Also in the eighties, I served in the Royal Netherlands Navy and one of my assignments was on a 40's wooden minesweeper. These ships were built using TRUE mahogany ( Swietenia mahagonii ) for the hull, and REAL teak ( Tectona grandis ) as decking. These were seagoing vessels, and although the mahogany hull was protected from the outside with a decent coat of paint ( Brink-Molyn color 21M - i did my part putting it on... ) The inside was more or less bare, to help the wood respirate. Ofcourse there was always water in the bilge, mixed with all kinds of oils in the engine room.
The teak deck was bare, with 1/4" rubberized seams. All that was used for maintenance was seawater, and sisal brushes to scrub it. On longer trips, now and then a little "sanding" with pumice was performed, to make it look neat in foreign harbours. Most of these vessels are still seaworthy - they're "conserved" by a rather elaborate process on the inside to protect the metal parts, followed by dehydrating the inner air and completely sealing the inside from the atmosphere. The deck however, is left bare. No problem, and the hulls are still in great condition as well.
These decks however, are old growth teak - you won't be able to buy that in another form than reclaimed lumber. Same goes for the mahogany hull.
When you make sure the grid is raised from the floor just a bit, you'll get by without a finish - and it will be slip-proof. Actually that was the reason to leave the teak decking bare: it's great for anti-slip. Great grip with bare feet, and that's nice for showers as well.
Nowadays, old growth teak is just short of impossible to come by, and regulations prescribe safety footwear. Enter steel decking and anti-slip coats with embedded quartz sand.... Too bad for sailors, but a good development for the tropical forest.
Regards,
Job
