Teak Decks

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bromleybysea

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I am about to renovate the teaks decks on my boat. In places, the grooves for the caulking have worn almost to nothing. There is still a reasonable thickness of teak so I want to re-grove the deck in situ. What is the best tool/technique for this? I thought the mini circular saw on a Dremel to score down each side then a chisel might be one way- but I am looking for any other suggestions.
 
I'm doing the same thing, or will be as the weather improves. I've no need to recut the seams, but if I did I'd use a router and fence. If your seams are worn to nothing, I bet you've been sanding the decks during the winter - naughty boy! You may not have enough wood left of the deck to actually make new deeper seams from.

The ideal tool to remove old caulking (actually made for the purpose) is a Fein Multimaster with deck seam attachment - yes, they do actually exist! Multimaster also horribly useful for other things as well.
 
I would suggest using a chisel ( usually 6mm) to deepen the grooves.
Point the chisel away from you and "pull" it towards you ie. dont dig it into the groove), rather "scrape" with it.
When goove deep enough, seal with sealer ( see sikaflex site).
Put masking tape either side of groove and fill with sikaflex deck sealant.

After appling the sikaflex, use a paint scraper or similar to smooth down and it also removes the excess sikaflex ( some of the sikaflex will spread outwards but if your careful, only onto the masking tape)

After 10/15 minutes pull off the masking tape (with the sikaflex overflow)

Just do a small area ( within arms reach )at a time, as its difficult to avoid the wet sikaflex and thinks can get messy.

Have cellulose thinners available for cleaning any mess.
 
This Fein Multimaster thingy... What does it actually do? I can see the blade and the tool from the website but is it a vibrating action or what? If it works it sounds like a very useful tool...

cheers,
 
It vibrates from side to side about 3 degrees- very useful for installing e.g. seccondary flooring. I've got the Bosch equivelent- it's half the price of the Fein and takes Fein blades-at least the older models. I will get the special blade for deck seams- though it seems very expensive for what it is.
 
Another couple of points. Ensure the sika flex adheres to the sides of the seam by using acetone to remove oils and then applying primer. ensure the sika flex DOES NOT adhere to the bottom of the groove by useing a breaker tape.
Good luck
 
I can't quite see how your teak deck still has a 'reasonable thickness' but your seams are worn through?

Are you sure that you are not through to the plywood underdeck.

Teak decks on most reasonably recent boats are laid over either the GRP for decorative purposes or on a timber (or composite) boat over ply....I have to say I would be very cautious about cutting the seams in further..If your deck has worn down that far due to years of deck scrubbing or sanding I think I would be inclined just to treat with care!

All best Nick
 
Your advice is correct.

I applied the sikaflex without using the breaker tape which is not the correct
way to do it.
One of the reasons for this was that the depth of the groove was not what I would have liked or could achieve so I opted to attach to the bottom as well as the sides.
 
The seams in my deck do not go right through the thickness of the teak- there is a narrow "V" shaped gap between the planks and then a square-sided groove at the surface that forms the seam. It is this seam that has worn away in places. Thanks for the advice- It looks like cutting the new seams will be a chore, I wouldn't feel confident to use a router.
 
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