I got my Soverel 26 moved to my house on July 1st and I am prepared to begin the task of repairing the deck. I have a question first.
I need to re-core some soft spots and plan on re-bedding all the deck hardware to prevent any future core rot. I also plan on adding backing to all the stanction bases and other deck hardware. Of course, I will need to repaint afterwards.
My big question is whether or not I should remove the teak toe rail as part of my renovation?
The hull to deck joint is held together by bolts passing through the toe rails, so the toe rails are held on by the same bolts holding the deck on. The edges of the deck are not cored - solid GRP for the first several inches - so there is no need to cut the deck in that area as part of my core repair. The sealant between the deck and hull is still pliable and I see no evidence of leaks at the joint, but I've never had her in the water so I don't know if leaks will appear once the hull and deck are under the strain of the rigging under load.
The only two reasons I would remove the toe rail is to re-bed it and the through bolts for leak proofing and to avoid masking it off for the paint job.
I'm conflicted as to whether leaving the toe rail in place is being lazy or being smart.
I need to re-core some soft spots and plan on re-bedding all the deck hardware to prevent any future core rot. I also plan on adding backing to all the stanction bases and other deck hardware. Of course, I will need to repaint afterwards.
My big question is whether or not I should remove the teak toe rail as part of my renovation?
The hull to deck joint is held together by bolts passing through the toe rails, so the toe rails are held on by the same bolts holding the deck on. The edges of the deck are not cored - solid GRP for the first several inches - so there is no need to cut the deck in that area as part of my core repair. The sealant between the deck and hull is still pliable and I see no evidence of leaks at the joint, but I've never had her in the water so I don't know if leaks will appear once the hull and deck are under the strain of the rigging under load.
The only two reasons I would remove the toe rail is to re-bed it and the through bolts for leak proofing and to avoid masking it off for the paint job.
I'm conflicted as to whether leaving the toe rail in place is being lazy or being smart.