Buckled Cabin Sole

[sneuman]

I was planning to refinish my teak cabin sole this winter, but noticed a couple of places where the planks have gone out of alignment with each other. It's not horrible, but don't know if it will get worse over time.

Not sure if trying to realign them is worth it or exactly how to do that.

Anyone have experience with this problem?

[SkiprJohn]

Do you have a photo?

Could be swelling of the planks or them twisting due to aging. Some boats were constructed with roughly 1/2" teak planks screwed to 1/2" ply which makes a pretty solid installation. Not knowing how yours is constructed it'd be hard to offer a suggestion.

[hellosailor]

s-
Have they buckled, that is, developed humps? Or gone out of alignment, as in skewed from parallel with each other?
And are they really teak planks, not composites or veneered material?

Floorboards tend to warp from moisture. The immediate thought to plane them a bit and put them back down can be a disaster resulting in loose boards when they dry up and shrink a bit again. Usually the best thing is to lift them, patiently get them dry again, minimally sand or work if you have to, and then seal them on all sides and ends to prevent more moisture getting in.

As to how to remove them...if there are no obsious fasteners, possibly they are glued down, and more problematic?

Just what's on the floor of a Tayana? Pics?

[sneuman]

Pics coming tomorrow.

[sneuman]

I think it's hard to see but two of these planks are out of vertical alignment by about 1/4 inch.

[hellosailor]

If those area actual planks and strips, and one of them has cupped (warped, bowed) up a full 1/4", the question is how thick are they and what are they fastened down to.

If they are an inch thick I'd say take down the bump with a plane, grinder, belt sander, or pull the strip and have someone make a fast pass in a joiner.

If they are thinner or you can't afford to take doen that much material, maybe the simpelst solution is to split the board with a chisel or circular saw, and simply replace it, using wood stains to adjust the color of the new one to match.

In theory you could pull the offending strip, steam it, weight it and press it straight again, seal it and maybe get another 20 years out of it. Assuming you had access to a traditional wood shop with a steamer and more spare time than most of us.

[SkiprJohn]

It appears that the lifting is on an end butt joint under the post. Is that correct? If that is correct then what is under that post that might cause upward pressure?

kind regards,

[Aloha_float]

Originally Posted by sneuman

I think it's hard to see but two of these planks are out of vertical alignment by about 1/4 inch.

Is the boat on the hard or in the water?

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by sneuman

I think it's hard to see but two of these planks are out of vertical alignment by about 1/4 inch.

Attachment 52293



Attachment 52292

If you look at the two boards the one on the right has a flaming grain whereas the others are a verticle grain ..VG wood is a lot more stable than the flat sawn FG piece of wood and will resist warping and movment better.. It could be the FG piece has dryed out more as it has more sap wood content than the VG piece of wood and is more seceptable(sp?) to movement...I make custom antique wood flooring and charge a premium for selecting out VG wood for this reason...If this is the problem even if you plane it and then fill it with filler and sand it down it will still give and move,like someone else said ,you could take a chisel and remove it ,then replace with another piece of VG or just leave it alone and it may go back down in the summer....

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Aloha_float

Is the boat on the hard or in the water?

In the water.

[Aloha_float]

The aft end of my cabin sole was really out of shape when on the hard and it was due to a loss of strength in the hull. It would go back to its original intended shape when in the water as the loading was spread out. The materials under the floor had lost its integrity due to years of water ingress. I had to remove the floor and install new stringers to get the floor back to its original shape and strengthen the hull. (big job)

I did not have planks, I had laminate teak and holly. Your issue (looks minor) could simply be a matter of water swelling the wood or some small amount of shift in the hull shape. A friend of mine, who refit his boat now runs a dehumidifier as much as he can to remove and moisture in the cabin. It has kept his interior dry and his bilge is always empty and dry.

My bilge does run forward of the bulkhead. Does yours?

I would simply monitor the issue to see if it gets worse over time. Otherwise, you may (depending on how ambitious you are) want to remove the floor and reinstall. (I personally am not that ambitious)

It could be an indication of a structural issue in the hull but at this point, difficult to really say unless you explore it further.

[Ancient.Mariner]

Hi

I have the same problem on my Tayana (1977). On my boat the stringers have warped and the sub-floor under the teak strips, which was made from non marine ply, has broken down due to water ingress.

Its a huge job to repair it, basically have to strip it out and rebuild...

[Aloha_float]

Originally Posted by Ancient.Mariner

Hi

I have the same problem on my Tayana (1977). On my boat the stringers have warped and the sub-floor under the teak strips, which was made from non marine ply, has broken down due to water ingress.

Its a huge job to repair it, basically have to strip it out and rebuild...

That is the same issue that I had.

[Cheechako]

I would check under, the support has evidently sagged or rotted. Not the end of the world. If it's lumber and the support is good , you could just sand it all flush with an agressive device.