Small cracks starting in teak decking. Recommendations please ?

[Newman]

Evening all

I have a couple of small cracks appearing in my teak decking. I have not treated it in the 9 months since I took possession of the boat and I am not sure the previous owner treated it for quite some time. I do hasten to add that everyone is of the opinion that the decking is in excellent general condition. The boat is a 1990 Bavaria and the new decking was fitted in 2002.

My concern is that with winter fast approaching the rain/sleet will get into the cracks, freeze and worsen the situation.

Can I please ask what immediate action you would suggest ?. Is there a treatment that would fill the cracks while at the same time protect the decking in general ?

I did begin to look at several previous threads regarding different treatments but to be honest, I ended up not knowing which way to turn.

Any helpful suggestions will be most welcome (before the forcast drop in temperatures gets too grim !).

Many thanks in advance

 

[Monique]

I call my teak decks my "time bomb". I plan ditching all of the stuff when the deck must come off... GGGRRRRR

 

[PlankWalker]

Warm up area of crack with heat gun or hair dryer, put a dam of plasticine around crack, warm up some epoxy to make it runny, mix with hardener and pour onto still warm teak overfilling the crack. When epoxy is the consistency of hard cheese pare of the excess with sharp chisel. sand when completely hard.
Good luck, Plank.

 

[G12]

There was something called "creeping crack cure" that you could get for such things..... I've seen it in the last 18 months..... worth a google. I think it's primarily for stopping leaks but then that could be what you're after to keep the water out.

 

[tillergirl]

Can we ask some questions - where are the cracks - in the timber or at the edge between the timber and the caulking? If the latter, the proper remedy is to redo the caulking - rake out the old and put down some new polysophide.

If the timber (which is what I suspect you mean), how wide, how long are the cracks? Are we talking about something that goes right through the depth of the plank? Personally I would avoid Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack cure as suggested by G12. I've used it (having a wooden boat and having had a genuine (ie no fiberglass underneath) teak deck). It works but it dries to a dark almost black colour and will show up - permanently.

Do you know the treatment used by the previous owner? Generally speaking teak decks need no treatment other than cleaning. Coelan is probably the best overall treatment if you are going to put something on it but you will need to do the whole lot - not that that is a great struggle.

 

[angelsson]

Evening all

I have a couple of small cracks appearing in my teak decking. I have not treated it in the 9 months since I took possession of the boat and I am not sure the previous owner treated it for quite some time. I do hasten to add that everyone is of the opinion that the decking is in excellent general condition. The boat is a 1990 Bavaria and the new decking was fitted in 2002.

My concern is that with winter fast approaching the rain/sleet will get into the cracks, freeze and worsen the situation.

Can I please ask what immediate action you would suggest ?. Is there a treatment that would fill the cracks while at the same time protect the decking in general ?

I did begin to look at several previous threads regarding different treatments but to be honest, I ended up not knowing which way to turn.

Any helpful suggestions will be most welcome (before the forcast drop in temperatures gets too grim !).

Many thanks in advance

I have teak decks in good condition, but I still get an occassional small leak around deck fittings.

I have found using Captain Tolleys Creaping Crack Cure excellent, has worked very well for me, can recommend it.

 

[Tranona]

It really depends on the construction of the deck. It is probably just teak strips glued onto the deck and is therefore just cosmetic and not structural. If it is proper teak it does not need any treatment other than regular washing to clean off the dirt. The whole point of using teak is that the wood is very durable and does not need any surface coating.

However, it is vulnerable to the seams splitting and the caulking coming out. Provided the teak is still well attached to the GRP you can rake out and refill the seams. If individual strips of teak have split you can fill the splits, after cleaning out, with thickened and coloured epoxy.

If you are unlucky the teak may be screwed down onto the deck, in which case splits and loose caulking can allow water to get into the substrate which is potentially much more serious than splits in cosmetic coverings.

 

[Newman]

Splits in teak decking. Answers to your questions. Thank you

Many thanks to all for taking the time and trouble to reply. In answer to your questions:

The cracks are in the centre of the timber and not near the caulking.

They do not appear to go right through the depth of the wood.

At the moment there are only 3 (maybe 4) cracks. The biggest is appx 100mm long and 1mm wide at its widest point. The others are half this size.

The largest is in the cockpit locker lid surface. The rest are in other general cockpit ‘seating’ surface areas.

There is no evidence of the teak being screwed to the deck (plugged screw holes etc) and the decking all appears to be well secured strips. Hopefully making it a cosmetic problem.

I’m afraid contacting the previous owner to ask questions is not a preferred option.

From the suggestions offered I am leaning toward washing to clean off the dirt, clean out the cracks and fill with thickened and coloured epoxy.

I am shying away from using Captain Tolleys Creaping Crack Cure due to the remarks that it will dry to a very dark colour. Perhaps if the cracks were in less obvious places I would feel differently.

If anyone has the patience to answer the following questions, one word answers (almost) if preferred, I would be most grateful

Wash – With what and using what (sponge/brush) ?.

Epoxy/Colouring – Type and where to buy ?.

Coelan – Further information if possible ?.

Once again
THANK YOU

 

[Tranona]

Wash with water and soft brush. If you have green stains you might need Baracol (from a garden centre). Useful to rinse with a hose, but not a high pressure water jet.

For filling the cracks, clean out with acetone then mix epoxy with either microballoons which are brown or if you can, get some fine teak sawdust. You will find it difficult to get a perfect colour match, but sanding it once it is cured will give it a matt finish. Tolleys is not the right product as you don't have a leak - you only need to seal the edges of the crack to stop splinters breaking away. You can get small quantity kits of epoxy from Wessex Resin (West). They also have lots of useful information on using their products for repairs.

Coelan looks attractive but it is hideously expensive, difficult to apply properly and if the film gets broken it peels off very easily. Generally not a good idea on teak decks. Stick with regular washing and preferably cover up in the winter if you can as that reduces the amount of atmospheric muck that gets in the grain.

 

[ianj99]

Surely using something tougher and less flexible than the teak - ie epoxy is not a good idea?
I would expect epoxy to cause more splitting - as the teak moves the part epoxied will split off from its surroundings and you end up with a bigger split...

I'd think more along the lines of a coloured flexible sealant (not silicone)
It may not last for ever, but can easily be raked out and reapplied every couple of years.

(The OP's main concern was to prevent the cracks getting worse due to freeze / thaw rather than to cure any structural weakness)

 

[Tranona]

Surely using something tougher and less flexible than the teak - ie epoxy is not a good idea?
I would expect epoxy to cause more splitting - as the teak moves the part epoxied will split off from its surroundings and you end up with a bigger split...

I'd think more along the lines of a coloured flexible sealant (not silicone)
It may not last for ever, but can easily be raked out and reapplied every couple of years.

(The OP's main concern was to prevent the cracks getting worse due to freeze / thaw rather than to cure any structural weakness)

No, done it many times. The teak strips are generally very stable. The splits are likely to be poor wood rather than caused by flexing or expansion.