Glass over odl teak deck comments (be nice i didnt do it).

[Smudge601]

So I am looking at a new- old boat. I have just noticed in the pics A there may be a few leaks and B it looks as if the previous owner has glassed over an old teak deck presumbably because it leaked. So i would like to hear your considered on this. If it is leaking do i scrape off the gel coat and go again with glass or do I rip it all up see what ive got and start with glass over the deck without the teak.
Does this make it impossible to detect the condition of the deck under the teak. I guess it probably does.
Anyway I am just lookin so do your worst....... Go on scare me.......may develop some sense. Lol thanks all who comment.

[Steve Bean]

I would like more information about the construction of the boat. What is it made of? What is under the teak? Using a coat of fiberglass to cover leaky wood structures doesn't always work well.

[autumnbreeze27]

If there's moisture and you've got to rip it all off and start over, unless the boat is free it's not a good deal.

Unless you just like working on boats, in which case this is probably a great boat for that.

[Lepke]

Most people glassing decks don't use enough resin (determined by the cloth type and weight) and usually buy the cheapest resin (polyester). If you have deck leaks, you'll probably find much of the fiberglass cloth is no longer sticking to the wood.
Going over a planked deck, it's better to have a layer of plywood screwed to the decking to overcome the movements of individual planks. Better yet, remove the planking and replace it with plywood, then glass. Use epoxy resin.
I had a yard that mostly did commercial boats. Back when most fishing/tug boats were wood, it was common to do a fiberglass deck to stop leaks and the constant maintenance of planked decks.

[Smudge601]

Just about to look at this boat. Pictures indicate a range of leaks not sure if the deck prior to teak is a sandwich and of what. I will and come back.

[sailnow2011]

Teak decks are hard to fix, trust me, I have 2000 hours into my deck. If it is glassed, then it is ruined. Run away unless you want to drop $35,000 on a new deck and 1000 hours of your time.

[appick]

If it's a fiberglass boat with teak decks that have been glassed over it's a terrible idea, and done bass akwards. If the owner did such a poor job on this and was too lazy to remove the old decking imagine what other ways he cut corners. Not a boat you'd want to own in my opinion.

[denverd0n]

I was just looking at a boat with a similar "fix." All the research I did indicates that it is not a fix at all. It is a band-aid that does nothing more than delay the day of reckoning. In many ways it actually makes things worse, for the long run, because it seals all the moisture that has penetrated inside the deck, and makes it that much more difficult to truly fix when the time comes.

If you are looking at this as a boat to buy, use for a couple of years, and then (with luck) dump on the some unsuspecting boob, then maybe it is worth it if you can get the boat for a bargain-basement price. Otherwise, walk away. That is what I have decided to do.

Good luck.

[Cadence]

Run! Glass on teak is a nono. If it has been leaking the teak is probably OK but what is dry rotting under it.

[roland stockham]

The deck substrate is the crucial thing. Assume the teak and glass will have to be removed. If that leave a solid or foam cored deck that will not have deteriorated by being wet then it is possible repairable. Anything like balsa core run a mile. If there is wood (solid or ply) you need to know exactly what it is, durable solid wood and top grade marine ply can stand being wet but cheaply will have rotted center cores

[rbrentp]

Long term...and not that long fiberglass comes off teak just like varnish, except its easier to see with Varnish. i agree with Sailnow 2011 run away unless it is free and you want to learn to sail it. But every nickle invested is MORE lost than a regular boat.

OMG, I just realized the boat expense scale in my head tells me that the money I am wasting comes in levels of waste. I need a new scale.

[delmarrey]

I haven't read any of the posts but just from the title will just say DON'T DO IT!

Teak is oily and pourus. The moment the sun or heat hits the deck it will start to blister and dalaminat.

Teak was a good wood in its day and is cosmetically pleasing but you either restore it or get rid of it. Teak is high maintenance and likes to breathe. Period!

[knockabout]

depends on the material underneath / if solid timber deck and soaked with marine epoxy then sheathed with woven cloth fully saturated in resin then top coated with uv stable epoxy should be stronger than most cored decks and water tight.
but! if it's a running repair on a stick on teak deck it may need stripping off and seal the glass underneath then re-coat with uv stable epoxy top coat

[Djarraluda]

You do not tell the construction of the boat, presumably it is GRP with a laid teak deck screwed, then the glass over the top so you get the sandwich on what is already a sandwich construction. Risk of pockets are huge with this mess. Be very cautious as others have warned.

If it is a direct timber deck with the teak, remedial works are doable, either as a ply replacement then glass it over or whatever alternative you prefer.

We used to get a lot of timber boats with glassed decks, an improvement over the old canvas and paint that was traditional. In late 70's I bought one with laid teak deck that had previously been glassed over, previous owner had removed the glass but a few minor corners remained visible, so I knew the history.
Real issue I had was that the teak planks were no longer thick enough and flexed sufficiently to cause leaks, a real pain in the whatsit! To remove the GRP they levered-up the glass and sanded, so it actually increased the flexing because there was no substrate beneath. After 9 years ownership, I sold and the next couple of owners ignored it all before someone re-decked her at last, using a ply substrate as well.
So the lesson is that you can remove the glass but it was installed for a reason and you do not know of the hidden damage.