repairing deck caulking

[njl]

I have a few areas in my cabin top with cracked polysulfide caulking where water can squeeze in.

I'd prefer to repair the cracks rather than recaulk the entire section which is mostly decent. Is it possible to just press fresh polysulfide into those areas? Is there another product like shoe goo that anyone has used? Or do you I really need to recaulk from scratch?

 

[Snotter]

If you had the teak-deck blade made for a multi-fein, it would be a piece of cake to root a small portion of the seams.

 

[Stephen K]

If they are small hairline cracks, I would clean the area and use Captain Tolley's (sp???) creeping crack cure.
If the cracks are larger and more visible, I would consider the method that Snotter mentions and fill with thinned epoxy and / or gelcoat to match.

 

[Steve Dion]

I assume that you are speaking about wood decks with caulking?

If that is the case, why not just remove the areas that a cracked and see how you do from there?

 

[Snotter]

I assume that you are speaking about wood decks with caulking?

If that is the case, why not just remove the areas that a cracked and see how you do from there?

I saw a pro using a fein teak-deck blade cut out the old caulk in a teak deck in a single weekend (Westsail 32). The grooves were very consistant and clean. Everyone with teak decks should be so lucky to own a fein and teak-deck blades. (2 blades cost 170$. Only fein sells them. The blades come in a right-hand and left-hand models. It is best to have both kinds.)

 

[Steve Dion]

Snotter:

You may have hit a key word "PRO".

One of the fellows in our marina just stripped all of the wood off his decks. Under the wood was a traditional fiberglass deck. He removed all of the 1000 or so screws and epoxied them up. Then they applied Kiwi Grip to the decks. The leaks are gone along with the maintenance nightmare.

 

[njl]

I assume that you are speaking about wood decks with caulking?

If that is the case, why not just remove the areas that a cracked and see how you do from there?

Correct - teak cabin top. I'll try that, thanks!

 

[RichH]

Sometimes you can get 'lucky' with a partial repair of a seam .... but the caulk you use should be the exact same as the remaining caulk.

First of all you should decide / analyse the reason for the caulk separation (usually wet or high moisture strakes being caulked) and the need to rout out the area down to 'fresh' wood. Once that is solved OR you decide to apply a thin layer on epoxy on the offending 'side' of the caulk seam, use a simply sharp knife and cut the old caulk from the top margin of the 'good side' down to the bottom of the 'bad side'; this will remove a triangular cross section of the caulk and will leave the caulk firm attached to the side that didnt 'go'. Then all you have to do is mask and recaulk the 'triangular' strip that was cut away, leaving the bond breaker strip unaffected in the bottom of the groove. Youll probably be successful 75% of the time doing it this way. For 'repeats' of caulk separation ... suggest you 'dig in' to find the actual cause of the separation - oxidized wood, high moisture, bubbles in the last caulking job, etc. .... and the worst that will bring absolute fear and trepidation of a screwed down teak deck owner - the 'bedding' caulk 'under' the strakes need replacing.

 

[njl]

...use a simply sharp knife and cut the old caulk from the top margin of the 'good side' down to the bottom of the 'bad side'; this will remove a triangular cross section of the caulk and will leave the caulk firm attached to the side that didnt 'go'. Then all you have to do is mask and recaulk the 'triangular' strip that was cut away, leaving the bond breaker strip unaffected in the bottom of the groove...

I like the triangular cut idea. I may try that in a couple places.