While on the passage from Florida to NC a month ago I explained my ideas for the companionway hatch to my dad. He suggested the seams in between the teak boards could collect water and be a problem down the road. I didn’t really think so at the time but the more I thought about it I agreed. He suggested using teak decking caulk – not only would it work to fill the seams but it would look pretty good as a result.
I really liked that idea and when I got home I purchased a tube of black teak deck caulk from Jamestown Distributors. Last week Erin and I went out to the Alberg and while she was finishing painting the v-berth lockers I caulked the seams of the new teak companionway hatch.
The first step was taping off the seams. This is not necessary and sometimes on large teak decks the step is skipped just because of the labor of taping can become harder than the labor of sanding. However for a small area like this I decided it was worth it to avoid sanding the caulk away afterwards.
After that, I carefully caulked each seam and spread the caulk down with a putty knife to ensure it worked down in the cracks and to give it a smooth even surface level with the wood. As you can see in the pictures I was really concentrating!
Here is a picture of the caulk curing after all the seams have been filled and leveled:
And are a couple pictures of the final product! An excellent suggestion by my dad.
Now I cant wait to get the funds to buy the teak boards to brighten up the rest of the companionway!!
Looks great!
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