CRAFTSMANSHIP Boatbuilder’s Notes TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Deck caulking
BY WILL STIRLING
Like all materials, caulking cotton has been subject to a significant price increase over the last year. Having been sold as eight strand it is now only available as five strand. This is an awkward figure as it is not easily divisible into useful parts. However, one can only use that which is available.
I was shown this method of deck caulking, for new decks only, not the hull, by I Elton, RNLI Surveyor ret’d. Take a length of cotton 3ft (91cm) longer than the deck seam. Tie an overhand knot in each end. Bend a small nail and put the sharp end into the chuck of a drill. Put one end of the cotton over the nail in the drill and the other over a nail in the wall, at some distance, so that you can hold the cotton gently taut above the ground. Do not allow the cotton to become sullied with shavings or any other dirt on the workshop floor. Twist the cotton until the plait is firm but does not kink when the tension is released. Gently wind it up around you hand into a loose bird’s nest. Take the bird’s nest on deck and unsheathe the pizza slicer. (A ravioli cutter is even better; the ‘off the shelf’ pizza slicer quickly wore out so our best joiner easily made this
2 1 3
1 2
3 Hand-made ‘pizza slicer’
Caulking iron to tamp down the cotton
Chisel, to slice off the excess at the end
Below left: Rolling in the cotton Below: Caulking it down
bespoke version. Wm Morrison has been notified; I am afraid they felt my complaint of ‘not fit for purpose’ unjustified.) Roll the caulking into the seams.
The deck seams must be tight and uniform for this method to be effective. The pizza slicer puts the caulking into the seam so that the tip of the caulking iron can also enter the seam. Caulk it down firmly as
MAINTENANCE Looking after your teak deck
After a rain shower or having been washed, while your deck is drying, check your rubber seams. If they are staying wetter than the rest of the deck it is conceivable that the bond between the rubber and teak has failed, and should be repaired as early as possible. If water becomes trapped within the seam it can track along the bottom of the seam and can cause long-term problems that are not immediately obvious, for example leaks into the cabin,rotting out the teak from the underside, or rot to the top of deckbeams. Advice from Trafalgar Wharf
84 CLASSIC BOAT FEBRUARY 2012
“Take the bird’s nest and unsheathe the pizza slicer”
normal. There is no risk of being unable to see the seam, putting the iron on the cotton and driving it down, only to find the cotton was just to the left of the seam and irreparable damage has been done to the edge of the deck plank. If the seams are uniform but some are a little open, caulk up the tight seams first and you may find that the open seams close up.
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