Tue, 03 Feb 2026

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 The yachting industry searches for alternatives to teak

Prized for its beauty, teak is in short supply, forcing the yacht industry to look for alternatives.

* Jeff Bezos's superyacht Koru, worth $500m, uses teak in its interior and decking.
* Teak is a dense, heavy tropical hardwood prized for its rot and salt resistance, beauty, and status symbol value.
* However, high-quality teak comes from old-growth trees almost exclusively harvested in Myanmar, which is currently under trade sanctions.
* The use of Myanmar teak by luxury yacht makers Oceanco and Sunseeker has led to fines in the Netherlands and UK, respectively.
* Both companies claim their breaches were unintentional due to a lapse in due diligence or difficulty sourcing high-quality plantation teak.
* Luxury yacht maker Sunreef Yachts has transitioned away from teak decking altogether, citing sustainability concerns and difficulties sourcing quality plantation teak.
* Some alternatives to teak include thermally-modified woods (such as Tesumo), fully synthetic materials, and engineered teak laminates.
* These alternatives are gaining traction in the yacht industry due to a combination of factors, including: + Exhaustion of pre-sanctions stockpiles of old-growth timber + Increased scrutiny of supply chains and sustainability concerns + Growing demand for eco-friendly and high-performance materials.
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