Teak deck- Vision 42 bulid in 2015

[Conralph]

Hello,
our Teak deck: the joints in the area of ​​the small back boxes become sticky and must be replaced. After five years, that suddenly starts. We have moved the boat from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. Is it due to the higher temperatures and humidities. Has anyone had similar experiences?
Thanks Ralph (Google translator)

[Conralph]

sorry "built in 2015"

[Yngmar]

We have failing deck caulking, but ours is from 2001. It slowly turns sticky bit by bit and makes a horrible mess when you step in it and tread it around. We'll eventually remove the teak deck, as I never wanted one but bought a used boat with it.

With your teak being from only 2015, the teak itself is probably fine and you can re-caulk it. A lot of work and annoying on a such a new boat - would get in touch with the seller or Bavaria and raise a stink first, as that sort of lifespan is not acceptable.

When re-caulking, it's important to use the right product. TDS-SIS 440 is very good, doesn't require primer and the caulking repairs I've done with it are still in good shape after 3 years in the Mediterranean sun. Avoid PU based products such as Sikaflex, they do not last in the harsh conditions and quickly turn chalky.

[Yngmar]

Oh, it is possible that the damage is chemical rather than UV. Ours appeared first in areas where we did laundry on deck and I suspect the detergent helped its demise. But now it's starting to appear everywhere.

Some teak treatment (refreshers, brighteners, cleaners, etc.) products are also notoriously bad for the caulking (and the teak), especially if not rinsed off in the prescribed timeframe or used in hot sun, which the instructions advise against.

[IslandAlchemy]

Ours went sticky. Ended up digging it out and replacing it.

[tckearney]

Just looking at my teak deck (another job)  If I have to replace it would anybody recomend these teak alternatives like DEK king or Sea dek.  They seem to be price for price the same as replacing the with genuine teak

[Kibo]

I don.t have teak decks but I have teak cockpit seats. Boat bought new in Caribbean in 2014. The caulking was sticky like you describe after about 24 months.

So, yes, its the UV in the Med that has caused it for you, it breaks down the polymers used and reduces them to their original building blocks. I think Bavaria cut corners on costs and did not use a good quality UV resistant caulk in this period of production. Older boats have lasted longer as you have seen from other comments.

I used teak oil on my seams and this does seem to help repolymerize (basically turn them back into a rubber from the goo) them and stop the stickiness a little. Ultimately you will have to replace the caulking I'm afraid to say.

Expensive if you get someone else to do it since it is very labour intensive. Tedious and messy if you DIY.

All the above potential for expensive maintenance down the line is why I did not get the teak deck option on my Vision 46. Glad I didn't for a number of reasons.

Good luck