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apagano

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May 22, 2020
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Hello All,

I have been shopping around for a trawler and came upon this Grand Banks and can not for the life of me can figure out what the black stuff is on the decks9 please see attachments ), I asked the broker and he was as uninformed as I. Can anyone help with this and, can it be cleaned? Its strange as the rest of the deck is very clean and pretty.
Thank You
Alfonse
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2020-05-22 at 10.26.01 AM copy.jpg
    Screen Shot 2020-05-22 at 10.26.01 AM copy.jpg
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  • Screen Shot 2020-05-22 at 10.25.15 AM copy.jpg
    Screen Shot 2020-05-22 at 10.25.15 AM copy.jpg
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apagano said:
Hello All,

I have been shopping around for a trawler and came upon this Grand Banks and can not for the life of me can figure out what the black stuff is on the decks9 please see attachments ), I asked the broker and he was as uninformed as I. Can anyone help with this and, can it be cleaned? Its strange as the rest of the deck is very clean and pretty.
Thank You
Alfonse
Click to expand...


a poor example of a deck recaulking job
HOLLYWOOD
 
The owner may have been interrupted during the re-caulking, or still doing it.
A light sanding will expose the fresh teak under that mess. What you do then
is up to you. There are many treatments available including leaving it natural.
 
Last edited:
I'm sure that is NOT a Grand Banks
Did the broker tell you it was?
 
Last edited:
Also, research "problems with teak boat decks" then decide if this boat is for you.
 
Welcome aboard. What year is the boat? If it is from the 80s or older, I would just remove the teak and paint the decks.
 
Looks like it could be brought back to life, but ad states "Major Mechanical Overhaul" recently completed . . . . yet little sign of it is apparent in the pics. I've gotta wonder when the last time it was hauled, and/or if it has any zincs left . . . Pics of the running gear, rudder quadrant, etc, show lots of corrosion, either from years of lack of maintenance, or from a "wet bilge". Pics also appear to show that it is currently in contact with the dock due to improper placement of fenders. Original fuel tanks appear to have been removed, and lots of the "work" was amateurish at best, requiring, at a minimum, through inspection, and worst case, complete replacement.

Ad also states "The mechanical work is done and now she's ready for someone else to take over with the vision to finish out her interior"

Not saying that it can't be "brought back", but whoever buys it had better include a major credit card with a big limit to go along with that "vision". they'd better also go into it with their eyes open! IMHO, easily $20k to $40K of work to accomplish, if you do it yourself to bring this boat back. Then you'll have $60k into a $40k boat . . . Just sayin'.
 
Last edited:
KnotYet is correct! Not unusual to caulk the seams without taping, the excess caulking will sand off easily with 80 grit sandpaper leaving a nice flush seam.
 
Some people are sanders. Some people are tapers. Both are believers in teak decks.
 
Typically with a Europa design, the exposed bow teak fails before the side and cockpit which are covered. Therefore,mfrs now often use painted non slip decks fwd of the "Europa" covered sections.
You might want to see it with the excess sealant sanded off before any decision. Strange anyone would present a boat for sale with that not done, it might be hiding something. Decks that age likely need more than recaulking.
 
KnotYet said:
The owner may have been interrupted during the re-caulking, or still doing it.
A light sanding will expose the fresh teak under that mess. What you do then
is up to you. There are many treatments available including leaving it natural.
Click to expand...
True, but I'd want a damned good explanation as to what that interruption was, to leave it in that state prior to going on sale. Like owner had heart attack before he could finish sanding, etc...
BruceK said:
.... Strange anyone would present a boat for sale with that not done, it might be hiding something. Decks that age likely need more than recaulking.
Click to expand...
This would be my main worry...having owned a boat where the previous owner had had to do a major lot of work to restore water leak damage through teak decks onto tanks, and into the cabin.

Then I had to do a lot more cosmetic stuff to bring it up to a reasonable (never perfect) standard. That boat taught me to accept ok, for cosmetic stuff, and that perfect is never achievable.
 
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The thickness of the decking determines whether or not the "sloppy" method (versus taping) is feasible because of the sanding required to clean it all up. In general, the younger the boat, the thinner the teak installation on deck. The older boats also have thinning decks due to wear and in some cases due to foolish over-sanding. I witnessed the installation of an acre or two of wooden deck when the USS Iowa was recommissioned in 1984. Teak was impossible to find in in quantity in the two-inch thickness needed; so the powers that be decided to use Douglas Fir. After the boards were bolted to the deck on their welded studs, the caulking crews used wheeled pots of hot caulk which flowed all over the place to a depth of about an eighth of and inch or more. A couple of days later, they returned with six-foot long steel bars with a chisel formed into the end at about a 30-45 degree angle to the shaft. These made short work of the puddles of caulk leaving a mess that looked a lot like the OP's photos. Then large belt sanders were brought in to pretty it all up.

If that messy stuff in the photo is indeed the result of an attempt to recaulk the deck, the visible grooves sure make it look like the caulk application was unsuccessful. A boat left in that condition by the seller to be viewed by potential buyers is probably a derelict waiting to happen, and he'll be lucky to get anything for it.
 
Black stuff

apagano said:
Hello All,

I have been shopping around for a trawler and came upon this Grand Banks and can not for the life of me can figure out what the black stuff is on the decks9 please see attachments ), I asked the broker and he was as uninformed as I. Can anyone help with this and, can it be cleaned? Its strange as the rest of the deck is very clean and pretty.
Thank You
Alfonse
Click to expand...

Looks like water intrusion and mold. The teak decks on my boat were removed, glassed and painted. I highly recommend that
Btw, from your pics, that does not look like a Grand Banks.
 
apagano said:
Hello All,

I have been shopping around for a trawler and came upon this Grand Banks and can not for the life of me can figure out what the black stuff is on the decks9 please see attachments ), I asked the broker and he was as uninformed as I. Can anyone help with this and, can it be cleaned? Its strange as the rest of the deck is very clean and pretty.
Thank You
Alfonse
Click to expand...
That looks to me like he used a 2 part chemical Teak cleaner that if not done correctly will end up like that. the first part is a vicious chemical that turns the teak black and opened the grain and you scrub with a brush but is very time sensitive 1 minuet I believe and then part 2 neutralizes the chemical action and turns the teak back to a natural state for finishing. You have to do small areas at a time. https://www.marineoutfitters.ca/index.cfm?category=11238|10125&product=54946986&code=767990207108 This is a newer version but older versions were very hard to use
 
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