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Synthetic Teak Decking
Teak Decks on boats are a luxury these days. Many years ago Teak Decks
for boats were the norm. The teak was laid on the deck frames and then
caulking was used to seal the gap between the planks. Nowadays with composite
construction teak decking is now a symbol of a good quality boat not a form
of construction. 
The advantage of modern synthetic, faux teak deck, or fake teak deck alternatives are.
One of the negatives of composite marine decking is the surface temperature. Being a plastic compound the synthetic teak alternatives absorb heat and darker colors absorb more. The resulting temperatures can be similar to a little warmer than teak, so in very high temps they can be hot to walk on in bare feet. Picking a lighter color helps this.
 Cork Decking is one replacement for boats teak decks. Here is an example of Marine Deck 2000 on the mega yacht Sherakhan. Production boats include the Etap 46 use Marine Deck 2000. Cheaper and easier to install Marine Deck is made from Cork, taking advantage of a greener product one that does not kill trees as it is formed from the bark which grows back. The cork is granulated and mixed with a urethane as a binder. A UV inhibitor is also added, before the mixture is cured in 20 ton presses. There are many new products on the market which are a substitute for Teak decks. Most of them are synthetic PVC like products. Teak is a very expensive option for a deck and these alternatives save in material and labor costs. Marine Deck composite deck is flexible and easy to cut.
Marine Deck 2000 is produced in normal, narrow, margin and king plank widths. The planks are 74 inches long. You can coat the cork with a finishing product, but its best left bare. The bare surface is better for traction and grip as well as cooler.
Flexiteek Material Properties (Swedish PVC Product) Flexiteek is the Patent Holder for PVC synthetic decking. Flexiteek manufacturers the NuTeak product as is an exclusive product fro NuTeak for North America.
Four Winns (shown left), and Regal are among the production cruisers using Flexiteek.
Flexiteek comes as flexible synthetic planking of continuous length, with integral caulking strip in black or white and slightly larger border planking. The planking is curved by rising its temperature slightly, whilst curving. A sunny day is sufficient, with tighter bends being induced with a hot airgun. planks are 9.5 meters long with 45 or 60mm strips in various plank widths.
Flexiteek features;
Installation; 
Typically patterns are made of the deck required. These are then sent to
a Flexiteek distributor where the panels are made. The panels are made from the Flexiteek
planks heat welded or glued together.
NuTeak is a PVC synthetic decking material made under License, with respect to the Flexiteek patent, but it has its own properties and individual look. You could call NuTeak the 3d generation as it addresses some of the issues associated with PVC decking.
NuTeak has a lighter color in its original form, than other PVC materials. PVC synthetic materials darken with age. NuTeak decided to produce a lighter color material, so that in its aged condition the final product is closer to a natural teak. It has been a criticism of the first PVC decking materials that they got too dark, which is the opposite to teak, which actually gets lighter with age.
This stuff really looks like teak. I gave a sample to a Boat Carpenter and after his first quick look he was amazed that is was PVC.
The image show how the surface has a grain to it that looks like wood and the surface is a bit furry like a rough finish of wood. This image show 2 samples of the double plank material, just lightly pushed together and holding fine. I am told to just leave the finish as it is.
The next change NuTeak made is the tongue & Groove joint.
The tongue & groove joint is designed for ease of alignment which makes for easy application.
Taking two samples and pushing them together the tongue & groove joint came together very easily and no forcing was required.
Since NuTeak is easy to join and easy to handle it makes sense that installation is easy. A sharp knife is all that is required to cut and no heavy lumber machinery is needed.
Nuteak
NuTeak has 2 main types
The Rigid; is a wood and PVC composite material. The 2" (50mm) planks come with Black or White caulking strips. The tongue and groove system provides easy installation that makes an average handyman look like a professional craftsman. The under lying planks in the photo are just dry laid next to each other. Rigid Material
They also come in double plank profiles for easy and quick progress of your project (seen in images above). Their flexibility make it very easy to work with.
Apart from professional and DIY installation NuTeak also provides kits.
North American distributors for NuTeak include Florida, California, Illinois, Canada, Venezuela, and Argentina
All PlasDECK material is extruded in the USA in the Akron, Ohio area. Akron
is the polymer capital of the world. PlasDECK is the only synthetic teak
decking that’s made in the USA.
How is PlasDECK attached to my boat deck?
PlasDECK has an textured underside.
Installation; PlasDECK has a good set of instructions to follow with a list of tools you will need. Although this is a mini teak deck install the time and effort is much simpler due to the ease of cutting of the material.
Video Travis Tea "TT Custom Marine"
this video (you will have to watch several minutes before you get to
PlasDECK) shows a PlasDECK installation where the decking is not glued down
but looks like a carpeted fit.
With material costs and environmental concerns, plus ease of installation, these synthetic teak deck alternatives are worth considering.
Andy is very happy choosing synthetic, over real wood, and the cost and speed of installation played a big part in his decision. The second was maintenance where he can just leave the deck, whereas teak, he would have had to take extra care and spills would prove problematic.
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World panel make Teak & Holly synthetic teak flooring alternatives. MarineLam is sold in sheets like plywood and Lonseal is a veneer sold in 6 inch widths. the composite marine decking material is very resilient and will stand heavy items being dropped on the them, where real wood would have been damaged. MarineLam 
Lonseal  2mm rolls of veneerRoll Width: 6ft (1830mm) Roll Length: 60ft (18m) Sold by the linear yard. Thickness: 80 mil (2.0mm) available through World Panel NuTeak Interior C-Flor synthetic flooring is used by many manufacturers like Ocean Yachts, Sea Ray, Donzi, Hatteras, Chaparral, and Viking.    This material is a PVC laminate and is 2mm thick and comes in the above 3 looks; Teak & Holly, Cherry & Holly and Mahogany. The samples I have are very flexible so can be used on a curved surface within limitations. The laminate is intended to be glued onto an existing floor or substrate. C-Flor has a 15 year warranty TrueDeck Woodbeam
If you have a pier or dock with wood timbers that need to be replaced every
5 years or buckle under the sun as they dry out, Another product from True Harbors line is TrueDeck Woodbeam a synthetic panel, 2ft x 4ft and @ $6 a sq. ft. The composite marine panels resemble traditional docks planking, and is aimed at the buyer who is looking for the same look as his wood planked dock, but less maintenance. Sponsored by Used Boat Parts
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Here
is an example of a professional installation. This is a friend of mines "Chris Craft 25 launch"
showing the deck installation by Unique Teak.
True Harbor has an
alternative. 
