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Deck hardware (cleats, bow rails, rod holders, etc), it was time to take these things off and clean the undersides and reseal them with a fresh bead of 5200. I started with the bow rail. I removed all of the screws to find there was never any sealant between the stanchion and the deck.
I used a stiff bristle brush with soap and water with a little comet to get that 17 rear old dirt buildup off the deck. Here is a close up shot of the result.
I inspected the bottom of the stanchions and found a good bit of corrosion. I cleaned that off with an abrasive wheel to find pitted aluminum, but that won't be any big deal when it is covered in 3M 5200.
I have always thought these boats looked good without the rails, but I actually use them to hold onto. And the thought of trying to fill in all those screw holes and have it look good was not appealing. So I put them back with brand new SS screws and lots of sealant.
Now for the step plates and rod holders
This is where the teak step plate was on the starboard side, I never knew this hole was underneath the plate... I wish I had known... Things got ugly. The wood was moist, but not deteriorated. The foam was moist too, that silicone had been leaking for several years I guess. Anyone know what this hole is here for?
I removed the rod holders to find more moist wood and more moist foam.
The rod holder had corroded as a result of the moisture in the foam. Notice the discoloration of the deck around the hole, plenty of leakage going on there. This reminds me alot of my real job...
Believe it or not, the wood on the starboard side dried out with the help of a fan and a heat gun. I drilled a bit past the surface, and it was dry and solid. I mixed up some epoxy and painted all of the wood.
I used the drill and a brush to knock the corrosion off of the rod holders.
Here is the real problem.
I removed the teak step plate from the port side and the wood had turned to SH*T. I guess it is rotten about 10-12" forward and aft. This sucks. This will have to be a project for another day. I guess I'll take care of this when I take the inner liner off of the boat to do the transom. Funny thing, the wood around the rod holders on the port side was not deteriorated YET!
Talk about kicking myself now... Three years ago when I refinished the teak, I decided not to remove the teak step plates and to just stain them where they were. Now I wish I would have taken them off. I probably could have stopped this situation.
I soaked all the dry wood with epoxy and replaced the rod holders with 3M 4200. I hate cleaning that stuff up.
The teak plates on both sides were put back with silicone sealant so I can easily remove them to get to the foam. I am planning on hooking an air line to the foam and blowing air at about 30 psi into the foam to try to dry it out a bit (see photo below). Since I don't have a shed or covered garage to put the boat into, I had to close everything up.
More bad news coming soon!
