Teak decks - Bedding hardware ideas

[chowdan]

Hey all,

Boat has teak decks and some hardware such as cleats, tracks, hand rails etc are mounted directly on top of the teak deck and through bolted.

Typically re-bedding things, I'll chamfer the hole which TYPICALLY means the teak is only chamfered. I've noticed that MOST things bedded this way does okay at not leaking, but i do notice that sometimes this doesn't actually work if the caulking seams fail and moisture gets under the teak and migrates.

Personally I am thinking about boring out the teak to be a tad larger than the drilled holes and filling this area with thickened polyester to create a "dam" surrounding the hole. I know most people will say use epoxy over poly - but applications like this I stand with poly being far more time efficient than epoxy. This "plug" will then be chamfered as usual and bedded with butyl.

Do others have ideas on ways to bedding hardware that run through teak decks?

[Orin]

I’ve been mulling over my teak decks. I am going to be refastening and potting all the screws into the deck to prevent those types of leaks.

I haven’t gone over the cleats but for some of the other hardware I was planning on taking a router to the teak using a template then adding a footing. For the cleats I’ll probably just pot the hole around the cleat so that if it leaks it just corrodes the bolt and whatnot rather than rotting the deck.

[Bowdrie]

It doesn't have to be a teak surface, but on any surface that you really want to remain leak free.
The biggest bang for the buck is to mount ALL hardware that is secured to the deck or cabin top, cleats/chocks/pad eyes/line stoppers/windlass/etc. (and especially stanchion bases,) on raised pads.
This eliminates standing water around the bolt holes, and a pad can vastly increase the area of sealant that must be breached in order for water to reach a fastener hole.
A big up-side; nothing is so tedious as trying to clean/sand/paint/varnish around the mounting bases of hardware, (cleats are miserable).
When all is mounted on pads, (Teak/Starboard/Delrin/whatever,) all kinds of maintenance issues become so much easier.
PS. Don't forget about "Dolphinite", it is still one of the best bedding compounds around for many applications.

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

It doesn't have to be a teak surface, but on any surface that you really want to remain leak free.
The biggest bang for the buck is to mount ALL hardware that is secured to the deck or cabin top, cleats/chocks/pad eyes/line stoppers/windlass/etc. (and especially stanchion bases,) on raised pads.
This eliminates standing water around the bolt holes, and a pad can vastly increase the area of sealant that must be breached in order for water to reach a fastener hole.
A big up-side; nothing is so tedious as trying to clean/sand/paint/varnish around the mounting bases of hardware, (cleats are miserable).
When all is mounted on pads, (Teak/Starboard/Delrin/whatever,) all kinds of maintenance issues become so much easier.
PS. Don't forget about "Dolphinite", it is still one of the best bedding compounds around for many applications.

I thought dolphinite was only good on wooden boats? I pretty much only use butyl tape, sometimes I'll finish with a bead of 4000UV around things like port lights but really this is just cosmetic finish(and helps holding butyl from oozing when warm season hits)

If mounting things to a pad helps, then I guess removing the teak surrounding the hole and potting it in a thickened poly/epoxy to create a "pad" of sort should help then

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Orin

I’ve been mulling over my teak decks. I am going to be refastening and potting all the screws into the deck to prevent those types of leaks.

I haven’t gone over the cleats but for some of the other hardware I was planning on taking a router to the teak using a template then adding a footing. For the cleats I’ll probably just pot the hole around the cleat so that if it leaks it just corrodes the bolt and whatnot rather than rotting the deck.

I've been slowly doing this as well. It's been a slow process but worth it IMO. I've also slowly been cutting new grooves and recaulking. Have a lot of projects on the list of things to do, so this one has just been one of those things where I am slowly working on since it's a very tedious and time consuming one. Also hard on the knees. My deck is foam cored and surprisingly out of all the samples I've taken, zero signs of moisture which I am fortunate for.

All hardware I've pulled over 6 years I've potted the hole before rebedding. Wish I had removed the teak a bit around the hole and filled it with epoxy to create a larger 'pad' that would have allowed me to create a better seal.

Moisture is under my decks for sure so I'm guessing this is where some of the moisture is showing up from - but not super concerned as I know the decks will come off at some point - maybe a thing in Mexico to do. If need be, I'll fix any moisture in the foam core but until then, task is to keep moisture from dripping into the boat

[Bowdrie]

Dolphinite is great for going between a Teak pad and a Teak deck.
The reason for pads is to raise the fittings up off of the deck and to make the horizontal path of water intrusion greater.
Look at a common cleat, the fastener holes have very little meat/metal surrounding the fastener holes.
Under strains in all directions the tiny amount of sealant gradually breaks down, then good rainstorms, water washing down the deck, even a high-pressure washing hose stream will overcome the joint and start letting water in.
Raised pads allow much easier maintenance/deck care, that's a bonus.
You don't go routing out big holes to fill with epoxy, that's for foam cored decks, (and raised pads work wonders for them too).

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

Dolphinite is great for going between a Teak pad and a Teak deck.
The reason for pads is to raise the fittings up off of the deck and to make the horizontal path of water intrusion greater.
Look at a common cleat, the fastener holes have very little meat/metal surrounding the fastener holes.
Under strains in all directions the tiny amount of sealant gradually breaks down, then good rainstorms, water washing down the deck, even a high-pressure washing hose stream will overcome the joint and start letting water in.
Raised pads allow much easier maintenance/deck care, that's a bonus.
You don't go routing out big holes to fill with epoxy, that's for foam cored decks, (and raised pads work wonders for them too).

This is all good advice, except for the Dolfinite. In the US it's spelled Dolfinite, in case you do want to use it. But don't. They removed the fungicide years ago, and it dries out quickly, especially on wood, I have found this to be true again and again. I have done work on boats 7-10 years after bedding with Dolfinite and it's always the same, I stopped using it 10 years ago.

I have removed fittings I bedded 10 years ago with butyl tape and it's still sticky and doing the job. You can get butyl tape with an embedded scrim that reduces squeeze out.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by fourlyons

This is all good advice, except for the Dolfinite. In the US it's spelled Dolfinite, in case you do want to use it. But don't. They removed the fungicide years ago, and it dries out quickly,

Actually it's spelled different ways, depending upon which product you buy. (a thousand pardons).
Yes, IIRC, the first time I used it was ~'73, ~50 years ago and it may have had a fungicidal content, anyway, it still works for far more applications than many will admit to.
The fungicide is a non-issue, none of the polyurethanes/polysulfides have any in them either, (does Butyl?).
I don't begrudge Butyl, it has good qualities for many applications.
https://www.pettitpaint.com/products...ding-compound/

[fourlyons]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

Actually it's spelled different ways, depending upon which product you buy. (a thousand pardons).

Yes, IIRC, the first time I used it was ~'73, ~50 years ago and it may have had a fungicidal content, anyway, it still works for far more applications than many will admit to.

The fungicide is a non-issue, none of the polyurethanes/polysulfides have any in them either, (does Butyl?).

I don't begrudge Butyl, it has good qualities for many applications.

https://www.pettitpaint.com/products...ding-compound/

Well.... You only spell it Dolphinite if you're bedding your hardware with gelcoat.

The relevance of the fungicide is for those bedding on wood surfaces, or when used between wood surfaces. The fungicide was important for preventing rot if there was water intrusion and the compound seemed to not dry out nearly as quickly. I don't know if the fungicide was or wasn't relevant to the drying issue.

No, butyl doesn't have a fungicide, but then it doesn't dry out and leak either.

But seriously, search the forums on the use of Dolfinite, there really are much better options now.

[s/v Jedi]

I recommend to mask around the area (say “cleat”), then remove it and clean it all 100%, then dry out.

Next step is sealing it. Use a heat gun, TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy and denatured alcohol. Mix a little epoxy and hardener, then reduce 40-50% with the alcohol. Now heat the wood with the heat gun and immediately coat with the mixture. Keep adding as it is soaked up.
The air in the wood pores expands with the heat gun and cools when you add the epoxy. Even more when the alcohol evaporates and the contracting air pulls the epoxy in. It will shrink more after the exothermic reaction of the curing epoxy stops, so don’t stop adding when you see it being absorbed.

Next day wash with water (remove amine blush), then wipe with alcohol, then sand with 220 grit, then vacuum/blow out and wipe with alcohol again. It will look just like teak again but you can feel it has become a teak fiber reinforced plastic. Now it’s ready for rebedding. Use the butyl tape from Rod Collins, I read that it is being sold again. It will never dry out, pull back etc.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

...
The biggest bang for the buck is to mount ALL hardware that is secured to the deck or cabin top, cleats/chocks/pad eyes/line stoppers/windlass/etc. (and especially stanchion bases,) on raised pads...

Indeed. 'Housekeeping pads' have tremendous utility.