Teak Repair on CD 27

[Bill Goldsmith]

I have a 1980 CD 27 which needs some teak repair before I refinish it. I am a bit puzzled about one repair--the "rubrail" or whatever the teak strip is called on the exterior sides of the cabin is pulling loose (about 3/16" from the gelcoat) and needs to be reset. The screwheads are covered with teakplugs. One friend advises that these plugs were "glued" in with shellac and should be removable fairly easily, re-screwed, and then new plugs put in. I had envisioned having to drill out these plugs, leaving a perhaps not so nice hole to accept a new plug. Has anyone had experience/advice with this repair??



goldy@bestweb.net

[Newton]

Your friend is correct. The plugs will pop out
with a little encouragement.


I have a 1980 CD 27 which needs some teak repair before I refinish it. I am a bit puzzled about one repair--the "rubrail" or whatever the teak strip is called on the exterior sides of the cabin is pulling loose (about 3/16" from the gelcoat) and needs to be reset. The screwheads are covered with teakplugs. One friend advises that these plugs were "glued" in with shellac and should be removable fairly easily, re-screwed, and then new plugs put in. I had envisioned having to drill out these plugs, leaving a perhaps not so nice hole to accept a new plug. Has anyone had experience/advice with this repair??

[Bill Cochrane]

I've found the easiest way to remove the plugs is to drill a small pilot hole in the center of the plug and drive in a wood screw. When the tip of that screw hits the one that's under the plug, it will push the plug out. Depending on what was used to secure the plug, it may come out whole or split and leave pieces. Careful work with a small knife or chisel will extract all -- try not to enlarge the hole at the surface, and the new plug will fit perfectly.

I have a 1980 CD 27 which needs some teak repair before I refinish it. I am a bit puzzled about one repair--the "rubrail" or whatever the teak strip is called on the exterior sides of the cabin is pulling loose (about 3/16" from the gelcoat) and needs to be reset. The screwheads are covered with teakplugs. One friend advises that these plugs were "glued" in with shellac and should be removable fairly easily, re-screwed, and then new plugs put in. I had envisioned having to drill out these plugs, leaving a perhaps not so nice hole to accept a new plug. Has anyone had experience/advice with this repair??

cochrane@clark.net

[R Meigel]

After drilling a hole in the center of the plug, I have used an awl to carefully work out the plug and an exacto-knife to clean gunk out of the tops of the screws underneath so that a screwdriver can bite. With the right tools you can avoid gouging the surrounding wood.



rlmeigel@aol.com

[bob loewenstein]

All of the procedures mentioned will work. I used a hand drill and the inserts came out with a little coaxing from a penknife after the hole was drilled. Tightening the screws will help, but you might have to bed the teak strip to the cabin vertical. I had the same problem as you; tightening the screws helped except for the last foot near the cockpit. A little bedding helped.



rfl@yerkes.uchicago.edu

[Bill Goldsmith]

Thanks. More questions: What product would you recommend to bed the strip to the cabin? What would you use to glue the plugs back in?
Bill Goldsmith
s/v Second Chance
CD27

All of the procedures mentioned will work. I used a hand drill and the inserts came out with a little coaxing from a penknife after the hole was drilled. Tightening the screws will help, but you might have to bed the teak strip to the cabin vertical. I had the same problem as you; tightening the screws helped except for the last foot near the cockpit. A little bedding helped.

goldy@bestweb.net

[tom b]

glue plugs in using water proof glue , found at the wood workers store . any brand of bedding compound (white) used above or below the water , but not 3m 5200 . do you have teak panals inside coach-roof where portholes are . as water would enter from screw holes of teak strip and damage the teak panals,giving you a bigger headache.

Thanks. More questions: What product would you recommend to bed the strip to the cabin? What would you use to glue the plugs back in?
Bill Goldsmith
s/v Second Chance
CD27

All of the procedures mentioned will work. I used a hand drill and the inserts came out with a little coaxing from a penknife after the hole was drilled. Tightening the screws will help, but you might have to bed the teak strip to the cabin vertical. I had the same problem as you; tightening the screws helped except for the last foot near the cockpit. A little bedding helped.

[Geoff Safron]

Bill—don't pay the rip-off prices for premade teak plugs; Get a plug maker for your drill (a set of different sizes should run you ten bucks); they're kind of like miniature hole-saws. Just drill a scrap of teak and make as many as you like. The beauty of this is that you can exactly dictate the depth of the plug.



Brainstorm@Unidial.com