Sealing Deck Hardware, and Epoxy over Teak

[1970Columbia34]

Hi I am new to the forum and we just bought a 1970 Columbia 34Mk II. The boat overall is in great shape and just needs cosmetic work. We are repainting the deck and the topsides, and getting the boat ready for next winter.

No for my question I have removed all the deck hardware to make the deck painting easier. And When I go to install the new deck hardware I am wondering the best way to do it. I plan to over size the holes, use the bent nail to ream out the core, then refill with west system epoxy and 404 filler, then redrill the hardware holes. I read in the west system manual about actually epoxying all the deck hardware down. Sounds like a great method but am worried what if I need to remove the stantions or any other piece of hardware?

Next I am rebuilding 2 cockpit seats the the cockpit floor which are all teak with the black gaps. I am going to use the west system epoxy with the graphit powder to fill the gaps. We also have removed the toe rail and plan to refinish that as well. We have been reading about people epoxying over all surfaces of the wood to seal the wood in then take and varnish the epoxy to give it UV protection.

Are these good steps help guide me here a bit if I am off course. And I will post some pictures in the pictures section of our boat. Thanks in advance.

[Gene T]

Don't know if I would be brave enough to epoxy deck hardware down. You try it first and let us know.

Your method for prepping the holes is good. One additional thing you can do is to countersink each hole a little, then when you bolt the part down you can space it off a little, tie wraps are a good thickness and won't stick to the sealant, then after the sealant has set up you can remove the spacers and bolt them tight, creating a compression seal, effectively an o-ring around the bolt.

I have used epoxy under varnish and it works well, BUT it will peal anywhere water gets in, and water will get in. Any nick or edge that gets exposed will cause the epoxy to peal away from the surface. It can just be sanded and varnished to touch up, but when you want to remove the epoxy it is not easy. Actually having the piece off allows you to encapsulate it in epoxy which will work better as you will have fewer areas for failure.

[sailingdog]

Sounds like you're doing the right thing with removing the core, filling the fastener holes with thickened epoxy and the like. I don't know if I'd go and epoxy anything hardware in place though. However, epoxying the bolts in place, after coating them with a suitable release coating, is a good way to get additional strength to the fixture.

I wouldn't use the epoxy and graphite, as the black gaps are filled with caulk, which is supposed to expand and contract with the teak, as the temperature changes. Epoxy will not be able to do that.

Epoxying the wood to seal it is a good idea, but you have to make sure that the epoxy coating is complete, without any flaws, as any flaws will allow moisture into the wood. There are some thinner, lower viscosity epoxy resins that are primarily designed for sealing wood.

[knothead]

I would not epoxy the deck hardware. The best way to keep a fitting from leaking in my opinion is to use a good bedding compound, (and here we will get lots and lots of opinions). Whatever you use, and personally I am not as afraid of 5200 as a lot of people seem to be, don't make the mistake of tightening the fasteners down all the way right away. You don't want to squeeze all the goop out. Snug the fasteners but don't tighten them. The next day or maybe even two days later harden them down. That way you will have left enough material between the fitting and the deck to act as a gasket.