I am working on a 18' Buzzards Bay Sloop of my dad's with varnished
decking. The varnish is completly peeling up, and in a few places the
caulking has come out. I am wondering what kind of options I have for
fixing this. I have stripped off most of the varnish and sanded it, so
that part is fine. I am wondering what I should do about the caulking.
What kind of stuff is out there? It should be black.

The existing caulking looks like Sika Flex or something similar, is
that what I should use? Advice would be apreciated.

I have very limited experience of using caulking having only done a
small 3'x4' bit of teak but sikaflex-290 was strongly recommended by
local boat builders. It came in a cartridge and went on very easily and
sands nicely. I did think it was expensive and was glad that I was only
doing a small bit but then it does have a little icon with a spoked
ships wheel on the tube so it was never going to be cheap.

Next year I will be re-doing all the hatches and seats so would be
interested in any experiences you have.

Steve

wrote:

I am working on a 18' Buzzards Bay Sloop of my dad's with varnished
decking. The varnish is completly peeling up, and in a few places the
caulking has come out. I am wondering what kind of options I have for
fixing this. I have stripped off most of the varnish and sanded it, so
that part is fine. I am wondering what I should do about the caulking.
What kind of stuff is out there? It should be black.

The existing caulking looks like Sika Flex or something similar, is
that what I should use? Advice would be apreciated.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am working on a 18' Buzzards Bay Sloop of my dad's with varnished
decking. The varnish is completly peeling up, and in a few places the
caulking has come out. I am wondering what kind of options I have for
fixing this. I have stripped off most of the varnish and sanded it, so
that part is fine. I am wondering what I should do about the caulking.
What kind of stuff is out there? It should be black.

The existing caulking looks like Sika Flex or something similar, is
that what I should use? Advice would be apreciated.

It sort of depends on a lot of other issues, but I believe Sika flex is
widely used. If it is a special old boat you might want to use tar and
string. If it is decking over fibreglass then anything which looks right and
stays in place will be okay. If there isn't a cabin beneath then you may not
be too concerned with total watertightness.

BTW caulked decks are not normally varnished. You may not want to
re-varnish.

Tim W

'lbeyer' ,
IF you varnish a deck, you WILL slip, and you WILL fall. If it is a
foredeck, hopefully that won't be overboard.

High gloss varnished 'decks' look great on the old 'Classic Chris Craft
Barrel Back' or similar powerboat. However on a sailboat they are actually a
hazard.

Take a look at the different products available for 'caulking' . Stay AWAY
from the 'adhesives/sealers' like 5200, etc. READ the 'specs' on the tubes
{ 'caulking gun' size }. Some are actually designed for this chore. Also
look at the manufacturers on-line sites. THEN . . . look on the shelves of
Home Depot, Lowes, etc. In several cases the SAME actual products are there.
In others, the only difference is the label. {20 years on a window exposed
to weathering 12-months of the year vs. the 'pampered Summer' of a cherished
sailboat ?? }

Finally . . . if that Buzzards Bay's deck is TEAK . . . it would be the
equivalent of barratry to do anything other than to apply several coats of
'teak oil'. Followed by an oil wipe-down 'as needed'.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am working on a 18' Buzzards Bay Sloop of my dad's with varnished
decking. The varnish is completly peeling up, and in a few places the
caulking has come out.
SNIP

Ron Magen wrote:
IF you varnish a deck, you WILL slip, and you WILL fall. If it is a
foredeck, hopefully that won't be overboard.

High gloss varnished 'decks' look great on the old 'Classic Chris
Craft
Barrel Back' or similar powerboat. However on a sailboat they are
actually a
hazard.

The boat had varnished decks when it came to us 10 years ago (I
think...) As I mentioned, the boat is my dad's, so the decision to
varnish the deck is not mine to make. That being said, we have never
had a problem with slipping. The deck is not particularly large,
either, and all the haliards can be reached from the cockpit.

Take a look at the different products available for 'caulking' . Stay
AWAY
from the 'adhesives/sealers' like 5200, etc. READ the 'specs' on the
tubes
{ 'caulking gun' size }. Some are actually designed for this chore.
Also
look at the manufacturers on-line sites. THEN . . . look on the
shelves of
Home Depot, Lowes, etc. In several cases the SAME actual products are
there.
In others, the only difference is the label. {20 years on a window
exposed
to weathering 12-months of the year vs. the 'pampered Summer' of a
cherished
sailboat ?? }

Thanks, that is the kind of advice I am looking for.

Finally . . . if that Buzzards Bay's deck is TEAK . . . it would be
the
equivalent of barratry to do anything other than to apply several
coats of
'teak oil'. Followed by an oil wipe-down 'as needed'.

It's not teak, so that isn't an issue. I found several options for
caulking specially made for teak decks, but that is not what I need...
I think it's made of oak, though that may be wrong.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

Thanks again, Lily

You are quite welcome.

Let me know if you want any specific advice / suggestions.

Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

wrote in message
oups.com...

SNIP
Ron Magen wrote:
SNIP
Thanks, that is the kind of advice I am looking for.


Thanks again, Lily