Replacement Teak

[Scott B.]

The slide rails on my '78 CD 25 have seen better days (cracked, lost teak, etc.). I have been looking on-line for teak suppliers. One plank of teak to work from will cost me $400. Does anyone have a new teak supplier (whether on-line or in the Northeast) they would recommend? Or a source of used teak?

[Skipd]

Boulter Plywood in Medford MA is a good source. I’ve used them in the past to get teak for various restoration projects. You’ll find they have a marine focus.

https://www.boulterplywood.com/


Thanks

[jfischgrund]

Reader's Hardwood Supply in Taunton MA is excellent.

[John Stone]

The slide rails on my '78 CD 25 have seen better days (cracked, lost teak, etc.). I have been looking on-line for teak suppliers. One plank of teak to work from will cost me $400. Does anyone have a new teak supplier (whether on-line or in the Northeast) they would recommend? Or a source of used teak?

Impulse Trading Company in Newport NC is who I use. They often have shorts so you don't have to purchase a 10' plank. They also often have 8/4 shorts in 6" widths which would be ideal. Jack King is the manager. Call and speak to him. He might be able to help you. He has been helpful to me over the years.

[tvangilder]

Anchors and Oars in Grasonville, Md sells used teak. They are a great resource!!!

[Scott B.]

All excellent advice. Thank you to all. I visited Readers as they are local to me in SE Mass. Nice low overhead (i.e. warehouse) operation. Stacks and stacks of exotic hardwoods. However, they have only a small quantity of Teak and are not looking to sell short/cut pieces.

They recommended Afromosia as a substitute. Does anyone have experience with this wood? Was generally a darker wood than Teak, but they indicated it had similar rot resistance and exterior use durability as Teak. Alternatively, does anyone have experience with African Mahogany which they had plenty of? Both Afromosia and African Mahogany were much less costly than Teak. Greenwood was also indicated as a good substitute for Teak.

[jbenagh]

When I was at Boulter in January, prices for teak had doubled since 2020 and they told me their supplier was finished and they would not replenish their inventory (for teak, that is).
Jeff

[Scott B.]

A postscript to my replacement teak project this spring:

I visit Readers in Taunton. They had a good supply of Teak substitutes. They had some reasonable size supply of Teak but explained to me they would have no more due to an embargo that several countries (including the US) on importing Teak from countries that are depleting their teak growths just for the profits. Consequently, the price of Teak is sky high ($55/board ft.) as compared with the Iroko I decided to go with at $11/board ft. It looks similar to Teak. Cuts reasonably well. One lesson learned using these hardwoods: they are all "wet", not kiln-tried as we might be used to for common pine in the US. Consequently, after cutting to shape (long sections for cabin hatch rails), the pieces warped considerably. Solution: clamp the pieces in a long angle iron section and bath in a solution of water and vinegar. The water/vinegar solution "relaxes" the fibers and allow them to conform to the shape of the angle iron. Once nearly dry, they were nearly perfectly straight. I still had to slowly/carefully bend them to the desired straight line as I fastened the pieces incrementally to the boat. Thanx again for your advice.