Deck Caulking

A

alb40

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Hello all

Can anyone please tell me what is the best stuff to use to caulk between planks on the deck of my Johnson and Jago crusier. They are about as watertight as a sieve at the moment. Have heard silkflex is good but only for new wood - true?

Thanks in advance

Alex

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This job does not need to be underestimated. Reef out the old stopping, I made up a tool by heating and bending a long-shaft screwdriver and grinding the blade to fit the seam width. Then refresh the sides of the seams with either a router using a guide board (be very careful!) or a Dremel sanding cylinder. Remove all the dust, then prime. I found that solvent-based epoxy (SP Eposeal 300) was better than the recommended Sikaflex product. Then MOST IMPORTANT line the base of the seam with bond-breaking tape. Mask the edges of the planks with tape and gun in the sealant. Sika DC 290 is expensive but is flexible and works. Allow to cure as per data sheet and then cut/sand back. I found backed single-edged razor blades easier than a chisel for this job.
Good luck! And if it still leaks, coat it all with Coelan at even more expense!

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I've a 36 Fred Shepherd Bermudan cutter with its original teak deck.She was caulked with cotton then paid with Sikaflex. But the sikaflex is now deteriorating with age and I have decided to go even more traditional and used Jeffries Marine Glue type 2. This is essentially pitch tar that has to be melted to 200deg before pouring into your seams. And I have to say I am more than pleased with the results.It is cheap and I think it provides better waterproofing than Sikaflex which costs 10x more.

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Snap!

I did it twice, as described, at six year intervals, only I used a set of bent file tangs for reefing out and I cut back to clean new wood on each side of each seam with a craft knife because the decks were originally secret nailed and the router would of course hit the nails.

Then I discovered Coelan. That was seven years ago and not a drop has dripped since.

Still, cheaper than a new deck....

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Bond breaking tape! Forget it, squirt in the "Sika" then wipe the joint with the poverbial SPUD. Cut the potatoe to the shape of the joint you require and wipe the residue away. This is not "B**l S**t but shown to me by an old Ship Repairer. Yes I know "Vegitable tools" and all that, but try it ,it works.

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