The Decks

The green tape "X's" mark the general center of the worst area of the deck where the lack of core material has allowed the deck to become loose.

The first step is always a detailed examination of the areas concerned, taking into account the underlying reasons for the problem. As we begin the task of refinishing all the teak there are numerous small repairs to do before refinishing.

Close up view of deck fastening screws. The screws are bedded in FG and are only holding where they grab the edge of the fiberglass. It is for all intents and purposes not practical to remove the screws because they are "glued in" and removal even with the grates care more often than not will break them or leave them loose.

The decks pose a far greater problem than the cabin sides as there is no way to access the core material from inside. There is extensive cracking in the planking itself and based on the test removal of a line of screws it is highly probable that attempting to remove the deck will damage much of the teak beyond repair. It is my expectation the the core material under the teak (coring the decks) is every bit as bad as the core material below the windows. To do a part way job on the decks is impossible. Re calking the edges of the planks will have some short term effect in keeping water out, or at least until it weathers.

The problem is there is no core material for the teak deck screws to hold on to left in some areas. To properly fix the decks is a very large job that will require lifting the teak decks, cutting away the deck, scraping out the old wet core and replacing it as was done in the aft cabin sides.

The port side deck has enough access to insert a new core section under the worst effected area.