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Old 07-07-2010, 09:08 PM   #1
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Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

We just discovered on our "new" old CHB a fairly decent sized crack on a teak plank on the flybridge.* Crack is about 6 inches, goes down about the center of the plank.* What course of action should we take?* Do we remove the section with the crack and replace with new teak?* Fill the crack with something?* Any help would be appreciated.

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Old 07-07-2010, 10:32 PM   #2
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Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

There are several things you can do. One is to replace the plank. Expensive, though. Another is to seal the plank.

If the crack is fairly wide you can force a good deck seam sealant down into the crack. The best teak deck seam sealant on the planet right now is TDS, for Teak Decking Systems. It's a one-part sealant that comes in a caulking gun tube. It's available from places like Fisheries Supply in Seattle.

If he crack is very narrow you can carve or route it larger to accept the sealant. Won't look wonderful, a short black line in the middle of one of your planks, but it will be easier and cheaper than replacing the plank.

When dealing with deck seams, either re-seaming them or filling a crack, it's important that the wood be bone dry. The seam or crack must be cleaned out carefully and then the teak seam (or crack) should be wiped clean with acetone to remove the teak's natural oil from the sides of the seam or crack. If the crack is very narrow you may not be able to do this easily but try. Tape the sides of the seam or crack to keep the sealant off the surrounding wood, apply the sealant and force it down into the seam or crack with a putty knife or plastic smoothing blade (I use the little plastic "paddles" the guys in the paint hangars here use to seat the edges of the masking tape they used on the planes). Within a few minutes of leveling the sealant pull the tape. If you don't, it will start to skin over and pulling the tape will start pulling the sealant out of the seam or crack.

TDS takes about a week to cure completely, so don't be walking on it.* When it's cured you can LIGHTLY sand the sealant flush with the plank if it's standing proud a bit.

-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 7th of July 2010 11:33:50 PM
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Old 07-08-2010, 03:13 AM   #3
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Another solution would be a "dutchman" .

This is simply a piece of teak replacing a portion of the damaged plank.

A small split would be routed with a bit of common width 1/4 3/8 1/2 inch and a teak spline glued in. Epoxy would be fine and perhaps invisible.

Any boat repair book will explain a larger dutchman repair if that is required.
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Old 07-08-2010, 07:22 AM   #4
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

You could also use epoxy, you can buy at hardware store in a two part tube for about 10 bucks.* As mentioned make sure the teak is bone dry.*

Doesthe boathaveteak decks? Is the teak coated/protected with something?* Might want to check check/repair deck *further.* Every year a check/repair/seal out teak deck.* Not hard or expensive.****
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Old 07-08-2010, 07:45 AM   #5
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Thank you all for your suggestions. Yep Phil, boat has teck decks, and although they need revarnished, no missing plugs or exposed fastners, so far, have only found this crack. Could one dry out this crack prior to repair by using a hairdryer??
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Old 07-08-2010, 08:35 AM   #6
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Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

The a couple of days/weeks in the sun is best!* I do not do any exterior work until mid august.*

The easiet way to check a teak deck is to wet the deck and let dry in the*sun.**The lasst *lines/areas*to dry*out are ares to inspect.* Most leak are tiny hair lines where the calking has pulled away for the teak.* In the PNW even the tiny crack can/will become a leak after 9 months of rain.* Any if you want addtional information about teak decks let us know.**



-- Edited by Phil Fill on Thursday 8th of July 2010 09:36:18 AM
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Old 07-08-2010, 09:20 AM   #7
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

THis is a wider type crack Phil. I noticed it last weekend whil scrubbing the deck on the flybridge. Probably 1/8 of inch or so.
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Old 07-08-2010, 09:55 AM   #8
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

FF's idea of a dutchman is a good one as the repair will be much less obvious than filling the crack with TDS. It will require more skill to first rout out the crack and then shape a teak strip to exactly fit it, but if you can do it or have it done it should look pretty good.
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Old 07-08-2010, 12:47 PM   #9
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

"Could one dry out this crack prior to repair by using a hairdryer??"

Why? Many epoxies are fine at grabbing even wet wood.
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Old 07-08-2010, 02:31 PM   #10
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Okay...didin't know that; all the other comments indicated to make sure it was good and dry, so I just wondered if a blowdryer would work.
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Old 07-08-2010, 02:38 PM   #11
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Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

You do not want to seal moisture/water in the wood.*Also if the*surround wood is rotten, need to make bigger until there is good wood.*

You could mix some wood saw dust and added some stain/coloring to match in the Epoxy.* Then stain/seal the whole area to match?*

If it does not turn out then take out and try somthing new. A drumel works well for small detail work.

A blow dry would speed upthe drying time.* You might want to invest in a heat gun to remove paint/varnish that has different heat settings.


-- Edited by Phil Fill on Thursday 8th of July 2010 03:41:09 PM
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Old 07-08-2010, 06:01 PM   #12
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Hey Phil,

Thanks, I happen to have a dremmel, actually have two, one for my dog's toenails. I'll pass this on to Ross. Boy are we in hog heaven with this new boat, lots of work, but we're still havin fun.

One more thing. We have some nasty mustardy-yellow algae/moss or whatever thats grown on the flybridge canvas. Its dry and crusty and you can somewhat scrap it off with a fingernail. Is there a better way to remove this stuff from the canvas?
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Old 07-08-2010, 06:55 PM   #13
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Wash the canvas using a fabric softener. You can use a large-load washing machine but if the canvas is old, be prepared for a lot of the stitching to come apart. Good quality fabric, like Sunbrella, lasts an amazingly long time if it's kept clean. Accumulated dirt, mildew, mold, etc. will gradually destroy the fabric itself.

But the main reason fabric covers fail is not the fabric but the thread. The thread rots or deteriortes from UV (or both) and when it lets go the canvas can start beating itself apart.

Some of the Sunbrella covers on our boat were ancient when we bought the boat, particularly the large, two-piece cover for the entire flying bridge. We figured we'd be lucky if it lasted a year or two, given our frequent winter storms that can have gusts up to 70 mph or more. Twelve years later, we're still amazed at its longevity. The fabric, that is. Not the thread.

The only reason we have not had to shell out thousands of dollars for new covers (yet) is because of my wife's dilligence in repairing or replacing any seams that start to come apart. The secret to long-lived seams is the thread and there is only one thread on the planet worth using on boat canvas. That is Tenara from Gore. This stuff is pretty amazing--- impervious to UV, salt, dirt, algae, mold, mildew, heat, cold, chemicals, you name it. It is also amazingly expensive. While you can find it online for lower prices, when we bought the spool that my wife is still using, the lowest price I could find online was about $150 or so. Most places had prices ranging from there up to $300 and more for the same size spool. But it's worth it given the expense of replacing canvas.

So having the seams come apart in the wash is not necessarily a bad thing because it tells you they were about to come apart on their own anyway, and now you can re-sew the seam with Tenara (or whatever you want to use) and greatly extend the life of the cover.

One way to reduce the chances of not having an old seam come apart is to not wash the fabric in a machine. Use a garbage can with whatever detergent and fabric softener you want to use and wash the fabric by hand. Or stir it with a broom handle. Whatever, but it will be less stress on the seams than a machine.

Scraping the accumulated crusty dirt off will most likey result in your weakening the fabric underneath, so better you wash it instead.

There are ways to treat Sunbrella (and I assume other kinds of boat canvas) to minimize the accumulation of new algae and mold and provide a degree of waterproofing to. It involves using at least one additive in the wash as well as 303 fabric protector afterward. My wife has the "formula" and the application process down pat--- she was instructed in it by the local shop where she gets her Sunbrella--- but I don't have a clue what it is. It works really well, however, as on things like the flying bridge surrounds where we were constantly getting green algae or mold growth during the winter we no longer do. I suspect you can find the information on-line. Sunbrella itself may have a recommendation on how to best care for their fabric on their website. It's not a permanent protection, however. Nothing is in the weather a boat lives in. It's something you have to do periodically depending on the climate and weather in your area. More of a problem up here in the PNW, I suspect, than in California.
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Old 07-08-2010, 08:03 PM   #14
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Thank you Marin. I assume your wife must have a HD sewing machine to do these seam repairs. I'll google sunbrella and the thread and see what I find. I had no intention of throwing the canvas in a machine, was simply going to lay it on the dock and scrub it, just wasn't sure with what. I appreciate all the information you've shared.

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Old 07-08-2010, 09:36 PM   #15
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Yes, she came across a Brother industrial sewing machine in one of the marine consignment stores in Seattle. They practically paid her to get it out of there. The machine weighs close to 100 pounds, and the motor weighs another 100 pounds. It's the first sewing machine I've ever seen with its own oil sump.

However she's also had great luck sewing new canvas and repairing our old canvas with her Pfaff machine, which is a household model designed to be able to sew heavier fabrics like jeans and the like. So you don't necessarily need an industrial machine to work on Sunbrella.

What I know about sewing wouldn't fill the head of a pin, but I know that Tenara thread requires a different tension adjustment than "normal" thread, and there are specific needle sizes and types you're supposed to use. This is called out on the Tenara website as well as other places. My wife uses Tenara with no problems on both the Pfaff and the Brother.
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Old 07-10-2010, 06:20 AM   #16
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

west system 105/206 with 405 filler
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Old 07-10-2010, 06:23 AM   #17
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Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Pattie, I like that name better than Rocky.* In the PNW we get moss of the North side of the boat.* I was with regular soap water with a brush to get most off.* The come back with Windex with Vinegar with a brush, that you can buy in most grocery stores and let dry, wipe off with a cloth until no more mold comes off.* Let dry and apply rain/water proofing for cloths you can by at most sporting good store.*

As mentioned West system does have different additives and some are colored that might work.* the color in reealu for fairing so you can see the different layers, but there is a brow one that might come close.* If not the sawdust with stain mich in works also.* If you have questions call me at 425-210-9205.* Love to talk boats.

My project right now is repairing and painting the roof.* Does not leak but its been 5+ years of 9 months a rain.* We are starting to get some nice sunny warm weather so will start stripping the areas that have weathered.* The varnished teak that is covered is in good*shape but still has to have 1 or 2 costs each year.* Better than weeding and mowing the grass.* I have a couple of areas that I have to repair the*mid section of the*rub rail is an every year project.* *

-- Edited by Phil Fill on Saturday 10th of July 2010 07:31:28 AM
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Old 07-10-2010, 09:41 AM   #18
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RE: Repair of a crack in teak plank on flybridge

Another comment on canvas thread. My source for sewing stuff is Sailrite.com . They have the Tenara ( $129/1800 yards) , but I have found their V-92 polyester thread ($13/1000 yards) to be easy to sew with on a home machine, really strong, and UV rated. Probably won't last the same as Tenara but for 1/5 the price... works for me.
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