Installed Teak Toerail & Cockpit Seats

Columbia34 · Post by **Columbia34** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:21 pm

This weekend we installed our teak toerail and teak cockpit seats. Both came out great, the toerail was installed with the 3M 5200 and the teak seats were installed using west system epoxy with filler and black graphite. Here are some pictures.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:57 pm

They both look great! The cockpit on that boat looks so sheltering and comfortable. Nice shop, too :-) Thanks for the pics.

--- Rachel

[email protected] · Post by **[email protected]** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:26 pm

I agree both the teak toerail and teak cockpit seats look wonderful!

Two Questions please.

(1) Where did you find those spacers to lay down your cockpit seats?

(2) How thick are the strips of teak used in your cockpit seats?

Thank You

Bruce

Hirilondë · Post by **Hirilondë** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:37 pm

Both look very good, grats on a great job.

[email protected] wrote:(1) Where did you find those spacers to lay down your cockpit seats?

My guess is they are screws and fender washers. They aren't so much for spacing as for holding the slats down and to keep them from drifting while the epoxy cures. They are in effect clamps. I have seen entire teak decks done this way. No fasteners and no bungs, it makes for a beautiful finish.

Columbia34 · Post by **Columbia34** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:18 pm

Thanks everyone, he is right they are screws and fender washers to hold the slats down while the epoxy dries. Then the next day you come back and remove them the fill the cracks with the same epoxy mixture.

The strips are 1-1/4" wide and 1/4" thick. It leaves a nice finished look with no plugs to install and sand away.

Post by **Tim** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:03 am

Is the boat as close to the wall as it looks here? That must have made for some interesting gymnastics when doing all the hull prep and especially the spraying on that side.

The new teak looks nice. Do you have a shot of the starboard side showing the rail from a distance, or didn't you get to that side over the weekend?

Columbia34 · Post by **Columbia34** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:53 am

The boat is about 5' from the wall. We got it all on over the weekend we could no take a picture from the starborad side, there is Ag Chem Sprayer (large piece of farm equipment) parked next to the boat making it had to take pictures from the side.

[email protected] · Post by **[email protected]** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:36 pm

1 more Question

The strips of Teak for the Cockpit Seats, what is beneath the strips to attach the fender washers (spacers) too?

Thank You Once Again

Bruce

Columbia34 · Post by **Columbia34** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:16 pm

Orginal was just a fiberglass seat, the seat is made just like a deck is with a balsa or plywood core between 2 layers of fiberglass. I then mix up a batch of epoxy with filler, and graphite powder to give it a black color and mixture like peanut butter. I then spread it using a notched spreader (like laying ceramic tile) place the first and second wood strips put a screw and fender washer between the 2 to hold it them down, and so on. All the strips need to be precut so you can move quickly, my Dad and I a seat in about 15min, but thats with all the wood precut. Next day I take and remove all the screws. To fill the cracks (and this takes some time) I mix up some more black west system epoxy and put it in there caulk tubes and run a bead in each grove, putting a little extra where each screw was so it fills the screw hole in. Then the fun part sanding it all smooth, leaving perfect black lines. I had never done this before re-building our cocpit locker doors this winter.

margitchris · Post by **margitchris** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:16 pm

Wonderful work! Did you steam bend the teak? What was your source? It must have run into big $!

Columbia34 · Post by **Columbia34** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:28 pm

No steam bending needed the curve was gentle enough that it bent just fine working from front to back.

Scott