Which gunk?

[Twister_Ken]

Will be stripping off a gnarly old teak deck this winter, before the professionals put on a new one. My efforts will leave 10,000 screw holes (or thereabouts) in the GRP deck that's hiding under the teak. These holes need to be filled, presumably with epoxy.

What brand/quality of epoxy should I use?

TIA

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[Guest]

West is Best ...... but basically if its holes - epoxy is epoxy !

May be an idea to fill with Polyester + Micro-balloons mixed as a paste ? Then you can sand smooth...... as epoxy is pretty tough to sand of ....


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I came - cos they said was FREE Guinness !
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[tcm]

Re: are you sure?

i saw that deck - doesn't it have a teensy bit of life in it yet? I bet you could belt sand it and still have a few millimetres which (if you have tried carrying bits of teak about) is much lighter in weight than a new deck. Professionals don't like ekeing out the life like this cos they get loads more loot wiv a new one and it looks a bit better new (but not that much better really). Beg borrow or steal a belt sander anyway (rule 1 of power tools: black and decker looks llike a power tool but isn't much kop, so twill do for experiment but not reallly for the whole job) and have a lash about. It always looks much worse that it is. You can can some goons to do this for you too if you must.

Anyway, if you DO get a new deck you are hereby banned from using a brush of any type to clean the teak which somebody definitey has used more than once to get all those incredible ridges. You need a mild solution (10water to 1 of gear) of two-part deck cleaner and a cleaning pad (like a pan cleaner but not as scratchy, more like spongey) on a stick and hose pipe. Part 1 first phase removes the gunk, rinse then part two retreives the colour. You wipe the pad across the grain, give it a few minutes, then sweep with the pad and rinse off, then the part two, bosh it on and rinse off after a few mins and the whole process takes 10-15 minutes once a month maximum. You also need a new pair of deck shoes that never goes ashore so no scratchy bits of grit get innem and spoil the exquisitely fine teak.

If you want the teak to last and last with minimal cleaning you need to cover it against direct rainfall when away from the boat, so a boat cover of some sort please. Individual deck covers with discreet poppers are used for a teak-decked tenders up to 80 feet long on a big superyacht where the smoky exhaust would spoil it, worth a thought if the boat cover is a nono. Take the gear to boat, then rip boat cover off and dump it in the car until return from boating.

That should do it.

Any old epoxy under the deck will do. Use some filler is quickest, then epoxy light coat(s) on top.

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[johna]

Hi Ken
So you have decided to go ahead with the deck. Can you PM me with details of who is to lay the new deck please. I am still considering replacing mine.

johna

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[Gunfleet]

So can I get this right?

You're turning your boat into a wooden boat starting from the deck down? Wouldn't it be cheaper to use some old ply? Or just chop it in for a wooden Wayfarer?

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: So can I get this right?

And then I'm gonna get one of them new-fangled wooden keels like all the smart racyyots nowadays.

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[beneteau_305_553]

Have you tried oxalic acid to clean the teak and bring the colour back? It works really well. I use teak oil regularly to keep it from discolouring so quickly and it acts as a waterproofer and rotproofer.

If you do replace the teak perhaps fill the holes with new countersunk stainless screws bedded into Purflex polyurethane (available from seamark nunn etc)

<hr width=100% size=1>Richard

 

[Twister_Ken]

The old teak is definitely going. It is 23 years old and is so thin in places that the sikaflex seams have no rebate left to grip into. Ditto the dowels over the screw heads that pop off if you breath on them. One or two of the fixing screw are now proud of the planking. New deck will be bedded on mastic, not screwed down. Not too keen to put new screws back in the old holes. Would rather fill them with some appopriate epoxy that will become an intrinsic part of the deck structure.

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[Evadne]

General purpose or repair epoxy + low density filler or microballoons, (which are hideously expensive, about 1p each from your local swindler). Mix to the consistency of peanut butter. That's how Mr Goldsmith of West Epoxies told me to fill the holes on my deck. The statement that such a mix is "easily sandable" only applies if you're using an electric sander, in my experience. If it's going to be seen then remember microballoons are bright red/brown, whereas low-density filler is sort of off-grey. Both West and SP epoxies come with a mini instruction book.

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[Gordonmc]

Apologies for going off on a tangent, but I was recently put off buying a ferro hulled boat with flush teak decks which from Twister Ken's description sound just as bad.
As well as being unevenly worn the planking in areas has split, the resultant leaks have then been stopped up ( not very successfully) with various forms of gunk including, in places, silicone sealant. Below decks there is plenty of evidence of water ingress.
After walking away from the boat, which in all other respects would have been a good buy, I began thinking of Coelans treatment as a short to medium term fix. I know it would be expensive on a 30' LOA boat. Any thoughts on viability?


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[Twister_Ken]

many thx. nm

`

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[30boat]

Before applying the epoxy you should open the holes with a countersink bit .This will increase the gluing area.

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