re-bedding

[gary]

Last weekend was our first time upon Ambrosia (1986 Catalina 27) which we bought a week earlier. It is our first sialboat. During the night it rained buckets and we had several leaks from above though the teak wood which turned out to be a water torture. Are there any good resourses for a beginning boater explaining how to best re-bed, best product(s) to use, and eliminate if possible these leaks? I have been instructed by my wife and kids that this is the first "project" I will do. For this weekend I have bought a tarp I plan to place over the top as hopefully a short term solution.

 

[Chris Burti]

bedding

Quick and dirty method (lets you sail more now); Use 3M101 or LifeCaulk. Avoid silicones (except on plastics, they migrate, don't adhere well)or polyurethanes(adhere too well). Remove all deck fittings scrape old adhesive off and clean with acetone. Tape deck around fitting, apply sealant, replace fitting and hardware. Place a couple of dimes under the edges of the fitting and tighten hardware snug. Let cure for 48 hours, remove dimes and tighten down to deck, squeezing your new 'gasket'.Best method for cored decks; Remove the hardware. Drill the holes 1/4" oversize. Use a bent finishing nail in a drill to clean out the core material another 1/4" in diameter between the 'skins'. Tape the bottom of the hole and stuff with 'glass filled epoxy. Let cure, redrill to proper size and chamfer the top edges of the holes with a countersink bit, this will create/form your 'gasket' without the need for dimes. Rebed and install the hardware as above.The primary cause of core rot in older boats is poor maintenance of through deck hardware coupled with the unwillingness of most manufacturers to terminate the obsolete practice of drilling decks without sealing the core.

 

[Peter]

well said...

I believe Chris pretty much covered it. I too like the 3M101 sealant and lifecaulk, but others would swear by polyurethanes (not my recommendation)for this.