Removing teak and applying fiberglass

[dofthesea]

So how difficult is removing teak decking and applying fiberglass? I'm looking at a Pearson Triton that needs all the teak removed...... How realistic is this project. For the record I'm overly skilled at boat work just have not tackled this one yet.

If you have done this could you please give me a very brief outline of the process?

[toddedger]

Refitting with teak would be about half as much labor, and easier labor too. Working with wood is much more gratifying than grinding and fairing glass.

[dofthesea]

I dont like Teak decks i would prefer to relay fiberglass.

[toddedger]

I don't like teak decks either, but the amount of back breaking work to glass is worse. If you don't like teak decks then don't even cosider leting anybody give you a boat with teak decks. Life is to short and there's much more rewarding things to do with your time.

[dofthesea]

Its a 30' I know these are famous last words. But I really like the pricing and the Pearson Triton as well.

[Delancey]

Rip up the teak, fill holes with thickened epoxy, little sanding, paint. No big deal. Not sure why you think you would have to fiberglass a boat that already is fiberglass.

Way less work than installing new teak. With out doubt this is way less expensive than installing new teak.

Tritons are neat boats. Enjoy!

[UNCIVILIZED]

Do a search under Soggy Decks, & similar. One thing you'll find if you read some of them is that the going rate for pulling off the teak, & then re-doing the decks with glass is several hundred dollars per square foot.

[Orion Jim]

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Originally Posted by dofthesea

Its a 30' I know these are famous last words. But I really like the pricing and the Pearson Triton as well.

A Pearson Triton is 28' LOA. I've never heard of one with teak decks but they did have teak coamings and trim. Someone must have made some "improvements" along the line.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Rip up the teak, fill holes with thickened epoxy, little sanding, paint. No big deal. Not sure why you think you would have to fiberglass a boat that already is fiberglass.

Way less work than installing new teak. With out doubt this is way less expensive than installing new teak.

Tritons are neat boats. Enjoy!

Yup...if it is teak over F/G decks and not ply. I did not know any Pearsons had teak decks. I helped a friend tear his teak off his Peterson 44 deck. A lot of grunt work but not too bad. Like Delancey mentioned...thickened epoxy. We made ours thickened with Cabo-Sil and a tad of fine mill fibers to avoid the possibility of future cracking. Then used a Cabo-Sil/Poly-Urethane non-skid system to hide the billions of filled holes.

[roverhi]

A teak overlay of an FRP deck is just removing the teak, filling the fastener pukas, prepping the surface for non skid paint and painting the deck. The problem comes when the myriad number of fastener penetrations have allowed water to enter the deck core rotting it. Doesn't matter whether you are going to remove the teak or replace it, you've got major rehab work to recore the deck.

[Suijin]

The teak is just fastened down on the fiberglass deck. On a Triton, unless it was added later, it's going to be screwed down. Easiest way of getting it up with a pry bar...just rip it up. Some screws will come up with it, some will stay in, depending on the the wood's condition, but it's way faster than trying to unscrew everything. Then epoxy the holes and figure out what you want on your deck in terms of finish and non-skid.

Time consuming part is going to be getting all the stanchion offs and other fittings, prying up the teak, getting the adhesive off, and fixing any rot from water intrusion.

It is a LOT of dirty work, but it's not complicated or challenging.

[SV Bacchus]

As the wife and I are nearing the end of our shopping experience (hopefully THE boat has been found) I must say we avoided anything with teak decks. It is a shame as we found a few beauties we had great interest in but crossed them off the list quickly because of the labor and/or cost of maintenance.

I guess I am just a cheap, lazy SOB because I hate teak on the exterior of a boat. I do love the look, as long as it is on someone else's boat.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Rip up the teak, fill holes with thickened epoxy, little sanding, paint. No big deal. Not sure why you think you would have to fiberglass a boat that already is fiberglass.

Way less work than installing new teak. With out doubt this is way less expensive than installing new teak.

Tritons are neat boats. Enjoy!

Yep, it depends a lot on your boat and how the teak is laid. If it is mostly in the areas where non skid would be you can do Kiwi Coat roll on or Treadmaster glued on etc and get away without painting a bunch of deck cabin etc.
The toughest part of the job is often removing all the black caulking the teak decks were laid on.
Of course you need to be aware that you may find water saturation in your deck core from all the teak deck screw holes, then you have to decide how to deal with that issue.
But on most boats I've seen no need to do any glasswork.

[kelbylinn]

No time to do it myself so contracted with Saunder's Yacht Works in Gulf Shores, AL. I have a 42' 1981 GB and the teak decks were pretty much history due to time, neglect, etc. They were starting to curl up here and there, and were becoming a real toe stubber. I was afraid of getting wet or soft spots underneath the Teak. They removed all teak, filled out screw holes, resurfaced the glass smoothing it, etc. then Epoxy, and other coats (I believe there were three other sub coats, then sanding again). Finally an Awlgrip surface with non-skid pattern. Sort of a white base or background smooth color then a light tan non skid pattern. Good news is we found no core penetration or soft spots. Total cost for everything was about $35K. Quality of work was excellent and time was about 1 1/2 months on the hard. I will be picking her up and bringing her back to Dauphin Island, AL marina for the winter months later this week if weather allows. Personally, even if I was retired, I'm not sure I would have ever completed such a task on my own or even with good friends which I would have probably lost in the process. A lot of bucks, yes, but piece of mind and good future use and resale value. At this point, all seems hopeful that it will be worth it.

[mikecambrai]

The time and cost to renew teak decks is high. If you are buying a boat with this problem then the price must reflect this. I would say at least $40000 less.
I have backed away from buying any boat which has this problem because you really do not know what probems you may face when the teak is eventually removed.
The plywood in the fibre glass core is usually poor quality and may have soaked up tons of water. You might get an idea using a moisture meter.
Digging up the top layer of fibreglass and replacing the plywood beneath is more than a labour of love!
This makes it a very risky purchase.