Fantastic Plastic! PlasTEAK Swim Platforms are Featured in Power & Motoryacht Magazine
Read about “Fantastic Plastic” PlasTEAK swim platforms in the March 2014 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. The article is “How to Make the Most of Your Swim Platform” and you can find it in the Maintenance section. In this article, boat writer Mike Smith compares swim platforms made out of different materials including teak, fiberglass, and recycled plastic. Here’s the section of the article about PlasTEAK swim platforms:
“When teak is lovingly cared for, you can’t beat it for looks, but whatever you start doing, you have to keep doing: Varnish it and you’re soon facing the tyranny of the brush; use teak oil and you’ll be recoating it regularly. Leave the wood bare and all you have to do is deck-brush during every washdown, but it won’t have that teaky golden glow. Whatever path you follow, slack off on upkeep and your teak will soon look mangy.
“But there’s no such worry if you install a “synthetic teak” platform, the choice of many skippers who’d rather go boating than swing a brush. Synthetic, or faux, teak—in other words, plastic molded and colored to look like teak—is long-lasting, keeps its teak-like appearance, and is virtually maintenance-free. Synthetic teak is becoming popular for decking as well as platforms, since, while it may not look quite as “yachty” as real teak, it looks a lot better than teak that’s not been kept up. Moreover, it provides excellent footing when dry and the traction gets better when the surface is wet. And, if you’re not afraid of being a little unorthodox, synthetic teak doesn’t even have to look like teak at all: It comes in different colors and can look like painted wood or, let’s be honest, textured plastic.
“PlasTEAK (www.plasteak.com) is a family-owned company in Akron, Ohio, that sells synthetic teak products made from recycled high-density polyethylene, mostly used milk bottles. Founded in 1995 when company president William Gribble used plastic lumber from lawn furniture to build a swim platform for his boat, PlasTEAK manufactures not only platforms, but also exterior and interior decking, bow pulpits, handrails, hatch covers, and other marine accessories. Their synthetic teak comes in white, black, and off-white as well as teak, and the company will mix colors if you want a zebra-striped platform. Because both the color and UV filters are added during molding, PlasTEAK never fades, and never needs attention other than a little soap and water. It resists gasoline, oil, solvents, seagull droppings, almost anything—hey, it’s plastic! It’ll outlive all of us.”
Click here to visit Power & Motor Yacht Magazine and read the full article.