EP52 – What If Your Teak Is Failing?

Episode Overview

We knew the teak on Roam wasn’t great. What we didn’t know—until we really started pulling at the thread—was that it was already past the point where a cosmetic fix made sense.

This episode is the why behind the deck work that follows later in EP58. Before paint, primer, or finish could even be considered, we had to face the reality of failing teak and make a call that would shape the rest of the refit.

📺 Watch Episode 52 👉

The Original Plan: Buy Some Time

Our hope was simple:

• Clean the teak
• Tidy it up visually
• Push the “real” solution down the road until we had more time and budget

It’s a common approach—and one we fully expected to work.

What We Actually Found

Once we started inspecting and removing sections, the truth showed itself fast:

• Teak worn dangerously thin from years of sanding
• Fasteners too close to the surface—or already exposed
• Evidence of water intrusion below the teak
• No meaningful margin left for another “light” refinish

At that point, continuing would have been irresponsible.

The Decision: Stop, Strip, Prepare

Instead of forcing a temporary fix, we made the harder call:

• Remove the failing teak entirely
• Expose what was underneath
• Start thinking in terms of substrate prep, not surface cosmetics

This wasn’t dramatic progress—but it was necessary progress.

That decision directly leads into EP58, where you see the next phase: fiberglass repair, fairing, priming, and ultimately getting the deck ready for paint—until winter weather shut us down.

👉 If you haven’t watched it yet, EP58 picks up where this work leaves off.

Why This Step Matters

EP52 isn’t about a finished result—it’s about avoiding a future failure.

By stopping when we did, we:

• Prevented trapping moisture under new finishes
• Avoided wasting time and money on a deck that couldn’t be saved
• Created the foundation for the deck prep and paint work that follows

Sometimes the right move is pulling something apart so it can be rebuilt properly.

In This Episode

• Inspecting aging teak decking
• Discovering structural—not cosmetic—failure
• Understanding when teak is beyond saving
• Removing teak to protect the deck below
• Preparing for fiberglass and paint work later shown in EP58

What Comes Next

With the teak removed and the deck exposed, the real preparation work begins. In EP58, we pick up the story with fiberglass repairs, fairing, and priming—only to be stopped short by winter temperatures before paint can go down.