Which is better, a strip plank deck or a nonskided? I have never stood on a strip planked deck that I can remember. But I certainly have stood on nonskided decks. The wood must be non slippery when wet right?
Teak is the traditional wood correct?
Brian
Teak is the preferred wood, for natural wooden decks. Pitch pine and other wood have also been used.
There are two basic types of wooden deck (other then plywood) used in small boats, tongue and groove and strip planked. Tongue and groove is as the name suggests. Strip planking is usually square or nearly so stock, edge nailed to each other. This permits the stock to be "sprung" to the sheer. Tongue and groove can be sprung as well, but is very difficult to do on small boats, because the boards try to "edge set". This is difficult to control in short boats with their quick curves, so it's not done often.
Strip planked decks add a lot of weight to a deck, tongue and groove not so much.
A veneer deck can also be installed. This is thin wood, set in epoxy or bedding over a plywood substrate. This gives the appearance of a real laid deck, but at a fraction of the weight. I'm doing a veneer deck on a 17'er now. The deck will be 1/8" mahogany planks, glued to 1/4" Okoume. It will be finished bright, which isn't the kind of deck you want to work on (slippery when wet), but it is pretty.
Raw wood decks can be difficult to care for. They need to be cleaned and oiled regularly or they turn gray and die. A well cared for teak deck looks great and is about the best thing under foot when you're working a foredeck in a good slosh.
I was just reading over at the Woodenboat digital issues and there is a picture of a boat cockpit. It is done in teak and it says
âneeds no surface finish to keep it from shrinking or swelling, and a wood so durable that it needs no coating to protect it from the weather.â
http://www.woodenboat-digital.com/woodenboat/20070102/
Page 49 lower right.
Brian
I like that wheel/seat arrangement. Might want to be careful about banging knees or other body parts on the wheel though.
I suspect a Weekender would be too small to adapt something similar, but it's something to think about.