Replacing teak decks
Never buy a boat with a blue hull or teak decks!’ This piece of received wisdom was ringing in our ears as we contemplated buying Maunie of Ardwall, a 12-year-old Vancouver 38 Pilot, back in 2009.
Poor Maunie, she was a neglected and sorry-looking boat, having languished on an Irish mooring for a couple of years following the death of her first owner. Her filthy, grey teak decks, with their overlay of green mould, and her faded and abraded blue topsides did nothing to enthuse us as we first looked at her.
Our current boat was a 34 Pilot, younger and beautiful, with Treadmaster decks and a very shiny cream hull. Were we really going to move from such a fine yacht to take on a major restoration project?
The thing was, we really fancied the 38 for her additional space and pace and, with only 13 built, there really wasn’t much choice. We had some serious blue-water sailing in mind and, despite the layers of filth, mould and the pervading smell of dampness below decks, it was clear that Maunie came with lots of useful kit (plus quite a lot fit only for the skip) and her appearance was putting off other potential buyers. The broker was beginning to despair that she’d ever leave his books, so he conveyed our very cheeky offer to the late-owner’s family with a recommendation along the lines of, “This is probably the best offer you’ll get.” A few days later the deal was done.
