Filling Holes

What to do with all those old bolt holes? Since the new teak rails will be manufactured in the shoppe-- complete with countersink holes drilled 10 inches on center, it will be difficult to get the holes to line up perfectly. As a result we are going to fill each hole on on the hull deck joint flange with structural putty ( an epoxy mixture with micro-fibers). When the new rails are ready for installation we will match drill the hull deck joint and not be obsessively concerned with mis-matching holes.    

We have also decided to use SS cap bolts without countersinks. Some wood experts believe that using countersinks build in a weakness for splitting the wood since the bolt is in the shape of a wedge. I don't have enough experience to agree or disagree, however, while removing the rails they split quiet nicely through the holes. In addition, on the starboard side the damaged area gave up through the bolt holes in several places as well.

Toe Rail Removal

     We are beginning the process of replacing Sea Wind's toe rails.  Currently, due to previous damage,  she has mix of teak and aluminum.  As you can view in the above photo, we opted to use a hammer and chisel to remove what is left of the original, the nuts on the underside of the SS bolts were buried in 40 years of yuck and difficult to get at. 

     We are going to replace to original specs (As much as we can determine).  The teak is in the shoppe and waiting for us to make a decision on what type of scarf joint we will make. This decision has become rather lengthy as we have gone from a traditional 12 to 1 through the thickness of the teak to a more decorative 12 to 1 joint that is somewhat self locking. 

     We were able to purchase nominal 1 inch thick by 7 inches wide stock; to make the best use of the teak we plan to rip it into the desired width and then to the desired thickness. It appears that the original cap rail was about .5  to .75 thick, hard to be exact due to the numerous cleaning the teak had over its 42 year life thus eroding its thickness.

     We installed a thin kerf blade on the table saw and will move forward with that blade to avoid unnecessary waste of this valuable wood.  We will document our trails and tribulations as we move out on the task.