"Roger Mcmillan" wrote in message
...
I want to fit teak decks to my 37ft aluminum sailboat. Does anyone know
whether I can fasten from below, to save all that tedious plug cutting,
fitting and sanding?

I thought that with aluminum it would be quite strong if I drilled from
underneath - the fasteners should really only be required until the
bedding
compound sets.

Any thoughts? Thanks

Rogermac


You have a watertight deck now, don't drill through it, glue your deck down
to your aluminum decks

To glue teak to aluminum use an aluminum etch primer first, then either 3M's
5200 adhesive or similar Sikaflex adhesives. Sikaflex has a new
caulking compound called 290 DC that are made for use with teak.

Granted, a sprung teak deck takes a bit more ingenuity to lay when relying
on weight to hold it down until set.
Other option is to glue plywood onto your aluminum deck and then hold a
sprung deck in place with a screw and washer in the caulking gap until set.

Regards...Ken

"Roger Mcmillan" wrote in message
...
I want to fit teak decks to my 37ft aluminum sailboat. Does anyone know
whether I can fasten from below, to save all that tedious plug cutting,
fitting and sanding?

I thought that with aluminum it would be quite strong if I drilled from
underneath - the fasteners should really only be required until the
bedding
compound sets.

Any thoughts? Thanks

Rogermac


Hi Roger,

I'm in Thailand and keep a boat in Phuket.

Recently an aluminum 45 ft. boat was in the slip next to me and had a
teak deck installed.

The builder glued the teak down using one of the sikaflex adhesives --
I don't remember which one but apparently if you research the sika
site they specify the use of one of their adhesives for teak deck
installation. In addition they have specific instructions for using
the black sealant that seals the seams.

The Thai company that did the installation has done several in the
marina with good results.

In addition there was a super yacht arrived here from a re-fit done in
Australia with some sort of problems with a teak deck installed there.
The Australian company flew in a team to re-lay the deck and in
talking with them it appears they they no longer use screws to install
teak decks. Only adhesives.

The thought of millions of screw holes in my brand new aluminum deck
would send cold chills up and down my neck.

Cheers,

Bruce
Bangkok, Thailand

(brucatinetdorcodotth)