More deck talk

Im working on the decks right now removing the black adheasive. I've got a moister meture onboard and some spots show wetness. So I took the skillsawto the deck to remover the top layer of glass .125 thick. I found small square blocks of teak plywood. The wood is slightly wet but not mushy by any means. It's hard.. I did the screwdriver test. So what has happined is the top layer of glass has come undone from the core which give a squishy feeling. So now comes the point.. What is the best way to fix this? Should I just heavy wolven mat or dry out the core if so how?? I understand either way I need to add glass to cover the screw holes. My core is solid just wet ontop and
im sure on bottom too. Thanks for all the advise.




-- Edited by albin43 on Thursday 18th of March 2010 06:27:32 AM

-- Edited by albin43 on Thursday 18th of March 2010 01:26:49 PM

Acetone will help get some of the moisture out.

Albin 43 -
Can you post some pictures of what you are running into? I have the same issue on a couple spots on my decks. They are where rain puddles up and doesn't drain off very well.
I'd like to see what you are seeing so I have an idea of what to expect when I open up my decks. In researching what the best method for repair is over the past few years, I have not found any definitive solution. It would seem prudent, though, that if you have removed the top skin, you might as well replace the core with a non-wood material.

the core is in good shape. i removed the top skin in a area i thought was bad. turns out it isnt as bad as i thought

Not an easy task or solution. Is this in sections or pretty much all over? In the past we have drilled strategic holes in the deck and used continuous duty vacuum pumps to pull the moisture out. Then when it was reasonably dry we injected acetone to assist the drying. When satisfied it was dry we injected the areas with epoxy being careful not to inject too much at one time because of the heat generated. This is a bit over simplified, but the general process. If on the other hand the entire decks have delaminated from the core, it is a different issue. Chuck

Hiya,
** Mr. 43.* It's good that your core material is OK but my concern would be how to dry it out.* Acetone as Mr.*Fotoman suggested would aid in drying as would rubbing alcohol but what about underneath the coring and adjacent areas?* Would it be enough to allow drying then re-glass the existing core given that you will have eliminated the possibility of more water ingress (no more screws) or are you encapsulating a timb bomb, of sorts?
***My thought would be, let it dry out to the best of your ability then glass over what you've got.* You say your coring is teak and in*good shape.* Teak is very rot resistant and replacing*with another material may not be cost or labor effective.* Heck, if*this fix doesn't work, you can always do it again in 10 years or so.* I don't think the boat will fall apart on you.
** We all want our boats to be in "like new" condition but the bottom line is-reliable, safe, comfortable and something to be proud of however many blemishes she may have.* My boat needs paint something fierce but she doesn't leak and I can take her anywhere.* I'm on the water, I don't care BUT the paint thread on this site HAS given me food for thought...hmmmm....maybe this summer???
**

ive talked to my buddys at the boat yard and they suggest that i skillsaw a line up the center of the decks.. peal open a tad bit and block it to let the core dry out. (the boat is shrinkwraped in white) once the core is dry inject some west system and weight down the top layer of existing glass. once cured im going to add one layer of 15oz biaxial cloth and use the 4'' biaxial tape to go 2 inches up the cabin. then the decks will be watertight and dry and much stronger then original. in my opinion the teak didnt add any strength to the vessel using number 8 screws to hold down 3/8 teak planking and some ****ty adhesive doesnt add up to strenth. the strength is in the core and the two layers (top and bottom) of the 1/8 inch glass inwhich the teak was layed on. maybe in other boats the teak was structrual but not here.

ill keep you updated. thanks for the help

albin, If you are going to do this, think circulation. If you open it up, don't just let it sit. Get some fans in there and leave them on and get the air moving. Even if you have to go to Home Depot and buy a half dozen $19.00 box fans. It will help. Chuck

I've only ever used west. I buy it wholesale so the price isn't too bad. I tell ya these decks are kicking my ass I work 7am-5pm the on the decks from 7pm-12am

I like to use Mas epoxies, they don't cook in the pot like West.

43, was your '88-built boat built in China? Not sure if that (cheap?) square-cut plywood is used around the world, but I found the same stuff in my flybridge deck when I had ingress issues last year... and I saw Albins being built alongside my*Halvo when I visited the yard (Polymarine)*in China in 2006/07.

In my case ingressed rain water would collect in the flybridge deck aft overhang and eventually exit through the lightfitting beneath. After 18 months of ownership, a small patch of flybridge decking became soft under foot. We did a cut and replace job as per the attached photos.

Was all very disappointing because we couldn't pinpoint the source of ingress. All is well now, so I assume the guy who laid the Flexiteek had been overly enthusiastic in grinding away the original non-slip surface and perhaps left a little hole which was then covered by the Flexiteek. I now have white non-skid paint on the FB deck.


-- Edited by boogiediver on Friday 19th of March 2010 12:26:34 AM

This looks like a cored deck , not just a sheet of house ply with a layer or two of glass shmeered over.

To that you will need to create a bond to the core, as it actually works to create stiffness.

Again Only epoxy would be the choice , however even if you do get it pretty dry there will still be moisture left inside.

When laying up the new deck use alcohol (5%) mixed in the first layer and an extra 5% hardner to assist its cure.

The Alcohol will go after the water (secret of Git Rot) and help the bond become deeper and* stronger.
Again sanding what you will be bonding to CLEAN! is a must.



-- Edited by FF on Friday 19th of March 2010 04:05:36 AM

Boogiediver. Mine was built in tiawan in 81.

-- Edited by albin43 on Friday 19th of March 2010 06:14:41 AM

i removed some of the core. about 1 out of 10 blocks are rotten in JUST this section.
here are some more photos

Albin 43,
** OMG!!!!** Well,*I guess you're commited now, at least for a small section.* Love the BFH.* "You're a better man than I, Gunga Din".

Thanks for the play-by-play there Albin43. *This was THE original intent of this forum....to be able to post pics of a project in progress while getting some feedback from the members.

Anyway, good luck with your project!!! *And like somebody said, make sure you get some sort of ventilation under the shrinkwrap.....dehumidifier or something.

two more photos of the new core going in. its solid as a rock. douglas fir endgrain with west system 105/205 with 406 for bedding

Why the little squares and not a sheet of plywood?

End grain has a stronger compression strength and small squares do not have to be weighted down to follow the shape of the decks. Also a 4x8 sheet of df ply is 40 bucks which will give me 80 4x4 inch blocks. A 4x4 post will give me 125 pcs at .650 thick for 11 bucks and is Douglas fir aswell. Smaller blocks = much smarter

Interesting. Thanks.

Got any pictures of the completed job?

http://mvbyeall.blogspot.com/ right at the top of the page there is a slide show. there are alot of deck photos in there. they still need paint.