Teak is not chep: $930 for a platform

[OKSurf]

For some reason the previous owner put a real cheap platform made out of pine. Yes Pine. Needless to say it didn’t look good or have any support. So I went to the local hardwood dealer to get some teak. WOW it’s not cheap. $38 a board foot for a total of $930 just for the wood. So I looked at other options. I contacted a friend that has a wood shop and this is what we came up with. We made it out of Fur and then put a Sikkines oil on it. If it only last one summer, that’s ok because it didn’t cost a lot and it looks good.
Here are a few pics of before and after:

[ckracing]

Looks good. If you want a very durable, water friendly, moderately priced wood take a look at Sapele.

[CornRickey]

Marantee is another option and it's a lot darker. Occasionally you can find odd teak on Craigslist. $38 a board foot doesn't sound too bad since it's 12x12x1 and you rip it to 3/4 and double the edge. You could probably get away with about 10 to 12 board feet.

[OKSurf]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. This one will do over the summer then the winter I will do a hardwood of some sort. I notice that the factory brackets are out 1.25" from one side to the other so I will fix those up at the same time.

[jzelt]

Maybe take a router/jig saw when you are going to scrap it and cut some holes to grab onto to see if it is easier to get out of the water with? See if it affects the spray etc.
That is why I like the bar around our swim platform.
Cut some circles for beverage holder?

[Ptownkid]

A popular alternative to teak is mahogany.