Teak crack - any ideas ?

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ericw

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I've noticed a crack on my teak toerail near the bows - it's about 8 cms long, about 3 mm wide and the same depth.

Has anybody got any ideas how I could plug it temporarily to get through the winter ??

Will probably replace the section next season, but just want to try and eliminate any further damp/water ingress over the lay-up period.

Any help would be great !

Regards,

Eric.

www.HarryHindsight.com
 
I have the same problem, it has existed for several years now but a good deal longer than yours. I have tried various epoxies and other types of glue but none has been successful. In about September I realised that it was extending considerably and I had fears that it would be far more severe by spring. I have taped over it with carpet tape for the winter and in spring I intend to use a router to take out a length about 12 mm wide, 5 mm deep and let in a piece of teak over the top. We used to patch canoes with carpet tape and it was quite common for underwater surfaces to survive a couple of seasons without renewing it.
 
Squieeze some linseed oil putty into the crack and use some reinforced duct tape over it, then put a spline in next year as VyV is going to do. Just a tip, drill each end of the crack, when you spilne it and put a teak plug in each end, this should stop it cracking further, for the glue when splining, I use epoxy, with a thickener and slow hardener.
 
WEST...

i have glued teak successfully using SP epoxy. important thing is to clean and de-grease, acetone works well for this.
 
See if you can find some Aerodux 2 part glue. It was recommended to me by a shipwright and I find it excellent. It's UV proof.
 
I don't think it's possible to glue a longitudinal crack of this type. All you can do is try to squeeze the glue down the crack, hoping that it will cover all of the failed surfaces. It's not possible to clean these first and it is virtually impossible to compress them during curing. I have tried several good quality epoxies, although not the ones mentioned above, and they have been unsuccessful. I feel sure that using the method I describe above, adding Colin's crack arrest tip, will be the one to follow.
 
We don't disagree, Viv. I too think Colin's drilled hole in the end to arrest it is the most important part. I was rather writing from the point of view of repair failure possibly caused by UV, which is what you'll get with epoxy. I was suggesting using Aerodux once the repair was properly made. It's brown as well, which helps it either disappear or have an attractive glueline!
 
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