Like most of you in the Northeast, I'm currently removing everything I can from my boat and refinishing it inside where it's warm. This is my first winter with my Oday 26, and I am enjoying adding my personal touch to the new boat. I am in the process of refinishing the exterior teak. Today I tried to remove the companionway trim. After drilling out the plugs and removing the screws, I found that the teak was still being held fast by the sealant. I decided to leave it alone. Ideally, I would like to remove all of the wood I can so it can be inspected and resealed. Have any of you undertaken this task? Is it worth the extra work? How about the teak toe rails? How easily do they come off? Thanks for the help.
Removing deck teak
- Thread starter Mike8088
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I did it on two O'Day 25's
I took everything off the boat to rebed it but I replaced all the wood work. I redid the 78 with all teak. I changed some ofthe design of the wooden parts. The new ones are beefed up to a substancial size. On the 79 (that I own now) I mixed woods. Teak to replace the companion way retainers and also for the for the companionway slides. My slides are about 1 1/2x 1 1/2 inches square. The hand rail on the cabin top is made from ipe a brizilian hardwood. The companion way boards are of mohogany. Everything is finished in Penofin.Easy maintenance! The 79 has no wood on the toe rail but the 78 did. That was a pain to deal with. When you have all removed, counter sink the holes in the deck and on the back side of the wood slightly before reinstalling the parts. When the bedding material is compressed into the countersink, it will be a better seal. I am open for individual questions. r.w.landau
I took everything off the boat to rebed it but I replaced all the wood work. I redid the 78 with all teak. I changed some ofthe design of the wooden parts. The new ones are beefed up to a substancial size. On the 79 (that I own now) I mixed woods. Teak to replace the companion way retainers and also for the for the companionway slides. My slides are about 1 1/2x 1 1/2 inches square. The hand rail on the cabin top is made from ipe a brizilian hardwood. The companion way boards are of mohogany. Everything is finished in Penofin.Easy maintenance! The 79 has no wood on the toe rail but the 78 did. That was a pain to deal with. When you have all removed, counter sink the holes in the deck and on the back side of the wood slightly before reinstalling the parts. When the bedding material is compressed into the countersink, it will be a better seal. I am open for individual questions. r.w.landau
How about the bedding compound
Thanks for the info. Did you have a problem with the sealant not letting go? If so, how did you loosen it?
Thanks for the info. Did you have a problem with the sealant not letting go? If so, how did you loosen it?
If you are tryng to save the piece,
use a length of good braided fishing line and cut the caulking with a sawing motion. I like the 3M 4000UV for bedding compound. If you do the ports, becareful! The plastic frame is very brittle. Don't try to use anything to pry with. Use silicone to bed the ports. r.w.landau
use a length of good braided fishing line and cut the caulking with a sawing motion. I like the 3M 4000UV for bedding compound. If you do the ports, becareful! The plastic frame is very brittle. Don't try to use anything to pry with. Use silicone to bed the ports. r.w.landau
Removing teak
Removing the toe rails may be a chore, one that I plan to tackle soon on my O27 They are thru-bolted and accessing the nuts inside will be difficult, definitely a 2-person job to remove & replace. I think it's worth the effort as it would be almost impossible to sand & recoat them in place without some scratching & scuffing of the surrounding gelcoat, but still worth doing. I did my hand-rails & hatch coaming etc & used Cetol, 3 coats, after light sanding to remove the old coating and a bit of the weathered teak. After 3 yrs it still looks pretty good & any re-coating will be confined to the upper surfaces that are exposed to UV, so I don't anticipate having to take the teak off again for a long time. Given the age of our boats, the teak probably needs to be re-bedded anyway. I used 3M5200 'cause I don't plan to remove stuff again and I think it gives a better seal than the 4200, but if you think you'll have to remove a part, then 4200 or a Sika equivalent is probably a better choice for anything above the WL. As RW Landau suggested, putting a slight bevel on the edges of the holes in the wood and the gelcoat is a good plan: there will be a little donut of sealant around the fastener that will compress and make a better seal. Just snug the fastenings down initially, and wait for the bedding material to cure before a final tightening.
Removing the toe rails may be a chore, one that I plan to tackle soon on my O27 They are thru-bolted and accessing the nuts inside will be difficult, definitely a 2-person job to remove & replace. I think it's worth the effort as it would be almost impossible to sand & recoat them in place without some scratching & scuffing of the surrounding gelcoat, but still worth doing. I did my hand-rails & hatch coaming etc & used Cetol, 3 coats, after light sanding to remove the old coating and a bit of the weathered teak. After 3 yrs it still looks pretty good & any re-coating will be confined to the upper surfaces that are exposed to UV, so I don't anticipate having to take the teak off again for a long time. Given the age of our boats, the teak probably needs to be re-bedded anyway. I used 3M5200 'cause I don't plan to remove stuff again and I think it gives a better seal than the 4200, but if you think you'll have to remove a part, then 4200 or a Sika equivalent is probably a better choice for anything above the WL. As RW Landau suggested, putting a slight bevel on the edges of the holes in the wood and the gelcoat is a good plan: there will be a little donut of sealant around the fastener that will compress and make a better seal. Just snug the fastenings down initially, and wait for the bedding material to cure before a final tightening.
I still like sealers or oils.
If the Cetol is bumped it becomes cloudy and is next to impossible to repair. olo, Most of the composite decks have a wood mix in them. If you rip them, you expose the composite wood. I am not sure how is would play out on a boat. On decks rips are not exposed to view. I would be concerned with some swelling Probably minor, but the swelling at the connection to the boat deck which may make keeping a water tight joint difficult. If you could find a true synthetic product that was not composite I would give it a try. Just opinions... r.w.landau
If the Cetol is bumped it becomes cloudy and is next to impossible to repair. olo, Most of the composite decks have a wood mix in them. If you rip them, you expose the composite wood. I am not sure how is would play out on a boat. On decks rips are not exposed to view. I would be concerned with some swelling Probably minor, but the swelling at the connection to the boat deck which may make keeping a water tight joint difficult. If you could find a true synthetic product that was not composite I would give it a try. Just opinions... r.w.landau
Removing teak toe rail. O'Day 25
I am a new owner to a totally re-born 25. Just beautiful! However, it does have some leaks. The most serious is a leak from the starboard toe rail next to the shroud. I am going to remove it, re-caulk, and replace. From your experience, how did you refasten the rail to the deck? Did you use larger diameter screws to get a firmer bite? What did you use to caulk the screws/rail? What type metal screws did you use?....I guess by now you get the picture. Thanks in advance for you help.. John
I am a new owner to a totally re-born 25. Just beautiful! However, it does have some leaks. The most serious is a leak from the starboard toe rail next to the shroud. I am going to remove it, re-caulk, and replace. From your experience, how did you refasten the rail to the deck? Did you use larger diameter screws to get a firmer bite? What did you use to caulk the screws/rail? What type metal screws did you use?....I guess by now you get the picture. Thanks in advance for you help.. John
thru bolted
The toe rails on my 27' were through bolted. I'm sure the 25' is the same. It was really a two person job removing and re-assembling since one person needs to be topside holding the screwdriver while the other is down below with a deep well socket and/or wrench removing the nuts. Accessibility is tough since the pan headliner is fixed, there's little room between the liner and hull. Here's a little tip, if you decide to remove all of the teak at the same time like I did, stop by a sign maker's studio and rummage through their scrap vinyl, the same thing boat lettering is made from, and get enough to cut patches to cover the hundred or so open holes you now have in your boat while you restore your teak. This way, you can take your time and do it right rather than watching the weather to make sure you get it replaced before the weather window closes. Hope this helps.
The toe rails on my 27' were through bolted. I'm sure the 25' is the same. It was really a two person job removing and re-assembling since one person needs to be topside holding the screwdriver while the other is down below with a deep well socket and/or wrench removing the nuts. Accessibility is tough since the pan headliner is fixed, there's little room between the liner and hull. Here's a little tip, if you decide to remove all of the teak at the same time like I did, stop by a sign maker's studio and rummage through their scrap vinyl, the same thing boat lettering is made from, and get enough to cut patches to cover the hundred or so open holes you now have in your boat while you restore your teak. This way, you can take your time and do it right rather than watching the weather to make sure you get it replaced before the weather window closes. Hope this helps.
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I realized I didn't answer all of your questions... Bedding compound was whatever the local chandlery had at the time, Boatlife perhaps? I was lucky and almost all of the bolts were re-useable, I did get an extra box of stainless steel washers and nuts, perhaps an extra bolt or two. Re-plugging the holes (bungs), I found it best to just use the varnish to "glue" them in place.
I realized I didn't answer all of your questions... Bedding compound was whatever the local chandlery had at the time, Boatlife perhaps? I was lucky and almost all of the bolts were re-useable, I did get an extra box of stainless steel washers and nuts, perhaps an extra bolt or two. Re-plugging the holes (bungs), I found it best to just use the varnish to "glue" them in place.
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