Jumping ship with EcoDeck

Swedish yacht builder Hallberg-Rassy will be o ering yachts with EcoDeck® for the rst time this year. At the beginning of May, the renowned Swedish shipyard announced that there is another option available for the deck now, in addition to teak: EcoDeck® .

EcoDeck® is an alternative for teak of a synthetic material, manufactured by the Dutch company EcoDeck B.V. It mostly has the same properties as teak, but is easier to maintain. Hallberg-Rassy has always been known for quality, so the fact that they are now partly moving away from their beloved teak is a remarkable turn of events. The company describes itself as a ‘hardcore teak fan’ and, until now, did not o er an alternative deck material. So why are the Swedes opting for a di erent option now, made from polyurethane resin?

EcoDeck®

Besides the fact that the current price of teak has risen to around EUR 30,000 per m3 and that it is very di cult to aqcuire, there has been increasing interest in a more environmentally-friendly alternative in the recent years. Nowadays, people are thinking more about sustainability.

What exactly is EcoDeck®? Erik Apeldoorn, Director at EcoDeck B.V. passionate sailor, explains that EcoDeck® developed this product nine years ago as a synthetic replacement for teak. MrApeldoorn shares, “The properties of

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EcoDeck® are very close to teak, but it has a longer lifespan. It is non-slip, UV- and heatresistant, and can be machined like wood. It can also be supplied in plate and cast form, which makes it also suitable for use in handrails for example. This is how EcoDeck® distinguishes itself from the competition.” From 1 May, EcoDeck® will be o ered as standard ship equipment for Hallberg-Rassy sailing yachts. “We are proud that we can now manufacture and supply decks for the high-quality HallbergRassy sailing yachts”, says Mr Apeldoorn.

All photos courtesy of M-EcoDeck.

Deforestation

EcoDeck B.V. has noticed an increasing interest from the market. Some yards, such as Vitters Shipyard, now also use Iroko. Iroko comes from the Milicia regia tree of West Africa and is also known as the African teak. Teak trade has created a deforestation area the size of Belgium in Myanmar in the recent years. Teak is also harvested in Indonesia. Even though teak wood is certi ed, the EU-Commission has indicated that the import cannot comply with European timber regulations because it o en involves illegal logging and corrupt trade. Smuggling routes via Croatia and >>

Using another type of wood, such as Iroko, now seems a good option because there is still a lot of it.

Italy are o en used where controls are less strict to import the precious wood.

Problem shi ing?

Using another type of wood, such as Iroko, now seems a good option because there is still a lot of it. However, this hardwood comes from tropical West Africa. Whether this will later cause the same problems as with the teak industry remains to be seen. EcoDeck®, on the other hand, is not ‘natural’ but is produced in the Netherlands and can be recycled into other products. Hallberg-Rassy is not the rst yacht builder to (partially) switch to EcoDeck®. A synthetic replacement for teak has been available since the 1990s and is regularly used on both existing and new boats.

i. m-ecodeck.com