Replacing My Teak Deck After 47 Years

Thanks Don, I appreciate it. I know owners of glass boats might not have leaks but having a walk around deck that leaked almost all over was a nightmare.

I'm glad it's sealed and I have saved my boat. Now to completing that job.

Congrats Great job

Great job Capthead . I know it was a lot of hard work . I followed the thread . You were a motivator for my project that was going on about the same time .

Greetings,
Mr, Ch. "...The boat was dry...I have a dry boat..." Golly, aren't you going to miss...



I didn't think so.

Well Done!
There is a certain gratification a person gets when saving a boat from a potentially terminal situation. Especially when the work is done yourself. Revel in it!
Now just the aesthetics.

Thanks again, and R T you never cease to amaze me.

Yes, the feeling of knowing I saved this boat is very gratifying. I now have to keep moving on it and finish what my overall plans are.

After this deck project is completed, I plan on redoing the flying bridge. I never liked back to back seating and GB's bottom seat is maybe a little over a foot so there isn't any thigh support. I also plan on changing the sides of the bridge area to what the new banks has. This is a picture of that look. It will take the rail and canvas of the bridge and clean it up.

Of course, finishing the deck and getting the new non skid applied is my first concern.

Hey fellow Trawler friends. I'm finally back on track with my boat project and I'm working on my port side rub rail that was removed when I replaced the deck. I placed it on my finger and started cleaning the old Dolfinite off, which BTW isn't easy. The wood just behind it is soft too. This was a bone head idea mounting the rub rail with that product anyway but we can discuss that later.

I am in the process of cleaning it and the hull where it mounts and my plan is to smooth and seal both areas then mount it back on with thickened epoxy. The deck is solid and sealed and the top planks of the hull are all in great shape so removal again isn't necessary with proper maintenance of the boat.

Top pic is not cleaned, bottom pic is cleaned and soaked with Smith's CPES.

Good to see you back in the saddle again

I'm back working on the boat after spending some time aboard with the wife and cats. It's amazing how much the cats love the boat. At home they are totally different but once aboard the boat, it's like Disneyland to them.

My latest task has been getting the rub rail cleaned up, all fasteners I cut off removed and after sanding off the concrete hard old dried up and doing no good Dolfinite, which by the way is stupid to use above the waterline, I wanted to make a dry fitting against the hull.

This was done with the help of a friend, a passerby I was able to do my best Tom Sawyer on and the only dock worker at the marina. Plus a sawhorse and a small table.

The fitting went well despite the constant complaining, grunting and thinking out loud that it would never fit again by my friend.

My only gaff was I ordered screws too short for the aft section. The rail is tapered towards the bow and much thicker aft. I now have 100 #14 silicon bronze 3 1/2" square drive flat head screws in shipment. I will only need maybe 50.

Hey Stretch, can't you just drill the pilot holes deeper to accomodate the screws? Glue in hardwood dowel to fill the hole then cap with a teak plug?

Good to see you back here. There is a time when you just have to stop for a while and enjoy your boat. I'm just about to down tools and save the flooring project for the winter. Then I can go boating after I repack the rudder, change the water pump on the genset, cut the chain for the fish on the stabilizers, put one more coat on the ceiling in the guest cabin and the galley, change the impeller on the outboard...

That's some of the plan. Some holes are okay the ones aft will have to be pre drilled.

It looks like your project list is full It's a boaters life.

I'm waiting on shipment of the longer screws and I'm also trying to plan out how I can get the epoxy mixed in batches so I can get it on the hull and rail as I work from the bow to stern. It might take two people mixing in small enough batches so they don't kick off too quick.

Any suggestions? This is about 4" wide and over 42' long considering the curve of the bow.

My latest acquisition for the Saloon of the Heads Up.

Anyone interested in one can PM me. They can be customized at the top, the date and the bottom. Mine is 2' X 2' and cost is 75.00 plus shipping. It's a metal sign black powder coated with two other colors available.

Greetings,
Mr. C. Here's a thought...How about you put all the screws partially in, put spacers/wedges along the top of the strake to hold it out from the hull, put a good layer of duct tape along the bottom and the ends to seal the crack, mix up a batch of epoxy and pour it into the crack all along top of the strake. When the crack is fullish, start from one end and drive the screws home, wiping up the epoxy that gushes out as you go. Get to the other end and you're done except for removing the tape and sanding off the excess eopxy. I'm assuming you'll be using thickened epoxy with slow hardener.

I used to bed in my teak trim with Dolfinite and the stuff I removed was pretty solid too, but my boat was only a year or two younger than yours and it had lasted, oh, about 30 years? How long do you intend to keep Head's Up and do you think you might ever have to remove the rub rail again? Epoxy will make the rail permanent and if it ever got damaged (NOT by you!) it would be a pr*ck to repair.

Otherwise RT nailed it.

Greetings,
Mr. X. I fully agree and would have suggested Dolfinite but Mr C. seemed to be dead set against it and ready to proceed with epoxy. I would never do what I suggested to Mr. C. Far be it from me to say using epoxy is wrong but it's Mr. C's boat. Now 5200...THAT'S wrong!

Hello RT and Mr. X,

I've thought this over and over and came up with making it solid with epoxy. I had to use a sawsall to cut it off in most places and found that's a much easier task than one would think. If it does get damaged it can be cut and refitted. The other thing is all the soft wood I fixed because the dolfinite didn't seal long enough and allowed water to creep into that gap. Epoxy will fix that too.

I know it's not the preferred method and I'll think this over a little more. I also thought about butyl rubber and that never dries, can be painted over and also is removable. What say you?

I went on wooden boat and read several threads about bedding compounds. It seems the new Dolfinite isn't mold resistant anymore and dries faster. Also the wood has to be sealed before using Dolfinite. That isn't a concern but the drying has always been one for me.

Remember, I keep my cigars in a humidor because we normally have a relative humidity of 20% and less. I've seen single digit many times. That dries everything out.

Next suggestion was tar. Ok, buy some tar, mix in white lead and asbestos and there I am. Happy dancing fool.

Crazy isn't it but they are serious.

I'm BACK!!

I found an epoxy gel coat that is made locally by a chemist that sells to NASA. Space X, computer mfgs, etc. He also has friends in boating and came up with several great epoxies. They are all slow cures and soak into the wood. They are a 2 to 1 mix so no pumps are needed. I removed the hawse pipes on my bow and filled them in. I then sanded and coated the bulwarks with the epoxy gel coat. I will in time sand and coat the hull above the water line as well.

It has some UV protection but it will yellow in time in the sun. The good news is I'm doing four coats of the gel coat, which is self leveling and easy to apply, then I will sand with 220, then 360 and I can paint directly on top of it. No primer needed. I tried it with awlgrip and it works great.

Currently I am sanding and coating the inside bulwarks and am almost to the bow both sides. It isn't easy as it's on your knees and not much space to work in. It is coming along and I'll post progress pictures soon.

Wow! I came across and re-read this thread last night and thought about sending you a PM. Thanks for the update sir.

Stretch! The hawsepipes! Say it ain't so? How are you going to snub your anchor? How are your cats going to see where you're going? Oh the humanity!

Actually, it looks sh*t hot! The gang at the GB site will be gnashing their teeth but you're doing a great job. Keep it up, you're almost done (just before its time to start over at the transom again).

Xsbank, glad you noticed. ha ha ha
I am building a new anchor locker on deck and I will put new hawse pipes in a foot or so aft of where they were. I wanted to use the cabinet that was the old locker as storage. It makes perfect sense to me.

I hope to start that project next month.

Stretch, good to see you back at it and posting updates. I was wondering how the boat was coming along.

Decks are all done now, right? Got a pic of the finished product?

Keep it up...I'm loving the improvements!

Stretch,

Good to hear you're adding the hawsepipes. A GB just wouldn't be the same without a proper pigs nose!

Inside Bulwarks starboard side. The before and after.

Capthead said:

Inside Bulwarks starboard side. The before and after.

Click to expand...

Sooo shiny...

How do you resist the urge to get nekkid, oiled up, and pretend your luge sliding down the deck?

what_barnacles said:

Sooo shiny...

How do you resist the urge to get nekkid, oiled up, and pretend your luge sliding down the deck?

Click to expand...

:lol:

How did you know?

Walked down the dock last Thursday and the boat in the slip next to mine was below the surface. My boat was holding up the finger that was holding up his stern.

Cleanup crew trashed my boat and broke my teak rail off.

I needed a scotch.

%#^&$(%)%^&@^@%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!