Leaky Teaky

[sneuman]

If I am (hypothetically) looking at several examples of the same make of boat for a purchase which is good and sound but has the all-too-common leaky teak deck syndrome ...

would i be better paying $10K less for a boat with an obviously spongy deck or to pay more for a deck that seems to be in Ok shape (for now).

my assumption is that eventually i would need to replace the deck in any case.

[CSY Man]

would i be better paying $10K less for a boat with an obviously spongy deck or to pay more for a deck that seems to be in Ok shape (for now).

The spongy deck would probably cost ya $20K to have repaired.

Although a fixer-upper at the right price may be a good deal, or even a bargain somehow, I have found that a good used boat, with good maintenance and caring owners is an even better bargain in the long run.

Deferred maintanance could easily double or triple the cost of having it done right in the first place.

You will not understand unless ya have owned an old sailboat for many years..

A few years ago I had an offer for a free sailboat.
Turned it down as the expense of fixing it right would cost more than buying a similar boat in good shape.

That being said, give more details, what kind of boat, year, price, equipment, etc...?

[sneuman]

well, i am looking at tayana 37s circa 1978 (in other words, MKIs). I have done said deck repair on a smaller boat. No fun, and the sweat equity is easily worth $10K. If both decks were laid down the same, it seems if one appears at first glance to be better than the other, it's just dumb luck. And, the conventional wisdom on these things is not if water will ingress the core, but when.

All else being equal, is it worth $10K to defer this (inevitable?) project for a few seasons?

[CSY Man]

Got a Tayana 37 for sale on the dock next to me.

Don't think it is listed.

I am looking after it as the owner is out of the country.
PM if ya want details.

All else being equal, is it worth $10K to defer this (inevitable?) project for a few seasons?

What if the previous owner took care of the problem?
Would that be worth 10K not having to deal with it, and owning a well maintained boat?

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

What if the previous owner took care of the problem?
Would that be worth 10K not having to deal with it, and owning a well maintained boat?

absolutely, but there's no evidence of that being the case. I think the problem is latent, but not obvious yet in boat B.

Thanks for the tip on the T37 in Florida, but I don't think I have time or cash to deal with a delivery now.

[Tnflakbait]

It all depends on how much time you have free. My boats decks were pretty much shot... Lots of rot in places. If I were doing it for someone else it would have been at least 15k. But, thats the fun of it!

[anotherT34C]

"clear!"
*shock*
"she lives! the thread is resurrected!"

Ok, now I know the general preference for a leaky teak deck is to pull up the teak, fix the core, and leave the deck glass. But, how reasonable would it be to pull the wood deck in sections, fix the core, then re-lay the teak deck (assuming the wood is ok), only this time, glued down.

?

[anjou]

I dont spose there is a definative answer as every case is unique, and of course a lot depends on the size of your wallet or your skills to do the job yourself.

To answer the OPs post, taking for granted all decks will one day die and leak, I would rather do the job myself and know its been done than buy one ready done, not knowing how well its been done.

[Cheechako]

The deck will be problematic to pull and save. The decks off my HC38 came off real hard, some screw heads were stripped etc. In the end we just took as many screws out as possible and used brute force to peel and break each piece of teak decking between remaining screws. Trouble is, you could pay 10K more for decks that look nice or have recently been recaulked ( a big job also!) but inside the deck the core may be wet and hidden. Maybe you should pay more money yet and get one without teak decks? or just live with wet core. With all those holes, my belief is older teak deck boats will all be wet inside.... one caveat: If she's had one owner since new who is fastidious about maintenance everywhere..... you might get lucky! One way to find out (if the owner will let you, lots of luck!) is drill an 1/8 hole, in various spots from inside the boat, inside a cabinet etc where not visible, when you do your purchase inspection. Then examine the balsa that comes out. Take it off the drill shaft and squeeze it in your fingers. if wet it will exude water. Fill the holes with caulk when done. If really wet, some holes may drip!

[anotherT34C]

That's disappointing to learn, though in retrospect, not suprising.

What about removing the screws, and filling the holes with epoxy, letting the epoxy in effect act as the new fastener?

I guess you're then still at the mercy of the builder having properly filled all the spacer screw holes, huh?

Ok, so new tack... If the deck is found to be leaky, but the wood is in general in good condition, is it reasonable to guess that a regular regemin of recaulking and replacing of lost plugs would stop leaks?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by anotherT34C

That's disappointing to learn, though in retrospect, not suprising.

What about removing the screws, and filling the holes with epoxy, letting the epoxy in effect act as the new fastener?

I guess you're then still at the mercy of the builder having properly filled all the spacer screw holes, huh?

Ok, so new tack... If the deck is found to be leaky, but the wood is in general in good condition, is it reasonable to guess that a regular regemin of recaulking and replacing of lost plugs would stop leaks?

If the holes are wet inside, the epoxy wont work. A good recaulk etc should help alot. However, water may get under from the outside edges unless you find a way to seal those up. Also, on most teak decks, the caulk between each strip of teak doesnt go all the way to the deck, each adjoining piece of teak is grooved for the caulk, but under that the wood touches the adjoining piece... if that makes sense.
On a boat with cored decks and 3/4" teak, sometimes I really wonder if wet core is really a problem (?) The whole deck structure is probably nearly 1.75" thick and , wet or not, may be stronger than a non teak deck... of course surveying and selling is an issue. I would say if you find a boat for $10k more that never had teak decks you're way ahead of the game.....

[sneuman]

Wow! It comes full circle. I bought the boat in question and did (after a few years) recore the deck -- just finished that project earlier this year. Would I do it again? Hell no! But it's done, and the economics of it are still sound, in my opinion (at least if you do the work yourself, as I did). I agree with Cheechchako -- it would be difficult or impossible to save the teak. But take heart -- I don't miss it (and I am partial to the stuff - teak, that is). My anecdotal observation is that the boat is MUCH COOLER in the summer without it, and I would guess the weight removed from above the waterline is the equivalent of a hefty adult -- so, you gain a bit of stability to boot.

There's plenty of brightwork on these boats without a teak deck.

[James S]

[QUOTE=
Ok, so new tack... If the deck is found to be leaky, but the wood is in general in good condition, is it reasonable to guess that a regular regemin of recaulking and replacing of lost plugs would stop leaks?[/QUOTE]

My experience is that most leaks are from other fittings, but I suppose the deck screws could certainly leak.

If you manage to stop the leaks by the resealing as you suggest..... you'll never know if you were successful since the decks will still be soft, and if you do stop them, they will most probably continue to get softer as the water is still in there.
Since I removed all my headliner in my refit, I was able to repair the few wet spots in the deck from underneath...was a piece of cake...the glass under the deck was WAY thinner then the stuff topside. It was very easy to tell the wet spot by tapping on the underside and hearing where the de-lamination was.
Was also translucent so I could see inside a bit...although that was little help in identifying bad spots.

It was a bitch getting the headliner off, and a big job replacing it however.

[sneuman]

Agreed. Stantion base cracks are a major source of water ingress, so it's not limited to the leaky teakys. Other poorly bedded fittings, too.

[Cheechako]

Yeah, I had to replace the whole forepeak overhead core on a CT that didnt have teak decks..... due to poor fitting bedding. Gawd I miss glassing and grinding overhead! NOT!