ONBOARD Magazine summer 2021

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