Iroko Teak Swim Platform On Early 07 20V

[Guest]

I found out in another thread yesterday that Tigé was using Iroko Wood which sometimes has been referred to as African Teak for Swim platform for years and going through to production in 2006. My 07 20V was built in 06 so there is a chance it is Iroko Wood / African Teak.

Depending on varying opinions some say Tigé was aware that the Iroko wood isn't teak and others say Tigé was duped.

I am only concerned at what are the negatives with this so called African Teak. I have heard it warps and cracks but does it also fail in other ways? Can it be made to look as nice as Dogberts real Teak platform? Mine looks like Sh_t. It is dark and rough to the touch.

Has anybody had any success with Tigé replacing the African Teak Platform with a fiberglass one? I am trying to find out ASAP since I am still planning on getting a new FAE and install it before my August trip to Table Rock Lake and they have different ones for Teak versus Fiberglass and a two week lead time.

[Carter13]

Lab,

I looked into having Tige replace with a fiberglass one and pretty much was told "Aint Happening." That was before they had layoffs so I would say you don't have a chance at all for a full replacement at their expense. I even said I would pay the difference.
It is unfortunate you ordered yours with the crappy deck, and to replace with a fiberglass is a lot of $ out of pocket.

[Guest]

Lab,

I looked into having Tige replace with a fiberglass one and pretty much was told "Aint Happening." That was before they had layoffs so I would say you don't have a chance at all for a full replacement at their expense. I even said I would pay the difference.
It is unfortunate you ordered yours with the crappy deck, and to replace with a fiberglass is a lot of $ out of pocket.

Well I can only try and raise hell if Tigé is not Pro customer IMO. I bought the boat off the floor last Oct/November because we liked the color scheme and the 20V features it came equiped with for the money we negotiated to.

Heck how was I to know the platform was a piece of s_it. I didn't order teak it just was there and since advertising and web site said teak I had no reason to doubt teak. I did not actually see the platform until our intro test ride and commented on how bad it looked. I thought they just did a bad job oiling it.


Definition of Irocko Wood from Encyclopedia Brtanica.

wood of the iroko tree (Chlorophora excelsa), native to the west coast of Africa. It is sometimes called African, or Nigerian, teak, but the iroko is unrelated to the teak family. The wood is tough, dense, and very durable. It is often used in cabinetmaking and paneling as a substitute for teak, which it resembles both in colour (light brown to deep golden-brown) and in grain.

[xpjim1]

Sounds to me you do not know what you have. Yet you want something diferrent. Since you have not had any issues with it, I doubt Tige will replace it. Just my 2 cents worth

[Guest]

xpjim1 I think you are trying to tell me I have a teak platform and not the Iroko wood platform. The dates of the Iroko wood platforms production dates coincide with when my boat was built. My issue is I expected teak not a teak substitute for my swim platform. In a email I wrote to Tige I stated my position and indicated I would pay the difference for the fiberglass vs. a real teak platform at cost. Other than a bad finish my Iroko platform looks sort of like teak but I do not want to have to deal with longer term issues like cracking, warping and checking. It never hurts to ask for what was specified for the boat. And as the Encyclopedia Britannica states this Iroko wood is not part of the teak family of wood and it has been used as fake teak.

My question to you is if you bought some thing and an appearance item was not per the specs and you were not told would you live with the un-disclosed replacement or would you want what was specified on the order?

[xpjim1]

What I am saying is you do not know 100% if your platform is Teak or Iroko. I would find that out. The same variety of wood will have diferrent shadings and grain. Just because you say you platform is dark does not mean it is not Teak.
You stated "Heck how was I to know the platform was a piece of s_it." and "Other than a bad finish my Iroko platform looks sort of like teak but I do not want to have to deal with longer term issues like cracking, warping and checking."
You are making factual statements when nothing is wrong with your platform and you do not know what wood was used on your platform.

[Guest]

What I am saying is you do not know 100% if your platform is Teak or Iroko. I would find that out. The same variety of wood will have diferrent shadings and grain. Just because you say you platform is dark does not mean it is not Teak.
You stated "Heck how was I to know the platform was a piece of s_it." and "Other than a bad finish my Iroko platform looks sort of like teak but I do not want to have to deal with longer term issues like cracking, warping and checking."
You are making factual statements when nothing is wrong with your platform and you do not know what wood was used on your platform.

Well unfortunatly I don't have access to the build sheets and that is why I wrote to my dealer a polite letter asking them to look into it. Iroko wood has a very open grain. That matches. Iroko wood was used throuout all 2006 production , that matches. Other wood characteristics also exist. We will let the production dates tell us and go from there. I am not trying to get something for nothing but if it turns out not to be Teak then I would hope Tige does do the right thing even if I have to pay the difference at dealer cost

[dogbert]

If it's not warping, then I wouldn't worry about it. Mine begins to look bad after being in the two lakes we ride in. There's a lot of minerals in that water and it all seems to be absorbed by my platform.

Right now, mine looks very dark. I occasionally put a little more teak oil on it, but I know that I have to do the old 3 step treatment again here in a little while. It's always been this way and probably always will be.

I'm with xpjim1 on this. If you don't know what you have, then there might not be a problem. Try using one of those 2 step cleaners similar to the one I reviewed in my thread. You'd be amazed how good it makes the platform look.

BTW, teak is a pain in the butt to keep clean. I had teak as trim on my last boat and I was forever having to clean it and maintain it. We didn't have a fiberglass platform option back in '99, but I might have thought about it if there was. That said, overall, I'd say the teak platform does hold up pretty well.

If there is a problem with your platform, then I'd take it back to the dealer and work out a solution.

[Carter13]

The color of my platforms was never a problem because I oiled it often. The problem with both of my platforms were shrinking and separating at the glued areas. Two platforms in one year did the exact thing and I expect Lab's will also. Keep us posted as to how it holds up.

[Guest]

The color of my platforms was never a problem because I oiled it often. The problem with both of my platforms were shrinking and separating at the glued areas. Two platforms in one year did the exact thing and I expect Lab's will also. Keep us posted as to how it holds up.

Carter13 was your platform in the water a lot or was the boat put in dry storage every weekend. Also how did you find out yours was not teak but Iroko wood?

thanks

[Guest]

If there is a problem with your platform, then I'd take it back to the dealer and work out a solution.

I view it in a slightly different light. First I am asking my dealer to determine by production dates is mine teak or Iroko wood. If it is Iroko wood I will want it replaced irregardless if it has failed or not. If it is replaced I wil try to work with them to upgrade me to fiberglass and I pick up the wholesale difference.

I bought Teak not Iroko wood!

If Tige works with me that would be great. If they state it is teak then I will have to live with it or pay dealer cost or full retail on fiberglass. That decision has not been made.

Don't get your shorts all in a knot. I have politely sent info to sales people involved in deal and also the service manager.

[Guest]

As soon as the weather clears a bit I will move the boat out of the garage a bit so I can look at the bottom of the platform to find out if I can see who the manufacturer of the teak and the platform is/was.

I would think it was a safe bet if the manufacturer matches the Iroko vendor then irregardless of any damage I could be fairly certain that I would be entitled to a real teak platform implied by the sales agreement and supported by the 2007 literature. If Tige stepped up and allowed me to purchase fiberglass for the difference in wholesale price I would pick up the price.

I only want what was advertised and what I paid for!

[Jason B]

I can kind of understand. You thought it had a teak deck when you bought it and the dealer probably said it was teak. Realistically, you should get what you bought--in fact it's the law.
On the flip side, if you haven't had any trouble with it why bother? Iroko wood, from my undersatnding, is the same from a performance standpoint. It's still a beautiful hard wood that works well in marine applications.
Calling it a POS isn't really right if nothing is wrong with it, it's not a "POS" it's just not what you thought you were buying.

just my take

[xpjim1]

I wouldn't hold my breath on the literature part as there is always some disclaimer specifications subject to change. If its on your sales contract, that would be the best. You left out the part in the your earlier posts that you asked what wood platform is on your boat. Thats all I was telling you to do before calling your platform a POS



Good Luck

[Carter13]

Lab,
The longest I had it in the water was at Shasta for five days. It was in our garage except for the few camping trips we did each year. I found out it wasn't teak here on this site.