question for the teak and deck gurus

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by RLewis

Greg-I was hoping you would and glad that you did reply- I'll answer your last question first. The boat is a Young Sun 35, 1981. I like the style and classic look of this canoe stern and the layout in general. I like the look of teak deck- but agree that they can become a liability and would require a lot of maintenance This vintage supposedly has a much thicker and supposedly denser material used in the hull and, again, suppopsedly less prone to blistering- only what I have heard - no facts on this. And yes- I got a good laugh and I do hear you about taking what the broker says with a grain of salt. He's been around a while- I guess long enough to have used the old style cotton packing on teak planking. My goal of having a boat goes like this- one in the 32-35' range. Have it in the San Juans for the next few years and become more of an accomplished sailor with my ultimate goal of in retirement to sail the west coast (either on our own or hire an off shore capt'n- I'm not proud- just practical and safety minded) of the states onto the Sea of Cortez. Hang out in that locale for the best months- lets say Nov -May, put on the hard during the off/hurricane season and return to the states- then repeat for a few years. I have a better understanding of "core" with your definition. And I agree- I believe there are no beams. Good point about attempting a repari from the underside with the screws from the deck being in the way.
The teak deck comes within about a 2-3" reveal of the bulwarks and I dont know if there is a seal under the exposed edge of the outer course. It does however rest against the cabin sides and is sealed there. I believe that the caulking is of aploysulfied material but dont know if it is the original- I am thinking that it may be. I could easily be off on the thickness of the planking- in hindsight I should have estimate more like 5/8"- seems like it was about as thick as my index finger at the forward end of my finger. As for more plugs likely being in need of replacement- no doubt you are correct- I have only been on board twice and each time no rain- imagine that- and the deck was already dry.
Ceertainly I will take your suggestion of a "modified" survey to hit the high points into consideration. If there were not alot of other severe issues- and if one could determine with fair certainty that the rot was localized and able to be repaired I could see still purchasing a boast like this - if the price were right and then self removing the teak and haviong a professional fill the screw holes, glass and gel coat it with a patterened non skid. Now I have heard with doing the demo my self a professional glass job would run $5-7k (guess who quoted it) But I would have a estimate from a pro shop before proceeding with any offer or a full survey. As for the rot and the moving cleat- if the deck were to be removed then if the rot was localized- maybe then a solid and effcient repair could be undertaken prior to a new glass deck. Also- I was so interested in reading the replies I failed to notice that your boat brand is clearly listed in the margin- duh.
Thanks Greg for all your advice and any more you may have to offer. There ceertainly are many boats for sale - I guess I was a bit smitten with this ones style.
Randy

The Young Sun 35 has cored decks and the teak deck is screwed down on top of otherwise fine fiberglass non-skid decks. The teak was an option for the boat. Sounds like you are describing a very standard leaky tiki problem that the core has been saturated in places from the 1000 or so screws. I would walk away from the boat, but if not, I would tear off the teak decks, fix the core issues, fill the holes. You will have a stiffer boat with all that weight removed, and have a major maintenance issue removed as well.

Good luck,

[Cheechako]

That's what I did with the Hans Christian. Fortunately, I didnt seem to have core issues. It was a bitch getting the teak off as they had floated it on with the Polysulphide under most the planks as well. Most of the teak had to be broken off in chunks. OTOH, if you are not a big worrier. Leave the teak on, wet core or not, and reseal the whole deck with Polysulphide. It'll be plenty stiff with that teak on it! How wet is it? Drill 1/8 holes in various low spots inside the cabin... wait a day or two and see if drops form. Inspect the dbris on the drill bit too.