WARNING! Sub-standard Copies
BEWARE OF FAULTY CORK DECKING !
We have some badly agglomerated cork decking on the market which is giving the yachting cork decking sector a bad image and a bad name. This is very bad for all of us.
Inasmuch as this is not acceptable we welcome new good cork decking products as this enriches the offer to the end-user and everybody benefits. So this is not an incrimination of healthy good competition, but we feel we have to alert the public and the shipyards to bad copies of our product. Beware of cheap copies of cork decking, always double-check technical specs against ours. You are welcome to call us if you need to verify with our latest workshop tests and Scientific Analysis carried out by the Materials Testing Laboatory in Bremen, Germany (Testing Amorim's ACM 94 vs our Aegir Cork Group's Seacork®Deck).
This is a reminder that Seacork®Deck has verifiably the highest pure cork content ratio to binders on the market and has the best agglomeration possible (highest pressure for optimum binder content). The proven reliability of Seacork®Deck has made it the prime choice of navigators worldwide for over 18 years.
Note:
It is great to look at credible alternatives to teak and PVC decking. As you know we have been making and fitting high quality natural cork decks on yachts for over 18 years, in all seas and all oceans, on all boats, small RIBs to Superyachts. Our customers are unequivocal: they will not go back to teak or PVC under any circumstances.
PVC accumulates heat, stains with oils and still slips underwater. It is very polluting. It is now established that if we continue current trends, by 2050, there will be more plastic (incl. PVC) in the oceans than fish! Hardly a marine world we want our children to inherit! A PVC plastic deck on a yacht is simply absurd (they are many brands on the market, all are PVC products).
Yet another credible alternative is MarineDeck from the Nederlands. This is made of 95% polyurethane and 5% powder of cork, only enough to colour the poyurethane. It is extra gritty and hard but durable. Not eco-friendly either.
We propose a natural cork agglomerate which behaves exactly like what it is made of: natural cork, only 5% binder. The recipe invented by Dominique Radier takes advantage of two functions: granulate size differenctiation and agglomeration under very high pressure. The real properties of cork are totally present in Seacork®Deck.
The world's major cork producer Amorim (from whom we obtain our raw material) is the world's undisputed best, harvesting from countries around the western mediterrean region, chiefly Portugal, Spain, Marocco, Algeria...
Amorim produces a similar agglomerate but for indoor use only. It does not resist ocean conditions because it is binded with no pressure and a lot of binder (more than half the total content - because only one size small granulates are used and you need to glue them much more. You will see that the product is uniform grey and does not look like Champagne Tops as Seacork®Deck does.
This product has found its way into the German and Italian yacht decking markets as resellers like Marine Kork Germany and Marine Cork Italy. Some of our clients have found themselves in a predicament with this product, needing to undo fitted decks and replace with Seacork®Deck at own their cost (with no reimbursement from the company).
As mentionned, the latest scientific analysis carried out by a reputed Materials Laboratory in Bremen, Germany is clear: Amorim ACM 94 is not suitable for Yacht decking purposes as it soaks up, leaks and desintegrates under oceanic conditions. The study is avalable upon pro registration (Log In)and email request(in German).
The shipyards using Marine Kork have switched to Seacork. The company Marine Kork is now bankrupt. Marine Cork Italy still sells Amorim 94 in Italy and as the owner wrote: we do not care if Seacork®Deck is stronger and better, because the italian market does not like the natural 'cork' look of Seacork®Deck. This was his argument, simply astonishing! At AGC/LiegeMarinen we beleive that the customer has a real choice between the original high quality product and a sub-standard copy? This is the object of this note which can be given to you in French, in German and in Italian.