IG teak decks

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Nomad Willy

Nomad Willy

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Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
18,745
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Willy
Vessel Make
Willard Nomad 30'
I've been looking at IG 32s and as I recall they all have teak decks. I think builders should be flogged in the Safeway parking lot for building boats this way but many did.
I would like to know how how badly they leak and how the teak was attached to the FG covered wood structure (deck). Did they put sealer where the screws penetrated the FG or did they even use screws? As I recall someone on this site ripped up the teak and glassed the exposed FG deck.
Also when these boats had "cable" steering was that pull-pull exposed cables w many pulleys or the more conventional Moorse type push pull cable?
Also in the grooves at the bottom of the glass in the windows does the water lie in wood channels prone to rot? If so is the drainage good?
Can anyone post a picture of the aft underbody of a IG 32?

Thanks for any responses.
 
We have a 1983 IG32 with teak decks and a teak transom overlay.**I have a couple of deck leaks that result in some water in the engine room and another under the aft deck. Not a lot but enough to keep me busy.* Allways removing any loose bungs, pulling screws and refastening using a sealant.* Also pulling caulk and redoing suspect areas.* The decks look good and are not worn. They are very solid, bored thru the side deck and revealed this construction* 1/2" Teak, almost 3/8 Glass, than 5/8 core (could be balsa but feels much harder) followed by 3/16 glass which is what you see from the bottom side.* The decks are screwed down with s.s. phillips screws. I hope to keep them as long as I can, they are beautifully installed.*** I redid most of the windows in the boat, replaced the tracks and any soft wood, and enlarged the drains.* The good news is the house is glass and it extends up behind the exterior wood and isolates any rot from infecting any of the interior.* The IG 32s are not full displacement hulls and will be no where near as efficient as your Willard.** They look nice-are built well- and can be a good boat for the buck.
 
The steering is simple and well thought out- S.s cables over pulleys.* Sprockets and chains behind steering stations and turnbuckles for tensioning.**A little daub of grease here and there on the pulleys and such and you are good to go.* Down side is an*autopilot install is not as simple as hydraulic steering. Like it better than push pull, had a few of those really stiffen up on past boats.

Hope that helps

John P
IslandGypsy32
#25* "Adagio"
Toms River NJ
 
OEM fibreglass decks and hydraulic steering on ours.
 
We have just finished doing the deck on our IG 36, which I believe use the same construction method as the IG32's. The Teak was secured by ss srews through the top glas deck to the hardwood core, which in turn sat on the lower 'glass' panel as described above.

The wood core is not a ply sheet but individual hardwood blocks that are glued in place. The trouble spots tend to be where the deck has been cored , on ours it was the water/fuel inlets and the foot switch for the winch at the bow.Some areas were so bad that the wood was just a mush.We cut the top 'glass'deck out and replaced the wood core with a composite.Taking up the Teak required removing about 850 screws and levering it up as it was also stuck down with a black sealer.

Re the windows, we are currently enlarging the drain holes and repairing the soft wood on the outer side, I don't think it is the most weather proof of designs I have come across, but it does seem the system that most of these trawler style of boats tended to use.

All in all in IMHO IG's have a pretty good reputation and have captured that classic trawler look as well as anyone.
 
Eric, as I have already said,*Sarawana is a IG 36 but the hull design is the same as the IG 32, so I will post a couple of photos of the underside to give you an idea.
 

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Shrimp,Thanks very much. Your answers were quite direct and I now know essentially all I need to know. The bottom question was to find out if the run aft was straight * *..and I see it is very straight. That would make the IG perfect for a project of mine. If one left the deck issue would one's foot eventually go right through deck? Since it's glassed underneath (wouldn't be much of a sandwich if it wasn't) once the wood got wet it would stay wet. Must have been an awful job pull'in up all that and that black goo. Congratulations on a job well done.
John,
Thanks about the steering question. Pleased and surprised it really has open pulley steering. It's more expensive that Morse type cables. I would want a handy friction though.


-- Edited by nomadwilly on Sunday 19th of December 2010 10:24:06 PM
 
nomadwilly wrote:If one left the deck issue would one's foot eventually go right through deck? Since it's glassed underneath (wouldn't be much of a sandwich if it wasn't) once the wood got wet it would stay wet.
Click to expand...
Eric---

The fiberglass "bread" on the subdeck sandwhich is not all that thick.* On a GB the upper layer is thicker than the bottom layer, but neither layer is anywhere near heavy or stiff enough to support weight on its own.* The marine ply in a GB deck core is over an inch thick.* Or it is on the foredeck where i've cored it to mount new anchor footswitches. I assume the construction of an IG deck is similar.* So the real strength and stiffness of the deck is in the wood core.

So if the plywood core goes mushy, while your foot may not actually go through the deck--- and if it has teak planking on top of it it won't--- in terms of strength and stiffness the deck will be shot.

The teak planking on a boat like a GB, IG, etc. also provides stiffness to the deck.* Which is why if a teak deck is removed, it is generally advisable to add one or more layers of fiberglass to the top of the subdeck prior to the application of the non-skid surface.* The additional layers of glass will restore the stiffness--- which is not the same as the strength--- to the deck that was lost when the teak planks were removed.

The owner of an Island Gypsy (either 36 or 38 feet) on our dock removed the teak decking from his boat a few years ago.* After filing the holes and prepping the upper layer of fiberglass of the subeck, he applied FOUR layers of new glass prior to his application of the non-skid coating.* In the opinon of a retired marine engineer on our dock, four layers was overkill although the IG owner now has a deck you could land a plane on.* From what I have read on the GB owners forum and in other places, two layers of glass on a deck that has had its teak planking removed is generally sufficient.

Some boats may not need any additional glass applied over the subdeck after the teak is removed as their subdecks are apparenty stiff enough on their own.* But most boats---* GBs, IGs, and CHBs among them--- do seem to need some additional glass to restore the desired amount of deck stiffness.

*


-- Edited by Marin on Monday 20th of December 2010 01:13:54 PM
 
Andy,* When you removed your teak decks, was the hardwood block core*bad in large areas or just around the filler pipes and deck fittings?* How much of the core was compromised by water leakage?* When I installed new fillers for my fuel tanks I cut new holes thru the deck and found a fairly substantial glass laminate above and below the core.* Was the deck stiff enough without the teak or did you have to add more layers of glass?* Also did the old sealant holding the teak seem be intact? Would the deck remain in place without the screws?* Just wondering.* John P

John P
IG 32 #25
Toms River NJ
 
Thinking about these teak decks is making my old Willard look better all the time. I found a 36 Monk that actually has NO TEAK DECKS. It's got blisters though. If I see the blisters are no worse than my Willy I think it would be OK. And I like the stern (below the WL) better on the Monk. Right now the only two boats I'm lusting over is the Monk 36 and the Nordic 32. Both about the same price. However I change my mind every day.
 
Eric--- Suppose you didn't own the boat you have. Suppose you had no boat. So all three were new to you--- the Willard, the NT, and the Monk. Given the current condition of all three, which one would you decide you liked the best for what you want to do?
 
Ha Ha Marin,Very good trick question Marin. The most vexing question you've ever asked me and there has been a few more than a few.


1. Nordic
2. Monk
3. Willard


BUT it's so complicated by all the little issues like color, blisters, heating, price, seating, electronics ect ect. But if all the little things were equal on all three boats I'd want the Nordic. Actually I should tell you the boat I really want is the 32' Eagle. I made an offer on one, retracted the offer and a "sale pending" sign popped up. I hoped it would go away but*"sold" poped up after about a month. And even that boat's not perfect. Didn't like the layout of the salon (like Nordic better) and the boat had TWICE as much power as I think it should have. AND I wouldn't even be looking at other boats if all of us here (many more than others) hadn't shown me that under loaded engines seem to survive quite well. Still think an engine should be worked though.
 
One thing to check out with regards to the NT is the seating position in the main cabin. My wife has been on a couple of NTs--- these were 34s--- and quickly decided that she didn't like the seating position in the main cabin. It's much too low, in her opinion. She's 5'-5" (I think) and she found that when seated, she had to really crane her neck up to see the water out the windows. As one of her favorite pasttimes on the boat is to sit and look out the windows at the antics of the local wildlife (feathered, finned, and four-footed variety, not the two-legged variety) she decided that she would be very unhappy in an NT because it didn't have the visibility from a seated position that she wants.

While the stock seat cushions on our old GB are not that great ergonomically, she really likes the fact she can sit on the L-settee or the straight settee opposite and see everything she wants to see out the GBs fairly large windows.

Don't know if this would be an issue for you, but it's something you might want to put on your "things to check" list.
 
nomadwilly wrote:1. Nordic
2. Monk
3. Willard
_____________________________________________________________
I've followed this debate with a great deal of interest and have tried to stay out of it, however, knowing Eric, as I think I do, The NT would be the perfect boat for him. Where he lives, the waters he will be traveling in, his* Alaskan personality, etc. Eric likes small, well built trawlers and in my opinion the NT is exactly that. Before I bought my present boat, I was lusting over a 32 NT and wish I would have bought it. I was impressed how easy it was to get to all the important stuff for maintenance, and of course the "looks."* They are salty little trawlers with big hearts and I, for one, love them. I looked at a 42 the other day and can't believe how big they look.
JMO,* Walt
Click to expand...
 
Hey guys,
Thanks Walt. I was afraid you'd be disappointed I didn't buy a IG. But who knows. If I found a GB or IG that had the teak decks striped and replaced w FG and coring repaired, or a Monk w all the blisters ground off ??? I change my mind a lot** ..drives my wife nuts Ha Ha. Speaking of wives Marin I remember the pic of yours fishing off the Beaver float and she looked 5'7" or so to me. Well I certainly agree with her about the seats. Willy is like that and my wife is having a hard time keeping me from tearing up the L setee and mak'in it right. I'm 5' 11" and I don't like the low seats either. If we don't get another boat I'll definitely do a number on that setee. As to other boats*** ...after seeing Tony's Monk w all those blisters and what the broker said I got cold feet on the Monk too. So now we're down to two boats and I don't know of any Eagle 32s for sale so it's only one boat on the plate. The 5th NT made. It's an awful turquoise green w a Yanmar 175 and has had 4 owners. I have mixed emotions about the helm seat. Looks like one would need to lean way over (uncomfortably so) to reach the helm while seated and not on AP. Don't like that. And there's no cooking stove except the big Dickenson oil stove BUT I want one of those anyway. But this is the only Nordic 32 on the market that I can see and it may be the cheapest one in the world mostly because of it's color. If I wait too long it may turn to "sale pending". I could tie it up in offer and counter offer stuff but I despise that game. Sure would be nice to have some other boats in the pot** ...like a few days ago.

<a>http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatMergedDetails.jsp?boat_id=2163759&listing_id=1007&units=Feet&currency=USD&access=Public</a>

-- Edited by nomadwilly on Tuesday 21st of December 2010 12:39:31 PM
 
nomadwilly wrote:

But this is the only Nordic 32 on the market that I can see
Click to expand...
http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2240794&lang=en&slim=pp217712&
<a href="http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2235744&lang=en&slim=pp217712&">
http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2235744&lang=en&slim=pp217712&</a>

And a bunch more:

http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/cache/pl_search_results.jsp?slim=pp217712&cit=true&sm=3&is=&man=Nordic+Tug&fromLength=32&toLength=32&luom=126&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=&toPrice=&currencyid=100&hmid=&ftid=&enid=&city=&spid=&rid=&cint=&msint=&ps=100
 
dwhatty wrote:

*
nomadwilly wrote:

But this is the only Nordic 32 on the market that I can see
Click to expand...
http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2240794&lang=en&slim=pp217712&
<a href="http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2235744&lang=en&slim=pp217712&">
http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&id=2235744&lang=en&slim=pp217712&</a>

And a bunch more:

http://grayandgrayyachts.com/privatelabel/listing/cache/pl_search_results.jsp?slim=pp217712&cit=true&sm=3&is=&man=Nordic+Tug&fromLength=32&toLength=32&luom=126&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=&toPrice=&currencyid=100&hmid=&ftid=&enid=&city=&spid=&rid=&cint=&msint=&ps=100
*

I found these on the Nordic Tug website. Lots to choose from.
http://www.boatwizardwebsolutions.c...&so=0&ps=20&n=2:-1:59627:80804:58&searchPage=

*
 
nomadwilly wrote:It's an awful turquoise green
Click to expand...
I have noticed that older NTs with red or green hulls have a heck of a fading problem.* This may be common to all older boats like this, not just NT.* There used to be a red NT32 in our marina that had faded to the point it was a dull Kaiser pink.* Then one day it had a nice shiny red hull, so obviously the owner had sprung for a paint job.

But as you know, beware of photos.* They can make anything look good.* Also, there is an old auto dealer trick I learned back in the 70s from the fellow who owned the flying school*I flew at in Hawaii.* He had a very faded green Cessna 310 straight-tail that he wanted to sell. But the paint was shot-- very faded and dull.**I worked part time helping his mechanic and fueling*and cleaning his planes in return for flight time.* He had a buyer coming in to look at the 310 so the day before he gave me a bunch of cans of Johnson paste wax and told me to wax thewhole plane.* The plane looked fantastic with this coating of paste wax on it.* Well, fantastic compared to what it had been looking like.

He said the paste wax doesn't hold up very long, but while it does it really makes old, dull, faded paint come alive.* So if you look at a very old NT with a good looking colored hull, make sure the broker or owner isn't doing a paste wax job on you
smile.gif
 
You guys are wonderful** ..truly wonderful. There's only one in all that that I could afford (maybe) but it is my dream boat and I'll try to buy it. On one of the other boats someone felt like I do about the helm seat so he shortened the seat leaving a hole on the stbd side where he installed a helm seat that rolls fwd and back on a track like the one I bought for Willy. Marin, the faded topsides are fine as long as it drives the price down where I can afford it (100K max). I'll try to get the dark green one (Sidekick) but he'll prolly not come down that low. Nobody answered the phone today so I'll try tomorrow. Anybody have any ideas on how to get the boat for less. You guys could be wonderful again!
 
From what we found when I took up the deck it was pretty much as Marin describes the GB deck. Absolutlty agree once the Teak is taken up, if you are not replacing it with like, you would need to stiffen the deck.Being a sucker for punishment we promptly laid new 9mm Teak back down, I just love the feel & look of Teak.

Doing the deck was likehaving a baby I guess, bloody awful at the time but something you can look back *at and be quite proud of once it's done.(apologies to any of forum members who have actually given birth, rather than us lot that just holds your hand, tells you to push,or not depending on the midwifes instructions*& says it will be alright)
smile.gif


In regard to the areas of rot we found it was definitely more severe around filler caps and* the winch foot switch .The winch area did a lot of damage right down the starboard side as the foot switch was on that side and over the years water had coursed down following the fall of the deck, which on our boat tended to channel the water into the scuppers about half way down the deck midway between the water & fuel filler caps. When we replaced the wood core with the composite we added about 45KG of epoxy resin to bed it in and hopefully provided extra strength.

Must go as we are going out on the boat overnight to have a quick break before Christmas kicks in, champagne at sunset
blankstare.gif
 
Im from TR too* where did you buy the window tracks? did you have to remove the exterior trim?* like some advise on v berth & cabin window repair
 
I`m reviving an old thread, essentially to ask about the composition of the IG deck substrate.I`ve reviewed some allied threads,without answering my main query.
My 1981 IG36 (hull 39) has the usual teak laid decks; there are enough indications the seal and attachment of the laid teak has failed, like water squelching under side decks, for me to decide re-caulking is no real solution.
I had the shipwright take a good look. He says my decks are foam sandwich, and he seems to be right, it can be seen in the lazarette. He says the teak has been screwed to the beams.
Anyone else found foam sandwich on an IG, all I`ve heard is of is teak blocks?
I`m thinking it could be a blessing,because it won`t have rotted. We`ll need to put fibreglass over it,after removing 10 million screws and filling the holes. Cost will decide whether it finishes there or teak gets glued (NOT screwed) back on top.
An interesting finding was the side decks along the main cabin slope inwards,not where you want the water to go.
Now I wait for the quote(s). Doriana needs to be under cover while the job gets done,which adds to cost.
Thoughts? Comments?Experiences?
BruceK
 
A fellow on our dock removed the teak decking on his IG and replaced it with four layers of fiberglass with a non- skid surface. The end result is better than I've seen most fiberglass decks from manufacturers and it's strong enough to land a plane on. It took him a summer and a half to do it and he told me that had he known before he started what a huge job it would be (to do it to that standard of quality) he never would have undertaken the job.

K&H may have used different construction techniques at different times but his 1979 (I think) boat has a subdeck just like ours: a fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass sandwich.
 
Marin said:
A fellow on our dock removed the teak decking on his IG and replaced it with four layers of fiberglass with a non- skid surface.

K&H may have used different construction techniques at different times but his 1979 (I think) boat has a subdeck just like ours: a fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass sandwich.
Click to expand...
Thanks Marin,you posted pics of that job previously,very impressive work. It`s because of his experience I`ll get a pro. to do it.
Do you think, if the decks are a f/glass-foam-f/glass sandwich, it`s a better base to work from? I have to work with what I`ve got,just wondering. BruceK
 
Internet search says there is "polyurethane foam" which absorbs water,and "closed cell polyurethane foam" which won`t absorb water, even submerged. Hoping for the latter. BruceK
 
Bruce, My 83 - 32 footer has approx 5/8 inch teak--3/8 Glass-- 5/8 hardwood blocks--and another 1/8+ glass.

I have tightened up my decks a lot by rescrewing loose areas and recaulking. It is an on going process.

My deck has a 2 level configuration-- I am almost to the point of removing the teak on one part or the other. Big job so I am reluctant.
Kind of like the idea of carefully removing and gluing it back. Everyone who trys this seems to give of. Just the labor intensive challange I like. Do I like boating or taking care of boats? Not so sure!
JohnP
 

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BruceK said:
Do you think, if the decks are a f/glass-foam-f/glass sandwich, it`s a better base to work from? I have to work with what I`ve got,just wondering. BruceK
Click to expand...

I've not had any experience with foam core construction nor do I know anyone personally who has. So I can't tell you anything meaningful about the advantages or disadvantages in working with a subdeck constructed in that way. Fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass I know something about, not because we've we've had to do anything to our own subdeck but because of knowing people like the fellow I mentioned, plus the care and feeding of decks is a common topic on the Grand Banks Owners forum.

John P--- The reason most people don't bother with trying to re-use the teak planks they take off their boat is that depending on how the planks were installed in the first place, their age, their remaining thickness, and their overall condition, the adhesive bedding most builders used when first installing the planks is often still strong enough to cause the planks to break when they're pried out of it.

We have a small "teak deck" project which, while identical in construction to our main deck, isn't our main deck. It's the landing "pad" on top of our aft cabin where you step up to from the main deck to go up to the flying bridge. The seams are shot, the wood is worn, and water is getting down into the cabin overhead which, like a subdeck, is a fiberglass-plywood-fiberglass sandwich. Right now we are weighing the options of regrooving the teak and reseaming it or taking all the teak up and--- if we can do this without breaking it--- re-installing it with new bedding and seams, or replacing the teak with new teak. If we elect to remove the existing teak without breaking it, we'll find out how practical this actually is.
 
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JohnP said:
Bruce, My 83 - 32 footer has approx 5/8 inch teak--3/8 Glass-- 5/8 hardwood blocks--and another 1/8+ glass.

I have tightened up my decks a lot by rescrewing loose areas and recaulking. It is an on going process.

My deck has a 2 level configuration-- I am almost to the point of removing the teak on one part or the other. Big job so I am reluctant.
Kind of like the idea of carefully removing and gluing it back. Everyone who trys this seems to give of. Just the labor intensive challange I like. Do I like boating or taking care of boats? Not so sure!
JohnP
Click to expand...
Thanks John,I`m going to re-check the exposed deck edge in the lazarette.If I redo in teak it needs to be new,thus the expense.I wanted to keep the teak in the cockpit where it is "roofed" over,but the shipwright says I`ll get different heights, water draining issues,and it may look odd. The teak on the flybridge is under a full cover, and the Bimini,and is in perfect condition.
Tried "sistering" the screws along the side decks,but still get water squelching under.
Boats are so many things, a pleasure,a sport,a hobby,a pastime, a way of life,even a frustration, but on balance thoroughly worthwhile. BruceK
 
BruceK said:
Tried "sistering" the screws along the side decks,but still get water squelching under.
Click to expand...

How are the deck seams? This is how most water that gets under the planks gets there. Despite the screws and despite the bedding the planks were laid in when the boat was built, the deck planks "work"--- from you stepping on them to expansion and contraction from temperature and humidity changes to the simple fact that a boat "moves" and this movement and flexing, as minute as it may be, gets transmitted to a degree to the deck planks.

The end result is that eventually the sealant will pull away from one side of the groove or the other, or maybe both sides. Sometimes this is very obvious, sometimes you have to get right down on the deck and inspect the seam, even to the point of moving the sealant with the point of a knife (gently) to see if a gap opens up along the side of the grooves.

If seams have separated like this the cure is pretty simple--- you repair or replace the seams. Repair and replacement are relativly straighforward operations although it's very important to follow the correct steps in the correct order. I won't go through them here other than to say that the number one rule is that the deck planks and grooves must be 100% dry before you attempt a repair or replacement.

Putting in more deck screws won't do anything to help reduce or elminate the moisture getting down under the planks if I understand that to be the problem you are trying to deal with.
 
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