Bedding compound on an '83 Typhoon

[LilYachty]

I have encountered several pieces of teak trim on my Typhoon that were bedded with a very tenacious compound that is pinkish in color and somewhat rubbery. The teak across the aft of the poop deck was completely stuck down with this bubble gum looking stuff, as is the teak oval on the cockpit floor around the rudder shaft. When I removed the trim on the back deck, it took a lot of work with putty knives and wood shims gradually pounded in to break it loose. In doing so, it pulled off patches of gelcoat with it.

Does anyone know what this compound might be? Is it original? Thanks!

[Jeff D]

The coamings on my Typhoon were bedded with similar goop, I assumed that it was from the factory. After two days of effort i removed my already badly split coamings in pieces.

[Jim Walsh]

Dolfinite was commonly used back then. I’m sure someone will chime in with a definitive answer.

[LilYachty]

Dolfinite was commonly used back then. I’m sure someone will chime in with a definitive answer.

My cockpit coamings and most other trim were bedded with something much less tenacious and light gray in color. I have heard it said that Dolphinite is good for bedding wood because it leaves it removable. But I also know that Dolphinite used to make a reddish colored version. Still, I wonder if the pink stuff I'm dealing with must be some kind of urethane or something. Maybe Dow 5200 in mahogany color. Whatever it is, it's evil.

[John Stone]

It’s not Dolphinite. At least not the kind I use. Dolphinite is not an adhesive. Not even a little. It’s a bedding compound that takes decades to harden. Great stuff. But not great if you want some adhesion.

It looks like teak or mahogany colored polysulfide to me—like BoatLife. I have used a lot of it. Pretty good bedding compound. I don’t think 3M 4000 or 5200 (a polyurethane) is made in mahogany or teak color though I am not certain about it. I have only seen it in white and black. Sika makes some teak and monogamy colored stuff though. Not sure which one. If you use wedges to remove the teak (which is sometimes the only way to achieve success) and an aggressive adhesive was used to bed it, I can almost guarantee you are going to damage the some of the wood and the gelcoat.

I have had success with a multimax tool (when it will reach, along with piano wire set up like a garrote.

You did well to remove it. It can be a tough job. As I have mentioned before, if you plan to remove wood routinely and you want it to be easy then Dolphinite is about the best way I know to go.

[LilYachty]

I like the piano wire idea. Also the oscillating multi tool. I started at one end working a thin putty knife in, the moved down and put a thicker putty knife in where the thin one was, then moved further down, working a wood shim in as a wedge where the thick knife was, and so on. It took a lot of wedges before it let go completely. I ended up making a new piece out of Osage Orange to replace the teak. It was just too fouled with that caulk, cracked at both ends, and was thin already.