Re-gluing teak and holly cabin sole

[JonnyBoats]

The cabin sole on my LeComte Northeast 38 built in 1967 is teak and holly (not plywood). It is starting to come apart and needs to be re-glued. Here is a link to a photo http://www.jonnyboats.com/Portals/0/Boa ... n_Sole.jpg

What is he best glue to use for this purpose?

Any other tips greatly appreciated.

[Hirilondë]

For virtually every wood gluing situation on a boat, hmm, actually, for every situation I use epoxy. Resorcinol bonds slightly better in some circumstances, but leaves a dark purple line which doesn't go well with varnish. In the case of teak which is quite oily, the gluing surfaces should be cleaned well with a solvent. Acetone works best, alcohol works quite well. In the case of regluing all glue surface should be cleaned with solvent to remove anything that may hinder a good bond.

Any seam that has substantially let go you might want to finish pulling apart. Any seam that has but a small separated length you might just want to flush out with acetone using a syringe. Then glue it all back together and clamp with bar or pipe clamps. Adding support cleats across the seams on removable sections of sole, making sure not to interfere with stringer locations helps reinforce the section.

Epoxy when still a liquid can be cleaned up with alcohol, mineral spirits and even distilled vinegar as well as acetone and fancy expensive "epoxy cleaning solvents". My solvent of choice whenever it will do the job is alcohol. It is safe to use on virtually any surface of a boat and quite safe for the user's health.

I hope this general info is of some help. I would need more details or pictures of specific problem sections to add much more. Good luck with your project.