Suggestions on removal of teak trim

[BillyBud]

Looking for suggestions on how to remove the wood teak trim around the companion way on our 1989 Capri 18. The teak is quite worn which will require removal and sanding to restore. There appears to be wood screws covered over with wooden plugs. Do I drill out the plugs to expose the screw heads. Is there adhesive securing the trim pieces?

Photos attached.

 

[dmax]

That's not so bad that it couldn't be refinished in-place - avoid removing unless necessary, kind of a pain. There are screws under the bungs (plugs) - drill a small hole in the center and drive a screw into the plug, should pop it out. Don't damage the edges. May be some sealant underneath but not likely. Still, leave it in-place.

 

[kloudie1]

I agree, best to not disturb it unless absolutely necessary. If you do, you can buy new bungs at a marine supply (probably Amazon too) and replace before finishing. The new bungs will be too long and have to be made flush with the other wood before finishing to match. The bungs are available in several sizes; measure carefully.

 

[john6206]

Mine is a '93, I took it all off last winter for the same reason.
In hindsight, I'd agree with the first two comments, it's better to sand and varnish them in place.

Having said that . . . none of my screws were hidden. The "eyebrows" are just glued on, one of mine was falling off when I started, the other was a really slow process.

My original plan was to make all new boards, but there are some interesting compound curves on especially the bottom pieces - the threshold if you will, and when I got them off it seemed really only one of them was broken. I tried to squeeze epoxy into the crack, but I'm a little skeptical - If I end up redoing something - it will probably be that.

I was able to fill the broken bits with thickened epoxy, coat all the pieces with two coats of epoxy and several coats of varnish and be ready for a spring launch.

I swear I took pictures of the before and the during, but all I can find is the after.

 

[john6206]

drilling out wooden plugs without damaging the screw heads seem tricky - maybe someone else has thoughts?
There was a lot of silicone adhesive that I slowly cut my way through with a utility knife and acetone and lots of patience.

 

[shemandr]

You can use a small sharp chisel to remove the bungs.
The website Offcenterharbor has a video under the title Refastening Part 1 or something close to that which demonstrates the technique. You get three free videos before you have to join.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

drilling out wooden plugs without damaging the screw heads seem tricky - maybe someone else has thoughts?
There was a lot of silicone adhesive that I slowly cut my way through with a utility knife and acetone and lots of patience.

I'll usually drill most of the way through and then use either the drill bit or a screw to pop pry them out. Sometimes they break in half. The screw gets a better grip than the drill bit. I usually screw it in by hand then pry. If that doesn't work, I repeat and give it it a half turn with a screw driver then pry again. You can also try using the screwdriver till the bung self destructs. Damage to the screw inside is usually minimal

 

[Davidasailor26]

I’d start with some teak brightener before anything else. See if that cleans it up well enough before you do anything more drastic. I would only remove the wood if it were already split or its fasteners were leaking. If the brightener isn’t enough get a bit of sandpaper and clean it up in place. Yes the pieces will be harder to work on there than on a bench, but the overhead of removing the pieces, reinstalling them, ensuring you don’t make any new leaks, and addressing inevitable project creep will be even more.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I saw a video of a guy removing some on his Beneteau with a box cutter last night. There's very little chance of damaging the screw. Just be careful not to damage the rest of the teak

 

[JBP-PA]

As @dmax and @Project_Mayhem said, one way to remove plugs is to drive a screw into them and keep driving the screw so that the tip pushes against the underlying screw. The plug will (sometimes) be pulled up by the screw. If the underlying screw is damaged, it can be drilled out without damaging the teak, but they are stainless so it won't be fun.

Definitely easier to refinish in place if circumstances permit. A multi-tool sander is handy for getting into small places.