Teak Deck Caulking

[LostConch]

does anyone know of an inexpensive alternative to the caulking West Marine uses for teak decks.

[jrhjr]

People spend countless hours engineering, developing and testing specialty products like these.
What (I think) you're looking for is being handed to you, Marine Grade caulk that will stick to teak and hold up reasonably well (not an easy task!)
This stuff has to have all kinds of properties well beyond bathroom or general purpose products, high durometer (caulkspeak for tough), workability, good tensile adhesion, etc., etc., etc.

Well, if you can find a commercial caulker, try to get him to sell you this (use a primer)

Tremco Vulkem 45-SSL

Vulkem 45 SSL - Tremco Commercial Sealants & Weatherproofing

Or, you could just buy the stuff made for what you're trying to do!

[cgBosun3]

When the Coast Guard recaulked the miles(yes, miles) of teak deck seams on the Eagle, 237 foot square rigger, we used the black polysulphide. It looks great and lasts for years on heavier use that yours will see. Its a bear to take up, though!!

[LostConch]

cgBosun3,
The Eagle is a beautiful boat. I had the opportunity to watch the Eagle come up over the horizon and sail down on us. We were fishing one of the canyons East of New Jersey, don't remember which one and the Eagle was on a training cruise, we had the pleasure of hosting a boarding party doing a training exercise with some of the recruits. Some of them promptly got seasick as soon as they set foot on our little boat

While I don't have miles of teak decking seams, I figure I have roughly a 1000 feet, so a few dollars a tube makes a big difference to me. Jamestown Distributors has many options in the $10-12.00 per tube range, rather than that $18-19.00 at West Marine.