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Split Companionway Frame

3K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  itsme6582 
#1 ·
The frame for the drop boards on my buddies companionway are split. Any suggestions on how to address this?



 
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#2 ·
The first thing I would do is get all that snow off it!
I'd say you have a choice.
You could glue it with epoxy in place and clamp it and hope for the best. They make syringes for use with epoxy so it could be injected into the small crack. Clamping with a few 'C' clamps or other clamps until the epoxy sets is the key.
OR
You could carefully remove the split piece allowing the crack to move up the grain. If the piece comes off (and it might anyway) you would be able to clean it out and uniformly apply epoxy to both sides and clamp it back in place.
The wood looks like it could use some Teak Oil.
Good luck.
 
#3 ·
Thawing them out first would be a good start... :D

Seriously though, you may be able to bond or glue them. It hard to tell the extent of the damage from your pics.

Provided that there's good solid wood under that snow and ice, you could:

1. Clean and rinse them thoroughly with a good cleaner, and allow them to dry. If they are teak, also clean the surface with acetone to remove any natural oils in surface of the wood.

2 (Option A) -- Mix up some epoxy and wet out the surfaces on both pieces, allowing the epoxy to penetrate into the grain of the wood. Once the epoxy's started to cure (test with a cotton ball, if it grabs the cotton fibers you're just right) fill the gap with some epoxy thickened with colloidal silica/Cab-O-Sil or high density filler. Clamp the pieces together tightly. You should have a fair amount of resin squeezed out. Wipe off the excess resin with a rag soaked with either acetone or white vinegar.

2. (Option B) -- Use a good waterproof glue like Titebond III. Coat the surfaces and clamp tightly. Wipe off excess glue with a rag dampened with water.

3. After allowing the glue/epoxy to cure, sand the surfaces smooth. If there's still a lot of glue/epoxy that squeezed out of the joint, you may find it easier to start with a scraper or relatively aggresive sandpaper (like 60 grit.)

If done properly, the joint will be stronger than the wood on either side of it.
 
#4 ·
I'd point out that those rails should probably be replaced.
 
#5 ·
Yes Dog. That is what I had in mind. The plans is not to glue these back together. I guess the question really is where would I find new rails? The only thing that Google gives me for teak in Cleveland is some lousy furniture. Will I be able to find teak at the local lumber yard? Would anyone carry rails with a groove routed out already?

...and the snow is melted
 
#6 ·
They will be custom - every boat is different. But not that hard to make. The best source for teak will be a good hardwood supplier, not the local lumberyard - unless maybe you're in a boatbuilding mecca like Maine. Try the local yellow pages or the internet.
 
#10 ·
I think that's more rare than not. It depends where the op is. My local lumberyard has it in stock - Westwind Hardwoods. P J White out west stocks teak as well. In a major city there should be a hardwood supplier, and if they deal with it in reasonable volumes they should have shorts in stock. He doesn't need a piece 8' x 8". At the going price of $30 a board or higher that would be $160.
 
#13 ·
A board foot is the standard measure of hardwoods for sale. A board foot is 12" x 12" x 1". For a piece 8' x 8" x 1" the math is 8' x .66' x 1" = 5.28 board feet x the normal price of $30 for teak, the most expensive readily available exotic hardwood. Some areas may have higher prices.

I just looked at the Cleveland yellow pages - there are dozens of flooring companies in that area but I didn't find teak mentioned anywhere.

Welcome to M.L. Condon Company in New York is a respected marine hardwood supplier but I don't know if they ship. You could email them or call to check.
They are regular advertisers in Woodenboat magazine and have been around for decades.
 
#14 ·
Board feet prices never came up in my math classes (Mechanical Engineering with a Math Minor). Thanks everyone for the help. This should put us in the right direction. Tom's got an old table that is literally falling apart. I'm pretty sure it's teak. I'm not a wood expert but the grain looks like teak. The table isn't a nice silver/gray color though. It's red which I think is from an old stain. The edges where the stain has worn away are the grayish color. Any ideas on what this could be if it's a teak imposter? and how could I figure it out?
 
#16 ·
Another wood that looks like teak, seems to act and behave like teak is commonally called Iron wood. You might be able to find this at a local lumber yard vs teak. They look similar.

You will have to let your fingers do the walking in the yellow pages. Seems like any major city like a chicago, Seattle where I am , Vancouver where Brian is, seems to have one lumberyard that carries teak in a decent supply, then a few others with odds and ends, and a nice supply when the boat comes in.



Marty
 
#17 ·
Lumber liquidators often has teak and mahogany "Bella Wood" pre finished solid wood flooring in thickness of 3/8 to 3/4 and in widths of 2 to 3.5 inches. If you catch a sale it can be had for $2.25 a sq ft.
 
#18 ·
Getting teak stock only half the battle, unless you are a good finish carpenter, I don't think this is a DIY job.

I 'd try a local custom sign-maker, the kind that does artsy signs carved in wood, and give him/her the existing rail and ask then to duplicate it. Maybe $150-200, but it will look good and you can be ready to go in two weeks.
 
#20 ·
A month ago I was at ML Condon in White Plains, NY buying some teak. The board foot price I was quoted was $20+ with wider and thicker pieces costing more. I found a bin in their yard marked 'teak rippings' $5/bd. ft. and snagged 7 board feet for $35 instead of $140.
Good luck in your quest for teak.
 
#21 ·
If having teak pieces made up is beyond your budget, consider making them up from several pieces of stock hardwood glued together with waterproof glue and then varnished. Won't have the strength of a single piece or the rot resistance of teak, but if properly maintained will last for years.
 
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