Warped Teak Swim Platform from 2004 Malibu Response LXI

[lostlake]

Recently Bought 2004 Malibu Response LXI. The TEAK swim platform is warped. Anybody have any Ideas on how to straighten it? Currently I have it underneath my truck tire to attempt to straighten it.  To have one custom built is about $2000, would like to avoid that cost! 

[Bozboat]

photos would help

[Eagleboy99]

You'd have to steam the borads and overset them.  Depending on how bad it is, a replacment might be needed.  Call Tommy Nation at https://teakworldenterprises.com/  They are thte OEM.  IIRC, 800 bucks for a new one assuming your brackets are good.  And even those are replaceable.

[BlindSquirrel]

Yes. Please post a pic of your truck setup. 

[BlindSquirrel]

@Eagleboy99I want to see him running over his platform. 

[justgary]

19 hours ago, BlindSquirrel said:

@Eagleboy99I want to see him running over his platform. 

Or you want to see photos of my truck when I was trying to bend 1/2 x 4" aluminum bar to make my prop cage.  Sadly, I don't recall taking any.  I was surprised at how much the tire sidewall would collapse.  I was surprised at how much the setup also lifted the truck without bending the bar.  I was disappointed that all I could get is a few degrees of bend in the bar.  I later took it to a press stand and easily did the job.

@lostlake, as @Eagleboy99 mentioned above, you can make a lot more progress with heat.  Steam is a common way if you can get enough of it, but another way is to cover the bent part in rags and pour very hot oil over it.  If you can heat the oil in a pot and use a hot fluid pump to circulate it onto your boards and let it drip back into the pot, you would be set up to get the job done.  A ladle will work fine, and is simpler.  A heat lamp above the work will make it go quicker also.  The idea is to bring the wood to a plastic state so that when you set it and let it cool, it will retain that shape.  It will take a while to get the whole thing plastic, so you have to be very patient.  It will bend before it is plastic, but it won't hold the shape when it is cool.  The good thing about using oil is that it will help protect your platform for many years.  I would probably use linseed oil, but any oil will do.

This might all go better if you take the platform apart and address the bend in each individual piece.  In that case, you have more options, and steam bending is one of them.  Find a metal pipe large enough to put the largest board inside, tightly cap the bottom end, and put it over a fire at an angle so that the top end is slightly above the bottom end.  Put water in the pipe and let it boil.  Put a board in, *lightly* cap the open end (so steam can escape), and let the board have at least 30 minutes in the hot tub.  Use gloves to remove the board, then work quickly to set it to shape.  Repeat with all boards.  As mentioned, you may have to experiment a bit to determine the amount of overset you need to get the boards straight since they will tend to spring back just a bit as they cool.  The hotter and longer they soak, the less this will happen.