Teak damages

[Croix du Sud]

Hi
Week past, I got onboard for a monthly offseason inspection and found the upper teak handrail broken apart along bent SS strutters with torn out screws, damaging the lower handrail. No doubt a rough shock from an unidentified vessel.
Did any of you folks faced such damages and how did you get through ? A broker stated that the 30 YO boat is to be written off. Am reluctant but this might be the issue.
What’s your feelings ?
Thanks for reading
Jean
Croix du Sud GB36 #842

 

[Delta Riverat]

Total the boat because of busted handrail?

Any hull damage?

Yeah, it'll cost a few grand to fix for sure, but total loss?

 

[Comodave]

Is it the GB in your profile? If so I would fix it myself.

 

[CharlieO.]

No way that the handrail repair exceeds the value of that vessel. Have you gotten any quotes on the cost of the repair?

 

[RT Firefly]

Bonjour,
M. CdS. First off, ignore the "broker". Never talk to him/her again and take them off your Xmas list. THAT person is an idiot!


Get quotes for repair. Will your insurance cover the damages? Perhaps post some pictures which will give the TF members a much better idea of the damage involved. As mentioned, you may be able to do a lot of the repair work yourself. Sorry for your troubles.

 

[Choices]

That is a Europa so it is worth saving.

You need to find a marine carpenter / millwright to rebuild the teak and straighten or refsb the railing.

Not really a big deal. Good time to strip all teak and Awlwood it.

 

[Croix du Sud]

Hi all
Thanks for your moral raising messages
I enclose a photo of the main damage. Other could be posted if of interest.
Yes the vessel is the one on my profile. Born with two left hands, repairs are well beyond my skill !
The insurance company likely to pay but will no doubt suggest to get the handrail repaired with discarded broomsticks. See what I mean…
Furthermore UE recently forbade all imports of teak wood from Burma to prevent funding the military gvt
A mess indeed
Jean

 

[Bmarler]

It shouldn’t be too hard to heal that wound. Hopefully the stainless tubing isn’t bent and the brackets can be reshaped back to original. I think I see the broken off piece of teak on the deck. It could be epoxied back on and the glue joint almost invisible.
Annoying to have happened for sure, but can be brought back without too much drama.

 

[RT Firefly]

Bonjour.

M. CdS. Oh my goodness! I thought, from your description that there was major damage. That is but a scratch. As mentioned, the broken piece appears to be on the deck. A good shipwright should be able to put that back into place, no problem. If he/she doesn't use teak, so what? I think Iroko has been substituted for teak on occasion.
https://www.timberblogger.com/iroko-wood/


Edit: As for the stanchions, the torn out holes can be filled with epoxy and wood plugs (perhaps cut from the broken teak?) and the SS straightened in a vice/press with a BFH (big f'ing hammer).


You really have no problem other than finding the right craftsman to do the work. Oh, and a few $$.

 

[Pascall]

A fairly simple repair, you can take Afzelia Doussie as a replacement, many times cheaper and just as durable!
As far as the color of Afzelia is concerned, it varies from light to dark, but after it has been sawn it eventually turns into one and the same color.
In the Netherlands, teak decks have been laid for several years with a beautiful result.

Mvg,

Pascal.

 

[PierreR]

Have the marina check the video records. You might find the culprit. Looks like a bow pulpit hit your rail. Look around the marina for a damaged bow pulpit.

Your boat was already below what that broker considered worth his time. The rail was his excuse. Fix the rail. Teak can be purchased and a decent scarf joint will not look that bad.

 

[koliver]

You need to find a friend with even modest woodworking skills. That repair will cost less than your insurance deductible, for sure, so get to it. As suggested above, other wood species will be compatible with your teak and with a few coats of varnish the difference will fade away so that within a couple of years you won't be able to find the repair.

 

[rochepoint]

The angle of the photo may be a little deceiving, looks like the broken section is right at a scarf, maybe just some European craftsmanship, a little wood and it will be as good as new.............

 

[DennisB1]

I have fixed on friends' boat similar damage to a 1980's handrail. Key is getting some aged Teak with the correct coloring and making proper scarf joints about 5 to 1 ratio. After glue up require shaping to match existing handrail. I used West Gflex epoxy for the bond. Wash the prepped glue joints with acetone or lacquer thinner to remove some of the teak oil to improve bond. It's not a hard job but it does consume some time to get a good-looking finished product.

We had several new stainless stanchions built at a railing company. They also salvaged one stanchion repairing a damaged flange.

 

[kholtze]

Hurricane teak recovery

When Irma hit Marathon there was over 100 boats sunk and more damaged on the hard.

Enterprusing individuals recovered teak: rails, doors, panelling and piled it along with other nautical hardware and fittings. The pile was 25 feet high.

The owner of a monk 36, Love You More, recovered numerous pieces from that pile. With sanding dust, resin and the pieces he put the rail back together, excepting the curved piece on the starboard bow. There was a custom furniture maker in Marathon Florida. He unscrewed the port curved railing and took it to the furniture maker. That gentleman built a starboard rail as the mirror image. It was beautiful. And completed the restoration.

Sad to say, he took the boat to the Bahamas and left it there on the hard at a marina (basically a beach) for the summer. I think it was Maria went thru and it was totalled.

Reach out to the GB owners group for possible used teak sources, carpenter, restoration knowledge, etc. Other wood sources may be possible, such as acacia.

Anything is possible!

 

[Lou_tribal]

maybe just some European craftsmanship

Sorry but what do you mean?

L

 

[Shrew]

The angle of the photo may be a little deceiving, looks like the broken section is right at a scarf, maybe just some European craftsmanship, a little wood and it will be as good as new.............

It's just a nibbed scarf joint (There are many types of scarf joints). It will take much more than glue to fix that.

I would not assume anything from the insurance company. Get a quote to get it fixed. It's actually not as hard as you think. Also, don't worry about importation of teak from Burma, there are plenty of sources and alternatives.

I'd cut a new scarf about 2 inches on the other side of the good one on the right. I'd cut another to the left of the break, then mill a new piece in between.

 

[Puffin_NT32]

Regarding your bent SS stanchion, any good SS repair tech can straighten a bent or even broken SS rail or stanchion. Easier if removed from boat, but can be repaired while on the boat.

 

[Croix du Sud]

Thanks to all advises received, I could deal with a professional marine carpenter. Repairs (including SS stanchions) will take two weeks and cost 3,500 USD equivalent.
Not that bad...
The broker mentioned earlier was thrown overboard
Thanks once more to all of you
Jean L