Removing exterior wood - CD25, Help

[Chris Jasonides]

Attempted to remove the coamings and other exterior wood to refinish. After removing the screws I found that the wood is also "sealed" to the gelcoat. Don't want to damage wood or gelcoat when removing wood. This wood has been removed by a previous owner as the the screws are exposed ( no wood plugs ). Not sure what sealant was used. Any help in removing the wood appreciated. Also, what sealant to use when I put the wood back on? Thanks



cjaso@maine.rr.com

[Mike Everett]

When I refinished the coamings on our CD28 last spring (although I didn't remove them, as you plan to do), I found that the coaming/gelcoat joint had been sealed with a silicon caulk (or something similar). Whatever the gunk was, I easily removed it with a triangular bladed cabinet scraper. The scraper started the caulking out of the crack, and much of it I could pull out with my fingers.
If your boat is similar, the seal should pull apart easily without damage to either the teak or the gelcoat. Hope this helps.



everett@megalink.net