Sealing Teak Toe Rail

[Capri]

Hi. I've got a 1981 O'day 22 with teak toe rails and I have several points where it screws down that are loose and have a noticeable gap between deck and rail where the screw is loose. I hope the screw, below the bung, is not stripped.
How do you recommend sealing the point where the screw inserts?

 

[Ken Cross]

So I don't try to repeat some great work, here is a link to Mainsail's instructions. It works well and will last.
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...-deck-hardware-with-bed-it-butyl-tape.117172/
Ken

 

[Capri]

Thanks Ken!

 

[jviss]

In addition to MaineSails excellent tutorial, you might want to investigate a bit, exactly how the toe rail is attached. Is it just screwed into the deck fiberglass and/or core material with wood or sheet metal screws, or is it through-bolted? If the former, you may have to pull those bungs and re-fasten the toe rail. If they are all screwed, and into core material, you might be wise to make a project of pulling the toe rails up, entirely, filling the hole locations properly to prevent further water ingress (MaineSail has a tutorial on this, too), and then bedding and through-bolting, and bunging the screw holes. You can get a lot of good varnish work done on the rails when they are off! Big job, I know.

 

[repawn]

Hi - As I have an 1973 O'Day 22 and have done this - first off - they are screws not bolts - the deck is solid fiberglass where they are screwed in - I took all the toerails off - then drilled out the holes - potted them with epoxy - then positioned the toe rails and re-drilled pilot holes for the screws. I was fairly certain the bed-it butyl tape wouldn't work with the screws (it did a great job of rebedding everything else on the boat though) so I used Boatlife Life-Calk. Hope that helps.

 

[jviss]

Interesting. Was it impossible to through-bolt them? Or just not considered, or not necessary?

 

[Capri]

Thanks jviss and repawn.

 

[repawn]

It would have been pretty difficult - the location along the edge of the boat and with the lining in the boat made it a little challenging to pot the holes with epoxy. I don't think there would be enough room to run a bolt through. The toe rails are solid as is and I haven't had any issues with leaking after the rebedding.