I remember my dad building the ultimate deck on the back of our house in the summer of 1973. He bought clear redwood, which must’ve cost a king’s ransom even back then. Then he built a long trough in which he soaked all the wood in penta. I helped dig the footings that had to be a full 4 feet deep (code plus 6 inches for good measure). I remember standing in a hole up to my chin hearing him tell me how someday my kids will be playing on this deck and we were going to build it to last forever. We finished the deck that fall, it was a very proud moment. To make a very long story short, dad started having health problems shortly after and died of liver cancer in 1979. (No, he never indulged in alcohol). Was it the penta? Who knows. Mom sold the house a few years later and I hear from people in the old neighborhood that the new owner painted our deck that bright red color so popular on cheap patio furniture.
Sometimes when I’m working on my boat I start thinking about whether my grandchildren will ever paddle it and whether this will be my enduring legacy. Then I think about our deck and realize that the legacy isn’t in the lumber – it’s in the relationships forged while working and playing together.
The moral of this long winded, OT story? Stay away from penta and spend less time building and more time paddling – preferably with your kids.

Jim