What is the proper way to reinstall the teak the runs along the cabin of a 30' Catalina. While chasing down a leak, I removed the teak board and found a mess of caulking that I cleaned off. What is the best way to to calk the area between the cabin cover and deck? Do I fill in the ends where it looks like water is supposed to drain out? Can I use a caulk to fill the holes in the deck before I replace the board and replace the screw and bungs? Do I need to fill the depression where the cabin cover attaches to the deck? Open to good ideas.
Reinstalling Brightwork
- Thread starter BillCat30
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Hey Bill, Good question. I've removed those pieces of teak from the sides of my boat as well, to sand and refinish. There was a clear sealent under them, and I wondered if that was to fill the voids between the screws that fastened it in place. And if it was necessary to smear a bead on the wood strip when I go to replace them.
I hope someone has a definitive answer, it will be interesting to find out.
>cc
I hope someone has a definitive answer, it will be interesting to find out.
>cc
A lot of sailors swear by using Butyl tape to rebed all deck hardware & fasteners that are drilled through the deck. Butyl tape is sticky & never dries out, & remains very flexible, so it is great for applying to the underside of teak trim pieces, that may expand, contract & flex under load. I have also used Life caulk with prety good results. I just rebedded the small Bowmar hatch overhead in the main cabin & along the seams of the deck where the top fiberglass sea hood meets the deck. This immediately stopped a leak that I had overhead. The Bowmar hatch is basically worthless. It is too small to provide good ventilation, it swings open towards the boom vang, so you can't even open it (bad original placement) & the seals leak like a sieve.
Are you getting leaks from the 50+ screws that hold down the jib sheet lines? That teak strip covers those screw ends on both sides. Adding caulk won't help, it will just push the water to some other place to come out.
You'll have to remove all those screws, clean up the topsides and the rail and rebed. DEFINATELY use butyl tape, it works wonders!
I had to reorder the screws because most wouldn't come out without hitting them, which ruined the ends and a copy I had to sawzall away.
No more leaks on the stbd side...haven't gotten the courage to do the other side, maybe next year
You'll have to remove all those screws, clean up the topsides and the rail and rebed. DEFINATELY use butyl tape, it works wonders!
I had to reorder the screws because most wouldn't come out without hitting them, which ruined the ends and a copy I had to sawzall away.
No more leaks on the stbd side...haven't gotten the courage to do the other side, maybe next year
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