, teak was chosen as the most suitable of decking materials because it contained natural oils that were algae and mould resistant. The natural silver grey colour it became in use, was maintained by the regular dousing the deck got from the sea she sailed in. Save for the need to re-caulk the planks or the desire to smooth them out by sanding, the sailors of olden times spent little time maintaining or cleaning a deck. It is the yacht owner’s love of the new deck look, fuelled by the ignorance of sales and charter brokers, who have foisted superyacht crews with the onerous task of keeping a deck its new orange colour. Manufacturers of synthetic teak have seized upon that fashion and can now truthfully boast that their products are by manufacture always going to look new and therefore require less cleaning.
Cleaners containing oxalic acid are far too widely used and no matter how hard one tries not to allow it, they do end up polluting the water in which the yacht is floating. They also destroy both the wood and the caulking material. Badly maintained caulking can cause problems and are the main reason why teak decks are
found to be needing repair during refit. Tikal Marine Systems of Germany produce caulking for the joints of teak decks as well as bonding and levelling of teak decks. Currently the J Class classic racing yacht Svea is refitting in Mallorca de Palma and using the company’s Teakcaulking TSC in grey to refinish her large expanse of teak deck. Stefan Paust the Managing Director at Tikal can also help maintain synthetic decks and recommends the use of his TLB Flex or Tikalflex Contact 12 to stick down PVC deckings.
He can supply teak decks and always uses sustainably grown teak. He says, “Where we are situated in Hamburg, we use Alfred Neumann as our trusted distributor for high quality teakwood that are labelled; sustainable.” He adds, “Like all bio-products they may not be the cheapest choice but you must agree that teak substitutes can be cheaper and because they are less sensitive to oil spills can be easier to clean and maintain.”
Founded in 2008 by the Danish company HF Industri & Marine, the Zeta Marine Group represents Teakdecking Systems in Florida, in Europe, from a 1200 m² warehouse in Denmark. Managing Director Hans Fokdal and his team has supplied all kinds of products used for cleaning and maintaining teak decks. Hans believes that crews who work on yachts prefer teak. He says, “Synthetic teak gets dirty very easily,” but concedes that “synthetic teak has very good resistance to heavy loads and blows.” Badly maintained caulking can cause problems, many of which are created by the cleaners used to keep teak looking new. Hans says, “I advise crew on yachts to stop using oxalic acid cleaners, it kills, destroys the wood and the caulking material.”
Luca Zaccagno who works in the Technical Department of Helidecks, a subsidiary of the Italian based Teknoconsulting Group, believes real teak is harder to clean properly. He tells us, “Our product, HELI-TEAK, is highly repellent to the absorption liquid oils, chemicals, and kerosene.” He believes, “Real teak needs maintenance every 3 or 4 years depending on use of the yacht, while our product, requires absolutely no maintenance whatsoever
132 | SUMMER 2021 | ONBOARD
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