Morgan 34 Cockpit Sole Rot

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Paul Koestner

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Feb 15, 2009
12
Oday 28 Manhasset Bay, LI
Our 1970 Morgan 34 cockpit sole has a commonly used design trait, teak strips separated by some sort of black "grout", all of this I assume glued somehow to a shallow pan. I describe it without understanding the fundamental building process. Can anyone describe the components and construction techniques, as well as suggest repair/replacement ideas. Obvious complications include the existence of a seated fuel port, steering pedestal and two aft drain ports.

Thanks,
Paul
s/v Laura Lynn (Manhasset Bay, Long Island)
 
jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
is the wood bad? is the black caulk bad? what has gone bad?

photos help. is the floor leaking into the bilge?

i know teak. might be easy
 
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Paul Koestner

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Feb 15, 2009
12
Oday 28 Manhasset Bay, LI
Both the teak and the caulk are failing. This is strictly in the cockpit sole, where some water can collect. I'm guessing the sole pan is intact. I see no water ingress, but I should really double-check in the engine compartment. Apologies for the lack of pix. I'll try to get some in the near future. In any event, thanks for responding. At least I seem to be posting correctly.
 
TomY

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,759
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Great high-resolution` photo work!

Zooming in, I can't see any obvious wood plugs that would be hiding fasteners. That could be good. Maybe an adhesive was used to hold the teak veneer decking down to the sole? Fastener hole through the fiberglass skin and into a balsa core suffers water intrusion as the teak begins to wear and thin.

Then was the cockpit sole cored, and if so with what material? Is info available from a Morgan owners group online?

My guess is, when you make the repairs, you'll want to: Remove the binnacle, scuppers and fuel fitting. Remove the teak decking. Then if you're lucky, you may just be able to re-install new teak veneer decking, caulk, and have a beautiful cockpit sole.

If the core is water saturated then you'll have the extra work of repairing that first. At that point, you may even consider just glassing the sole over the core repairs and skip the teak.
 
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jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
from your photos, that will be easy to repair. a bit tedious, but no big deal.
take an old file, bend the pointy tip over 90 degrees, Carefully and slowly dig out the weathered black caulk while trying not to widen the gap. then with a router and/or a chisel cut out worn wood area. doing so while not going any deeper into the wood than needed. then take a thin piece of teak and epoxy into the area. this is called an inlay. now buy a tube of the black teak deck caulk and recaulk the gaps. if the caulk is a little higher than the wood, don't worry. the caulk can be trimmed with either a razor blade or sanded down with a belt sander.
the inlay looks like it will be about 1/8 in thick, maybe less.

if your not hobby carpenter, hire one.

once done you'll never notice it after it gets a little weathering.
 
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jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
or you can go with a total restoration like tom the master does. which is the best of the best.
we all love tom's work.
either way it won't change the way the boat sails.

if it's not leaking, my inlay patch and caulk job will work nicely
 
jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
paul, i will tell you that my decks are real teak decks and not a veneer. my teak planks are 1 1/4" thick still after 50 plus years.
however, another of my hobbies is building and flying RC planes. fixing and refixing small issues like yours are all part of the game.
 
TomY

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,759
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
jon hansen said:
or you can go with a total restoration like tom the master does. which is the best of the best.
we all love tom's work.
either way it won't change the way the boat sails.

if it's not leaking, my inlay patch and caulk job will work nicely
Click to expand
Your idea to spot repair is a good idea too. This season, lots of longer projects will be deferred,...
 
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Paul Koestner

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Feb 15, 2009
12
Oday 28 Manhasset Bay, LI
Oh my gosh, you guys. This is wonderful info all around. Thanks for all your various solutions to my problem. The very fact that my wife and I can get our girl in the water this season is something of a triumph. I'm the one who is happy we don't sink each season, but Deb likes to have a home on the water she can be proud of. While I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to fixes, I have a feeling I'll have time to try some more sophisticated repairs this summer.

Thanks again, all, and fair winds!

Paul
 
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