Maintenance and Upgrade
Defender
29....A
tale of Woe and Intrigue
Mike
Keers
I had
planned to write an article on engines and such for this column, but
due to space limitations, that's been put off until a future
issue. I would like to use this space to make several relevent
comments about maintenance and repair, however.
A careful reading of most of the articles concerning repairs reveals a common thread; many of the problems encountered in these boats, and probably other brands as well, are either directly, or indirectly connected with leaks and drips...the kind from above, not the below-the-waterline type that Eric White's poor "Binary" (see article, page nine, C-Nuz 2) must've had, to sink twice! But I have some thoughts on that, too, I'll address in a minute.
Whether it's leaking thru-deck fittings, like the chainplates that ruined my bulkheads, (detailed in C-Nuz 1) and probably Eric's also, or simply bad bedding under hatches, ports, stanchions, cleats, tracks and other deck-mounted hardware that allows water into the wooden or foam core found on most boats' decks, the end results are the same...big problems.
I don't think it can be stressed strongly enough the need to carefully inspect these fittings, and insure a good, waterproof layer of bedding compound between them and the boat.
In my own case, on my '65 Defender, the bedding under nearly all the fittings was "factory original", and I think it was Dolphinite, or something similar, a common bedding compound used back then. It had turned into either a rock hard layer, or worse, a powdery substance, both of which are useless at keeping water out.
"Job One" on my boat was to pull all the fittings, and I do mean all....every cleat, stanchion, track, window, winch, etc....and rebed with a modern sealant. And while you're at it, you might as well add backing blocks under all those fittings, something most manufacturers neglect, even to this day. This will help limit the flex of the fitting, increasing the chance of the bedding doing its job, and it may even save your life or your boat, by preventing the fitting from pulling its mounting bolts right through the deck.
And the same goes for all the below-the-waterline fittings: new bedding, backing blocks, and please, get rid of those cheap gate valves on your thru-hulls...the "faucets" that probably came with your boat...they corrode dangerously in salt water, especially in these older boats. I had one in my Columbia break off in my hand while trying to unstick it. On dry land, thankfully! It could've sunk my boat. Think about it.
This
article appeared in the February 1998 C-Nuz 2 issue.
Refinishing Old Teak....
"I
love the smell of varnish in the morning"
Tom
Clayton
I
have been absolutely amazed how dirty-old-dread-dry teak comes back
to life with a little elbow grease and varnish. This is what I've
learned from working on my teak.
I've told this story before but it bears repeating. Sitting in the dirt next to my boat when I bought it was a folding teak ladder. It looked so bad--dirty and gray--I picked it up and headed for the trash can, but being a pack rat I stopped short and decided to keep it
I cleaned the bottom half with a two-part teak cleaner and I couldn't believe how good it looked. Last weekend I sanded it, which made it look even better. Yesterday I put the first coat of varnish/Penetrol on it. I got up this morning, went to the garage, opened the door to the smell of fresh varnish. Ahhhhh!
After seeing the first coat, I am convinced that when I'm done it will look like new. These ladders cost $400. WOW! I figure I'll have about eight hours in it and about $20 worth of varnish.
I've also had the same results with the teak trim, doors and drawers. My first coat consists of three parts Penetrol and one part spar varnish. The dry teak soaks it up. The trim will get two or three coats of glossy varnish and the doors and drawers will get one coat of satin varnish.
Again, never throw out any teak without trying to clean it first!
This
article appeared in the March 1999 C-Nuz 6 issue.
