Synthetic Teak Decking: Choosing, Installing and Caring for PVC Teak

Think about how you use the deck. If people go barefoot in hot sun, a dark synthetic may be a poor choice (see step 11). If you want something you can remove in a few years, foam is the better fit. If you want the teak look with almost no upkeep and plan to keep the boat, PVC teak makes sense. Because removal is so hard, decide before you buy, not after.

A common reason owners look at it is a swim platform that's slippery when wet. PlasDECK says its surface stays non-slip when wet; owners in forums often add that foam pads stay cooler and cost less on a sunny platform. Try both samples wet and in the sun before you choose.

Walk every area and tap it with a plastic mallet or screwdriver handle, listening for dull or soft spots. Look for cracks, stress crazing and stains around deck fittings, which point to water in the core. Fix all of it first (the gelcoat repair and deck hardware rebedding guides cover the basics). Flexiteek also says its decking cannot go directly over old teak or foam pads: those have to come off, down to the fiberglass or another solid surface, before installation. Ask your installer what they need underneath.

When comparing brands, BoatUS suggests looking for material that is the same color all the way through, with the caulk lines molded in, so that scratches can be sanded out instead of showing a different color underneath. Choose plank color, caulk color (black, white, gray and others) and whether you want borders. Many brands now offer lighter or "cool" versions; BoatUS reported some are up to about 30 percent cooler than earlier products, and PlasDECK sells a line it calls CoolTEAK. Ask for physical samples and leave them in the sun on your deck for an afternoon. Treat makers' comparisons as sales claims until you've tested them: Flexiteek, for example, says its decking is 35 percent lighter and cools 30 percent faster than other PVC decking, and that it now uses a bio-attributed PVC with phthalate-free plasticizers. A side-by-side sample test on your own boat tells you more than any brochure.

Warranties differ a lot. BoatUS found material warranties ranging from five to twenty years, and some installers warrant their work longer than the material itself. PlasDECK's limited warranty, for example, runs five years from purchase, covers defects in the material, excludes splitting or cracking caused by improper installation, and requires a written claim with proof of purchase and return of the defective material. Read the actual terms, ask what the installer covers, and keep every receipt and the installer's details with the boat's records.

There are three common routes:

• Full service: the dealer templates the boat, builds the panels in a shop and fits them. Permateek says its distributors need only about two days on the boat for this, one to pattern and one to fit, with the rest done off-site.
• Custom panels, you fit them: you send templates, the maker builds panels to fit, and you glue them down. Fewer cuts on the boat, but you still do the adhesive work.
• Pure DIY: you buy strips or rectangular panels and cut and fit them yourself. Permateek limits its self-cut option to simple shapes with no margin boards; PlasDECK publishes installation guides and videos and offers phone support.

If the area has curves, several hatches or a border design, a pro or custom panels will usually look much better.

Whoever builds the panels works from your template, so this is where most of the final look is decided. PlasDECK recommends its wide, clear template film so you can see hatches and fittings through it while you trace. Tape the film down flat with no ripples, trace the outline of the area, every hatch, drain and fitting, and mark which side is up and where it goes. Flexiteek notes installers use either traditional sheet templates or digital measuring; both work if done carefully. In a Practical Boat Owner project with custom panels, the owners used a template material that doesn't stretch, held it down with strips of double-sided tape, traced edges with a straightedge, used a jar lid for neat rounded corners, and wrote on the template how they wanted the planks, borders and edge rounding laid out. If you want planks to line up across two panels, say so on the template.

Keep decking off scuppers, drains, fuel fills and vents. Hatch lids get their own pieces so they still open. Decide which deck hardware will sit on top of the decking. Flexiteek recommends a solid packer under any through-bolted fitting so the bolts don't crush the flexible decking when tightened; ask your maker what they supply.

Remove the deck hardware in the area, label it, and keep the fasteners together. Prep the surface exactly as the maker's installation guide says; requirements differ. PlasDECK says its material can go right over molded nonskid, but you may want to sand down the raised ridge where nonskid meets smooth gelcoat so the panel sits flat. PlasDECK lists wood, fiberglass, steel, aluminum and epoxy as surfaces its adhesive bonds to; on any other surface, or an aluminum boat with paint or coatings, ask the maker first. Vacuum up all dust and clean off wax and grease as instructed. Let everything dry completely.

Dry-fit every panel first. PlasDECK's method is to spread its one-part polyether adhesive on the deck with a notched trowel, lay the decking in place, then roll it smooth so it beds fully; when laying strips, each one is pushed gently against the last so glue fills the seam, and any squeeze-out is wiped off with denatured alcohol. Permateek likewise uses a single-part polymer adhesive. Follow your maker's open time, temperature range and cure time to the letter, and keep weight and foot traffic off until the adhesive has cured.

A few tricks from the Practical Boat Owner install: trace around each dry-fitted panel and mask just outside the line (and mask the panel's top edge) so the black adhesive stays where it belongs; roll every panel from the middle out to push out trapped air; then weigh it down evenly, especially the exposed edges, so nothing can lift while the glue sets. Warm panels bend more easily over a curved or angled edge. Keep acetone and other solvents you use to clean the deck off the face of the decking, because they can mark it.

Fit the packers, then rebed each fitting with a suitable marine sealant (see the marine sealants and deck hardware rebedding guides). Tighten evenly and stop when snug; overtightening dents the decking and cracks gelcoat. Check that drains and hatches still work and that water runs off where it should.

PlasDECK is candid that, like teak or anything dark, its decking gets warm in the sun. Its suggestions: hose the deck down to cool it, and wear deck shoes on hot days. Rig shade over the cockpit when you can, keep a bucket handy for cooling the swim platform before kids use it, and test the surface with your hand before letting a pet out on it.

Rinse after every trip, and wash with mild boat soap or a pH-neutral cleaner and a soft brush, scrubbing along the grain. Permateek says normal boat wash or a drop of dish soap is fine, and hot soapy water handles sunscreen and food. Clean spills soon: Permateek lists diesel, acetone, concentrated bleach and paint as things to wash off right away. Flexiteek adds that its built-in anti-mold additives work best when dirt, sunscreen and standing water are rinsed away, and it suggests blotting spills, then a diluted pH-neutral detergent left on for only a few minutes before rinsing. Squeegee off standing water.

Makers' deep-clean methods differ, so use the one for your brand:

• PlasDECK: a degreaser applied full strength, left five to ten minutes, then scrubbed along the grain with a stainless or brass grill brush (with any plate and strap removed), followed by a pressure washer of about 1,700 to 2,000 psi if needed.
• Flexiteek: a Scotch-Brite pad along the grain (never on the soft caulking around the edges), and a domestic pressure washer at no more than 135 bar (roughly 1,950 psi), held about 20 cm (8 inches) from the surface. For marks that won't lift, methylated spirit or a baby wipe.
• Permateek: a scouring pad and hot soapy water, or a pressure washer, along the grain.

If you don't know the brand, start with the gentlest method and test in a hidden spot.

All three makers say surface marks, small burns and worn-smooth areas can be hand-sanded along the grain: 40 grit for PlasDECK and Permateek, 40 to 80 grit for Flexiteek. Never use a power sander or belt sander: PlasDECK says a belt sander heats and melts the surface, and Permateek says power sanders distort the grain (PlasDECK allows a sanding drum in a drill). Sanded spots may look lighter at first; Permateek says sun or a heat gun blends them back. Deep gouges, holes and burns can usually be patched: PlasDECK has repair videos, and Flexiteek says its distributors repair damage by vinyl welding or by cutting out and replacing a plank. Avoid the causes too: no hot pans, grills or cigarettes on the deck, felt pads under furniture legs, no high heels, and no dragging heavy gear.