Composite or Teak

[TURBOURBO]

Hey... I'm replacing my swim platform on my boat.... I have a chance to do either composite or teak... what would you do, and why?

[FatBoy]

I like teak best, it just looks better. I have heard the composite scratches easy.

[Onthewater]

I vote teak, classic look.

[lcap]

I traded the composite for teak. I like being able to fix a scratch or ding with a little sandpaper and some oil. Not an option with fiberglass

[TwinTip]

Teak would be my option. Composite can scratch or chip and will be harder to fix. Teak to me looks better and can always be given a new look, either by sanding (if it scratches) or oiling if you want to "bring it back to life".

[Luke]

I went with composite and have been very happy with it. I struggled with the teak/composite option for quite awhile before finally deciding. I had always preferred teak, but thought I’d give composite a try.

Personally I think it looks great all the time, teak becomes warn and requires maintenance quite often. Teak looks great when the owner has taken care of it, but it can look like old driftwood without proper maintenance.

I have heard lots of people complain of chipping their composite platform, but I personally have never experienced this. Of course I have never hit anything with it before. I have a white platform with black traction pads and I think it matches my boat really well. The way it looked made me opt for it. If it had been Bu or MC’s composite design I would definitely have gone with teak because I don’t like the way their composite platforms look.

The composite definitely shows scratches more. I’ve got some black lines across my platform from fins, and there’s nothing that can really be done about it. When the boat was brand new that really drove me nuts, now I’m used to it and I never really even think about it. Most of the time the platform is right on the water, or even a little under the water so the majority of the time no one can even see them.

[robin]

I decided to try the Composite platform this time and felt the same about switching;

Fortunately for me my boat is white with a black stripe so the comp platform looks the business.

From a maintenance side of things it still looks great and have no scratches or dings, i always wipe it down after use and use furniture type polish on the fiberglass. It always looks great but i do take care when using it. I wouldn't recommend one for a club boat though as i would expect one to get a good battering then.

Robin

[Timber]

Anybody have a price on the composite deck?
Does anyone want to swap?

[Dr.John]

With 100% of the boat made of synthetic materials, it's nice to have something that is natural. Besides, the teak functions quite well, and renewing the finish gives you something to do :lol:

[darrel409]

Concur Dr. J, Teak is one of the things that make me feel like i have a "classic" ski boat. Also added teak to the inside recessed section of the gunwales as you step in the boat. Teak will look good for a long, long time.

[Rick-S.]

I like teak. It may be a little more work to keep up, but it's well worth the look.

[sperbet]

go for the teak

[AbunDiga909]

If you want the classic look, like said, go with the Teak. I Also think it depends on your boat color. Like if you have the wineberry or a dark color like that, the teak looks very nice. But if you have a blue or orange or green etc... I don't think the teak would look bad, but the composite would have the modern and new look that your colors do. Thats for looks.

Also, if you are just swimming around you can go with the composite b/c you wont scratch it. But if you have hydrofoils or wakeboard fins on it all the time, the teak won't show scratches where the composite may loose its value quickly if you don't keep the fins on the rubber. Hope that helps...

[SkiMatt]

Teak. But I agree with AbunDiga909, the composite looks better with the neon green and orange colors.

[RAB]

I liked the teak look but then decided on composite as it matches the SANTE style better. 100 hours and no scratches except for one where a ding dong jumped off the platform with the wakeboard and chipped it slightly- I can live with it though.