replacement companionway wood on Typhoon

jecnnk · Post by **jecnnk** » Jul 17th, '11, 16:36

The panels of wood that slide out to enter the cabin (companionway?) on my Typhoon need to be replaced. Were the originals teak? My boat is a 1982 but the wood doesn't look like teak - seems to be plywood of some type. Does anyone have an idea of what the cost would be to replace with teak and where to get that size teak panel? Any suggestions re: other wood? I would like it to match the other teak on the boat. thanks

azucha · Post by **azucha** » Jul 17th, '11, 20:41

Teak seems to be selling about $30 a board foot for 4x4. You might get by with 0.5" thickness. That should be about $26 board foot.

Oswego John · Post by **Oswego John** » Jul 17th, '11, 20:41

Hi jecnnk,

The times, they are a'changin'.

Forty or so years ago, the drop boards on the Tys were teak. In the meantime, the price and availability of teak went through the roof. The original teak weather boards were almost indestructable. In most cases, they lasted for the life of the boat. In later years, the boards were made of marine plywood with teak veneer laminated to the surface. These boards didn't prove to be as substantial as solid teak. More often they had to be replaced.

As the cost of teak rose, many owners substituted other woods to replace teak. Some opted for ipe, Spanish cedar or stained white oak. Persons that were more versatile cut pieces of marine or weatherproof, exterior plywood and did their own veneering at great cost savings.

How much will it cost to install new teak boards? Your opening is roughly speaking, 24" wide (widest part of taper) and 30" high. Allowing for tret and waste, it comes close to five board feet. The teak market is rather volatile and the price of a b'd ft may be different next week than it is today. If you can find a dealer who has what you require, $28.00 / b'd ft or higher is a fair going price.

Your opening is 30" high. If you want to keep the original use of three boards, that means that you will need boards at least 10" wide finished milled. Most lumber suppliers charge a premium for boards wider than 4". Also remember to include shipping costs. So the cost is well above $140.00 if you can find a supplier who has wide stock (or can get it for you).Some suppliers have minimums on shipping. They won't deal with small purchases.

Another possible alternative is to use mahogany at half the cost of teak.

Good luck with your project.

O J

azucha · Post by **azucha** » Jul 17th, '11, 20:41

Teak seems to be selling about $30 a board foot for 4x4. You might get by with 0.5" thickness. That should be about $26 board foot.

sharkbait · Post by **sharkbait** » Jul 18th, '11, 08:06

This Typhoon was completely "re-wooded" with TREX. You can order 12" wide TREX trim from your local lumber yard. It is a whole lot cheaper than teak.

Trex is one of those synthetic products created to build decks for houses. It can be ordered in a variety of colors but the amber is almost the same color as teak. Also Trex does not require any varnish and holds it color very well.

marka · Post by **marka** » Jul 18th, '11, 09:26

as the teak on deck on our '27 fails, i'm replacing it with white oak. it's 1/4 the cost, looks great finished or unfinished, is rot resistent, durable, hold fasteners better than teak glues better than teak and won't dull your tools as badly as teak will.

RichS · Post by **RichS** » Jul 18th, '11, 10:23

Sharkbait,
Is all the trim including the dideboards and toe rails done in Trex here? It looks great! I am trying to decide what to use in my rebuild of am Alberg/Corinthian and TEX was considered and after looking at this considered more than before. Looks like a great job any chance of more pictures?

sharkbait · Post by **sharkbait** » Jul 18th, '11, 10:50

Everything you see that looks like wood is TREX. The total cost for material was $350 a couple of years ago. All of the material can be ordered via your local LOWES store. None of the stores carry the trim material they just carry the stuff for the house decks. But, if you look carefully on the TREX web site or in the store special order catalog you will find the dimensions for all of the trim materials. Trex comes in various dimensions. I ordered the toe rail and rub rail in 20 foot lengths. It was about 1" x 6" x 20' if I remember correctly. I ripped the material in my table saw and cut the radius on the edges with a router and a 1/8" cove bit. The drop boards were cut from a 1" x 12" x 10' piece. Stuff works well with regular wood working tools.

Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Jul 18th, '11, 11:09

Trex makes good 50 foot Teak. That is from 50' away it looks pretty much like Teak.

I know cost is always a factor and everyone has their own tastes and priorities. As a life long wood worker I would chose something else. One of the things that I find very attractive in our boats is the beauty of the wood work and bronze for that matter. Teak is a very beautiful wood that is well suited for exterior marine applications. It is certainly not the only one.

The thing that would worry me about using Trex is that it is not really a structural wood substitute. It tends to bend or sag very easily if not supported. If the toe and rub rails are not doing anything to add strength to the hull, then it would be fine. If one were using it for gunnels on a smaller craft where the wood adds rigidity then it would not be a great choice.

For most of the trim on a Typhoon it would be fine. I don't think I would feel very comfortable with using it for hand holds on a lager boat where your life may depend on the breaking strength of the material, Steve.

tjr818 · Post by **tjr818** » Jul 18th, '11, 14:36

I just replaced one of the drop boards on my CD27 I used Cypress and finished it with Cetol Natural Teak to match the other boards. It cannot be told from the other in either look or feel. It is fairly easy to find Cypress with a grain that will match most pieces of teak.

alambertfl · Post by **alambertfl** » Oct 19th, '11, 09:04

Sharkbait, thank you for your response to my inquiry. I think your boat looks great. I now remember reading an article in Good Old Boat Magazine regarding composite material substitutes and TREX was the material they were writing about. The person who was replacing his teak with TREX did a weight test on the handholds to determine the breaking strength and the TREX faired very well. I believe, if my memory serves me correctly that they said they coated their trim with a coat of some type of oil annually and that kept the color from fading.
You have given me what I think I need. Thank you for your help.

bottomscraper · Post by **bottomscraper** » Oct 19th, '11, 09:38

Iroko runs about $8 a board foot. It finishes a bit more yellow
than teak. It's a decent but not perfect substitute. I purchased
some from Highland Hardwood (NH) about a year ago, they had
a good selection. It has a tends to tear out a bit more than teak
but does have some nice grain patterns.

http://www.highlandhardwoods.com/

Wikipedia Link For Iroko:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroko

We did use Trex for the steps of our swim ladder. We finally gave
up on trying to keep any finish on the old Teak steps. Between
the screw holes, machined tread and occasional water submersion
keeping a finish on them was impossible. The ZERO maintenance is great

tjr818 · Post by **tjr818** » Oct 19th, '11, 10:26

I have used oiled Iroko on the interior of my SlÃ¡inte and it matches the oiled teak trim very well. I am a little disturbed by "the spirit of the Iroko". I intentionally stayed away from Walnut, because I have read that it is bad luck on a boat. I hope the Iroko Man understands.

The Cape Dory Board

replacement companionway wood on Typhoon

replacement companionway wood on Typhoon

Price of teak

Teak Or What?

Price of teak

Use TREX

Trex

How about Cypress

Replacement Companionway Wood on Typhoon

Iroko?

Iroko