I decided to attack some long deferred maintenance and removed the teak grab rail that is on the forward part of the cabin top, port side. It looks like water has been getting into the screw holes and my wife says 41 years of natural look teak is enough. So I figured I could take the teak off, sand and Cetol it off the boat, and seal up the screw holes. I got some Git-Rot thin epoxy to put down the holes, but it seems to just mainly vanish into the deck someplace. Does anyone know if the fiberglass part of the hand rail has anything inside of it or is it hollow? I assumed it had a wood core I could seal up with epoxy, but it looks like I am either wrong or the wood dissolved at some point in the last 4 decades. There is no chance of me ripping the headliner apart to access the underside of the deck. For the near term I sealed the holes up with Marine Tex to keep water out while I varnish the teak, but I am not sure how to put the rail back on. I could just drive the screws through th e epoxy, but I don't think that is ideal, seeing how it is only a little bit in there plugging the hole. My idea right now is to drill bigger holes and drive something like a hardwood dowel in there along with epoxy to give the screws something to bite that won't have a way to leak. Another question - is there a source for those rails? I have found sometimes a new piece saves many hours of sanding and cleaning if it matches the old one. I am talking the flat wood forward. The looped handles aft are another project.
Joe Della Barba Coquina C&C 35 MK I _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
