Wood maintenance on the top side

[dgasmd]

Bear with me here as I am fairly new to this sailing business. I am currently looking at boats and learning a bit here and there. While looking at a few models, I got very interested in the Beneteau yachts. I pointed one out to my wife and the first thing that came out her mouth was: "that looks really nice, but all that wood on the top of the boat looks like it would require a lot of frequent maintenance". Didn't even occur to me until she said something about it. Looks nice, but it does beg the question. How often and what type of maintenance does it require?

[MarkCK]

Where are you located? Boats that are kept on the hard in northern states don't require near the maintenence that they do if they are kept in the water year round in Florida.

[MarkCK]

On my boat I hit the brightwork with a light sandpaper once in the spring and apply a coat on varnish on it and call it good. Other people have a much more intense touch up program.

[Minnewaska]

The bright varnish work can be a ton of work or it could be fairly simple. That will largely depend on what is on it now (varnish, polyurethane, etc), its current condition and how well you stay on top of it. If you have teak flooring, I hope it has nothing applied to it. If it does, I would simply pass. All that needs is an annual cleaning and periodic scrubbing with salt water during the season. (only scrub with a pad, never a brush). The bigger issue with teak decking is it condition: is the caulking between the boards in good condition, is it screwed down, has water seeped beneath it. If any of these are problems, the repair can be in the thousands for starters.

[dgasmd]

Originally Posted by MarkCK

Where are you located? Boats that are kept on the hard in northern states don't require near the maintenence that they do if they are kept in the water year round in Florida.

Take a guess? South Florida

[dgasmd]

These images below illustrate what I am referring to. Although these are the particular boat specifically, they are all Beneteau. All the teak flooring on the top side is what I am talking about. I see that, and I don't even see "nice". All I see is labor for no good reason LOL............

[Minnewaska]

The teak decking is not much work, as long as you keep it natural and don't spill anything on it. One good cleaning per year, using salt water and a scotch bright pad on a pole. It's a hassle if damaged or stained or has allowed water to penetrate. Otherwise, on the easy side to maintain and there is absolutely nothing better for grip under your feet, IMHO.

However........ in very sunny and hot climates, they take a beating fast, wear out fast and can be scorching on your feet.