Lew Barrett re Fir Deck Caulking

[Nanoose]

Hi Lew - we're getting ready to redo our decks, and I remember from a previous post that you also have fir decks.

What would you recommend we use for doing the caulking?

Many thanks. Nanoose

[Jay Greer]

Having re-caulked and re-finished a lot of fir decks over the years, I can say that they will last longer if treated with deck oil. Fir has a way of breaking down at the seams and around bungs if not protected. My own method of caulking and paying seams still, with all of the modern materials available, consists of priming the seams with a mixture of turpentine and bee's wax, setting in new caulking, priming same and then paying with "Jeffrey's Marine Glue". We thought that they were going out of business a while back but , public demand has kept them going!
JG

[Nanoose]

Thanks, Jay. What product do you use for the caulking? What do you "prime" the caulking with? Does the glue go only on the caulking, or the whole deck?

And once you complete the process you outline to take care of the caulking, what do you put on the fir decks themselves?

Nanoose

[Lew Barrett]

Jay and I have been around on this before, and he will point out that my approach is somewhat "showboaty" where as his is intended for working decks, but here is how I did it.
Regarding materials, Teak Systems makes a good compound. You could also use Sikaflex, Detco or Boatlife. I think around here Teak Systems is frequently a prefered seam compound; but that's a matter of ongoing debate.
We reefed and recaulked all seams. I used Boatlife, a polysulfide in white. How well it will do is a matter to be reported on at a future date. The original (old) seams were paid in white lead putty, and they held up well for many years. My decks are varnished, which is great looking and protective, but doesn't give the best footing, obviously. With good boat shoes, they work for us in all weathers and in all conditions we are likely to encounter. We really only use the side decks for setting and retrieving fenders, otherwise the boat is generally worked from the cockpit and the foredeck. I don't have sails to set, and the pilot's post is inside; nice on winter days.
I don't use oil or boat soup on Rita except on accent pieces because I find it makes more work than varnish in many ways, and is more suitable on work boats but I agree with what I know is Jay's position; that if you are relying on the decks as working surfaces in stormy seas, bare or oiled decks will provide more secure footing. If my decks had been teak, I would have left them bare and just varnished at the margins. At some point, and if I live long enough, they may be. Anyway, it was a lot of work and longboarding, and the jury's still out on the Boatlife, but I think it looks great.
Lew

[Nanoose]

Thanks, Lew. We had been using a Sikaflex product for patching up the spots in need of help, but now need to just pull it all out and recaulk afresh. The Sikaflex product (can't remember which number, and it's on the boat) is no longer available in the tubes but only in the sausage.

I've read that Smith at CPES makes a trowlable caulking. Any info on that one?

Thanks again. Nanoose

[Lew Barrett]

I don't have any info on the new Smith's stuff. I think this stuff is subject to a certain fad effect though (not necessarily the Smiths; all of it). If you asked around ten years ago, everybody was all over Detco, then it seemed ( seamed?:D ) to fall out of favor. Many I've spoken with, which is to say the Lake Union people I know, are complimentary of Teak Systems, which is a two part. I think how well you prep the decks, make sure there aren't any little cracks that you miss in the planks at fasteners, caulk tight and such is as significant as the materials choice; but some have to be better than others.
What complicated it for me was the choice to go white, as she was originally (but not to use white lead putty) and the fact that I did it in winter, and that perhaps made the job harder. I started by using/favoring Sikaflex, but couldn't get it to go on smoothly (?--? too cold?) and retraced my steps back to Boatlife. After the fact I was informed that Teak Systems had introduced white as a color:rolleyes: but I couldn't find it when I was out shopping and had been informed, possibly in error, that they didn't "do" white.
The Varnish over approach does give a certain UV block for me as well as some seperation for abrasion. Stop by on Labor Day weekend while we're in the Inner Harbour and take a look, have a beer. I'm embarrassed to admit that I missed a plank on the port side that should have been replaced, and will therefore need a touch-up next year, but overall, a successful job. Thanks to RGM for pointing out the problem, which had me stumped.
Lew

[Nicholas Carey]

What complicated it for me was the choice to go white, as she was originally (but not to use white lead putty) and the fact that I did it in winter, and that perhaps made the job harder. I started by using/favoring Sikaflex, but couldn't get it to go on smoothly (?--? too cold?) and retraced my steps back to Boatlife. After the fact I was informed that Teak Systems had introduced white as a color:rolleyes: but I couldn't find it when I was out shopping and had been informed, possibly in error, that they didn't "do" white.When we were doing PIRATE, we wanted to go with white caulking as that's what she had originally, from the photos we have of her from the Rosenfeld collection, taken at Larchmont Race Week in 1929. She was pretty flash, downright speedboat-ey, what with the nickel-plate hardware and white-caulked teak decks. Anyway...TDS, at the time, didn't make white caulk (we asked). Evidently they've had a lot of requests, 'cause they make it now.

[Lew Barrett]

That explains it. I would, if I did it over, which I'm not about to do, probably go with Teak Deck. And, do it in fall or spring. Pirate is stunning, black deck seams, white deck seams, who'd notice? Side note: doing it "the way it was" sure makes the job more complicated, eh Nicholas?