The dirty truth about teak

Teak is beloved by boat owners and shipyards for decking and yacht building, but any claims that it is sustainably or even legally sourced are questionable, says Jessie Rogers

- Jessie Rogers

With each passing year it seems that reality becomes more and more subjective. And so it proves when researching the provenance of teak; some companies claim to have access to certified legal Myanmar ‘eco’ teak whilst other ‘experts’ insist there can be no such thing, and the recent military coup in Myanmar is unlikely to have improved the situation at all.

Our use of teak has long been a source of concern to us running a boat yard which sees uncomfortable quantities of this beautiful wood passing through our doors. Back in 2010, when we started to get involved with running the family business, we were on a mission to stop using Myanmar or ‘Burma’ teak. Regardless of legality, it was clear that the industry’s appetite for this versatile wood was playing a big part in devastating habitats and being used in a way that was not sustainable.

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?

We tried to find alternatives and had some success with a modified maple called Kebony, which we used on our ‘eco’ Contessa 32 Calypso. But Kebony is not as versatile as teak, its extreme harness makes it more difficult to work and not as easy to bend round corners. We tried to source recycled teak with sporadic success and plantation teak just didn’t come up to scratch on quality and so, in the intervening years, old growth teak found its ways back through the door as we joined the ranks of customers who accepted vague assurances from a timber supplier that the teak they were dealing with was ‘sustainable’. I started investigating to see if I could get to the truth behind these assurances.