Nuteak is a versatile material with multiple color choices and many design options, this leaves you as the boat owner with a few decisions to make.
We like to categorize designs into 3 main categories to make these decisions easier.
1. No margins
Fairly self explanatory a no margin design will have no margins, with clean lines going from bow to stern. This is usually the most cost effective design and delivers the same high quality, non-slip surface that you would get from any Nuteak deck.
2. Part-margin or semi-margin designs
Part margin designs offer a lot of freedom as the margins can be placed wherever they look best on your boat, the number of margins is limited to the outer edge of the deck and on top of hatch lids. If you want the detail of having margins outlining the edges of your deck but not emphasizing your hatches, the part margin design is the right choice for you.
3. Fully-margined
A fully margined deck has margins around all of the edges of each panel, including on top of hatch lids, around hatch lids and around fittings. This creates a very luxurious look on larger boats but can make smaller boats look quite busy. In most cases this is the most expensive design option as it requires the most labor to fabricate.
The best design and color for your boat will depend on a few factors such as practicality and personal taste. If your aim is to uphold the resale value of your boat you should probably choose the most popular color (Teak/Black) (link to colors page) and a design that emphasizes the boats strong points, in order to appeal to the most buyers. If your boat is your pride and joy, you have already given it countless hours of love and attention, and it will never leave your family, then choose a color and design that suits your boat and your personality.
You can use margins to create the look and feel that you want. An incredibly busy deck with a lot of margins in a small space will look great on a speed boat or a luxury sports fisher, but will feel out of place on a leisure vessel. Margins emphasize whatever they frame, so make sure to have margins around all of your favorite fittings, and avoid placing margins around things you would rather hide like drain holes. If you want your hatches to be as discreet as possible then don’t add margins on or around them, If you are particularly proud of your hatches and want them to stand out then by all means frame them with margins.
Sports boats are designed to blow your hair back, impress your friends, or bring home some big fish, so a busy fully margined deck adds excitement to the look and feel of your boat. Leisure boats on the other hand strive to create a spacious and luxurious appearance. However, in most cases there is not that much space to work with. By framing the outer edges of your deck and leaving your hatches as discreet as possible you will make the area feel larger. If you have a lot of space to work with and you are not worried about making the area feel cramped, then add margins on top of your hatches to provide some luxury detail to the look.
When restoring a classic, Nuteak is a popular choice. Nuteak is the most realistic synthetic teak available and thus can be used to recreate designs similar to that of most original teak decks. Professionally built real teak decks will often have joggles. Joggles are necessary when building a timber deck because they prevent sharp edges that create weak points in the deck. With synthetic teak however joggles are not necessary, but if you particularly like the joggles you can speak to your deck fabricator about adding them to your deck. A thick teak or bull-nose look is associated with high end luxury teak decks and is also achievable with Nuteak. By welding the Nuteak to descend over the edges of steps and swim platforms we can create the illusion of a thick piece of teak without the added weight. These are labor intensive to fabricate and it will add to the cost of your deck, but the result is stunning.
All 3 basic design categories will leave you with a beautiful, traditionally nautical look. A well thought out design will have your boat looking better than ever, and it may even prove to be a more cost effective way to achieve the look you want. If you like to stand out and break away from tradition a modern Nautical look can also be achieved by using Nuteaks King plank. King plank allows you to fabricate the deck or areas of the deck without lines. This adds a whole new world of possibilities to an already versatile product.
If you have particular preferences on where your margins should be placed, you can clearly mark these on your template. Keep in mind that this will affect the price, so be sure to discuss it with your installer/fabricator before getting your quote.
Nuteak does have a design consultant that can help you visualize and come up with a design that is tailored to your vessel and your taste. Contact us for more information.
