Varnish +Sikaflex.

[Yarrow]

Beginner's questions, no doubt, but bear with me. Do I varnish my foredeck planking before doing the seams with Sikaflex or similar, or afterwards? Does varnish react with Sikaflex? What grade do I need? The wood is Iroko.

 

[JesseLoynes]

Assuming that you are talking about a normal-ish laid deck, it should go something like this...

General plan for paying a laid deck:

1. Clean all old crap out of the seams, hoover/blow clean.

2. Lay bond-breaker tape in bottom of seams. This is to help the seams be able to move as the deck shrinks and expands. The sikaflex only bonds to the side walls of each groove, not the bottom as well.

3. Mask up all the top surface of the deck. Use short-ish (3-4 ft) lengths and leave a tail that is easy to grab.

4. Coat the sides of the grooves with the correct primer. Allow to dry.

5. Apply a second coat of primer and then apply sikaflex after period stated in paperwork. Apply slightly proud and allow to self-level. Best to remove all your masking tape at this stage as you move down the deck.

6. Congratulate yourself on good planning by finishing at the ladder/pontoon or curse loudly as you find yourself marooned on the far side of the deck surrounded by a sea of sikaflex! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

7. Allow to go off fully, and then sand the sika flush with the deck. Go easy with the beltsander to avoid too many dips and troughs!

8. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Before you start to apply the sika, make sure you are absolutley organised on gloves/bin bags/sika/mastic guns/etc. Once it starts, you need to have everything close to hand.

Part 4 is not always considered necessary, but it seems to be good practice.
I'm sure many others here can offer lots more advice and useful tips, or in fact some corrections of any mistakes they feel I've made! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

good luck! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Casey]

I re-caulked the deck of Kala Sona using exactly the method suggested by Big Southern Jesse and afterwards used Sikkens to varnish the deck. I have been very pleased with the result although the deck is due for a re-varnish now.

 

[jezjez]

morning, Casey.
Have you not found a buyer for Kala Sona as yet?

 

[Casey]

Hi JezJez,

Kala Sona is still up for sale although I have someone vaguely interested in her. Have you changed your mind???

How is your boat coming along?

 

[jezjez]

I have bought the Hillyard 8 ton i mentioned to you last time we wrote. I've been both pleased and horrified by my decision to go wooden!
She's a beauty (I think) but there are quite a few jobs. I'm certainly going to learn a lot about it all.
People said owning a wooden boat was lots of work but that also means lots of new knowledge. You get back loads from doing it.
Good luck with KS, she's worth the money.

 

[jezjez]

By the way, she's still advertised on the Boatshop24.com website. If you type Hillyard and sailing yacht, she's the last one at the bottom they've called her the Hillyard 30. I actually found her by literally bumping into the owner at the marina and saying "that's a nice boat!".

 

[Casey]

I have sent you a seperate e mail.

 

[Peterduck]

A common mistake in running any kind of mastic into a seam is to draw the gun toward you as you lay the mastic in. This results in the mastic going in under a slight tension, and it is easy to get bubbles or an incomplete fill this way. It is much better to push the gun before you so that you push the mastic down into the seam. Start by doing the seams closest to the centreline, and end up doing those nearest the Covering Board. These you will do from a position standing outside the boat. Be prepared for a truly filthy job, as the Sikaflex will get to many places where you didn't want it. Wear clothes, gloves, etc., that you are prepared to discard.
Peter.

 

[Seanick]

The idea of a laid deck is that it is vaguely non-slip. I would leave it unvarnished. Iroko is v.durable.

"The last thing the skipper ever saw as he slipped over the side was his beautifully varnished deck" /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif