Recaulking Teak Strip Decking - IG36

[Phil Fill]

Yes, I'm bringing this one back to life! Lots of good information right here.

My Questions:
- I've read to not get any solvents near the teak...how do you get the solvent into and to clean the seams? with a q-tip?
- bonding tape - only on the bottom of the seams?
- deck must be dry - so being clean as well is an impossibility?
-How can I be sure the deck is dry enough? The acetone cleans the seam and the side of the teak planks?
- why do some people route? Is it only if the seam is deformed?

It is said to do small sections at a time, does this mean you do not need to keep a wet edge?

Our deck seams are starting to separate. Bungs are in great shape. No signs of leaking, just need new caulking.

Thanks Ya'll!!

I re fastened and calked the front deck and did it all my hand. I used a hook nose carpenter knife to cut out the old calking, then used a narrow screw driver to ream out the remaining old calking and teak wood to new bare wood. Clean up the groove with 80 sand paper and then acetone. I did not put any tape at the bottom of the groove as I wna the calking to bill the grove plus stick to the fiberglass and fill any space between the teak and the fiber glass deck.

I used Boat Life calking made for Teak and did in areas no larger than I could reach as calking is messy and the tape has to be taken off before the calking dries. Messy job. I used 1” blue tape as that seem to cover the teak boards between the groves. Filled the groove with calking, and pressed the calking firmly into the groove is cheap throw away putty knifes. Have plenty of throw away rubber gloves, paper towels and paint thinner. Paint thinner removes the calking before it dries. Like a said to small areas at a time when calking.

If find the seam that need replacing wet down the deck, and the last wet caulking areas to dry are the area that the calking is not holding. Mark them with blue tape, start taking out the old calking, let dry for several days in the sun. the Eagle deck shrinks about 1/8 to ¼ inch in the summer so each year. So each year I wet the deck down to find the seams, and take out the old calking and replace. Like a wood boat the teak wood will swell and make the deck water tight.

If there are any bungs/plugs popping up/out the fastener needs to be replaced also before the deck is re calked.

 

[Marin]

If you are going to reseam a teak deck there is only one sealant on the planet worth using and that is TDS (Teak Deck Systems). Everything else, particularly Lifecaulk in our experience, is absolute crap by comparison in terms of longevity and integrity.

TDS is what manufacturers like Grand Banks, Fleming, Delta, and all sorts of high-end yacht builders have been using since the stuff was introduced some years ago.

 

[Rusty]

There are numerous videos on youtube about reseaming teak decks by a variety of people using a variety of methods. Here is one from Teak Deck Systems.

Teak Decking Systems: How to Reseam a Teak Deck - YouTube

 

[caltexflanc]

Having been through this recently and learned my lesson, just let me say, pay very careful attention to Marin!

 

[Phil Fill]

If you are going to reseam a teak deck there is only one sealant on the planet worth using and that is TDS (Teak Deck Systems). Everything else, particularly Lifecaulk in our experience, is absolute crap by comparison in terms of longevity and integrity.

TDS is what manufacturers like Grand Banks, Fleming, Delta, and all sorts of high-end yacht builders have been using since the stuff was introduced some years ago.

Well, the so call Boat Life CRAB has lasted going on 14 years. Just make sure is the TEAK calking as regular caulking does not last very long.

 

[Marin]

You're the first person I know of who's had success with Lifecaulk. The shipwrights we worked with us on our deck all had given up on it years earlier. And the one time we did use it on deck for seam work it failed within a few months. And yes, we used the "teak seam" product. Terrible product in our experience and opinion.

TDS, which was not on the market when we had our main deck re-grooved and re-seamed, is vastly superior to everything else currently available, at least in the US. I wish TDS had been available when we did our whole deck. All the re-seaming work I've done since has been with TDS and what a difference it makes. Lifecalk is a joke compared to this stuff.

Fortunately our main deck re-seam was done with a fairly good product so most of it has held up okay over the last 12 years. But some sections, particularly the aft deck which was re-seamed when the weather was turning, have had to have some re-seaming over the last few years so I've gotten pretty good at the process. But without a really good seam compound it's all wasted effort.

 

[Xsbank]

If you sand your decks after caulking, you are probably using up at least 10 years of your deck's very finite life. Just cut the top off the caulk with a razor, a sharpened chisel or any other flat sharp implement. That will leave the top of the caulk smooth and flush with the teak and will extend your deck's life.

The little blade of a Swiss Army knife is excellent for reefing out the old sealant. I used a Fein tool to saw off the tops of the new teak bungs, or, if out in an anchorage, one of those flexible Japanese cabinet saws. Then a dab of sandpaper to make the bungs smooth.

The most pleasant way to do decks is to do small areas at a time while at anchor. Send the crew off in the dinghy to fish or crab or whatever while you put on some quiet music, pour a Guinness and get down on the deck and attack the part you have determined needs the most attention. By the time your crew returns, you have cleaned up, pulled the tape and finished the Guinness. Next day you slice the top off your new seams and start all over on the next-worst-most-likely-to-leak-next patch... Its quite painless (if you remember to wear knee pads) and the Guinness works very well as a muscle relaxant.

 

[Andy G]

A Guinness man, excellent! As a matter of interest what is your boat?

 

[Xsbank]

It was a Grand Banks 32 but we are currently boatless, in the hunt for another boat.

 

[Xsbank]

...probably without teak decks...