How to REPLACE SEAMS in a TEAK DECK (Aladino's first ever video!) 

Aladino, The Teak Decking looks fab. You are a master.

Señor Aladino I am Curtis Hyde,SV Liberty Freedom she is a 25' Catalina Tall Rig I have learned so much from watching you keep and maintain your beautiful SV Magic Carpet thank you for the knowledge that you have been parted through your videos please keep them coming add my wife Joyce Ann & I hope to see & meet one day very soon until then Fairwinds calm seas over and out

It's great to see someone working with such care and attention to detail.

Aladino - If you hadn't been a sailor, you would have had to have been a Swiss watchmaker. You are amazingly precise!

A natural !...very skilled workmanship and super finish.

Brilliant video, excellently explained and wonderful attention to detail...thank you.

Your attention to detail is admirable, keep coming with these videos that explain how to do upkeep on your boat

What a great job you did explaining everything in details and in your usual relaxed tone ! Because of this resource, I think more people might endeavor to safeguard their teak decks instead just selling their boats or worst ripping off the teak. Armed with this knowledge, they will get at this task knowing not only how to do it but also the right frame of mind required for this kind of job. I like the emphasis you give to doing it right and longevity. By the way, your skills, it seems to me, should be easily marketable the the proper crowd. And this channel, will be your portfolio. And what a portfolio! 😎

Thank you for sharing this. And your other video about Teak bungs. I'm the custodian of a (new to us) 38 foot boat with loads of teak decking that also needs constant TLC. I had an image in my head, and a plan of exactly what I have to do to maintain it all, and this video is exactly what I needed. Especially because you take such care and detail when you go about your work. Really appreciate you capturing this process and your commentary, it's giving me faith and confidence that I can do the same with mine.

Bless you Aladino - you did great. Greetings to you and Maya from Switzerland's largest city.

Having caulked hundred's of feet of Teak deck's as a Ship wright, i have found, if one PUSHES the caulking gun, instead of DRAGGING, you will not have any void's.

Can’t beat watching a true craftsman at work. Excellent

Your knowledge and attention to detail made watching this tutorial quite interesting. Even for this 62 year old lady who has no plans to ever do this particular job! As a retired school teacher, I think you gave an amazing and interesting hands-on lesson. Well done! I am thoroughly enjoying the journey the two of you are on and appreciate you taking us along with you. I grew up in Europe for 5 years as a young girl, but I did not get to travel through France much. Your travels through the French canals are fascinating to me and a joy to watch. Thank you!

I normally don't comment on videos but your attention to details are so spot on and so hard to find that i just had to say as a meticulous craftsman myself i can fully appreciate your every move and is so satisfying to watch. In my opinion best videos I've seen! You're both amazing! Greetings from Canada.

This was very satisfying to watch!

Thoughts from the Canadian edge of the Salish Sea. 1. The only reason to put up with the nastiness of sanding is the feel and look of nicely finished wood surface. 2. I would love to buy a boat from a perfectionist like Aladino. 3. I would feel badly buying a boat from a perfectionist like Aladino because I know I would not have the patience to keep it that way. 4. Creating the angles on the perfect tool for removing the caulking exhibits craftsmanship before the job is even started. Way to go!

Well done video, very informative procedure enjoyed it mutchly

All your hard work paid off! It looks new!

Thank you so much for “More Aladino!”

True Craftsmanship... Nice job Aladino. Great choice of music by the way.. :-))

Awesome! I just bought myself a Vindö 32, and I appreciate these videos. Keep the maintenance videos coming!!

Nice job, great attention to detail! I tend to cut the Sika nozzle slightly larger than the gap to fill at a 45 degree angle and then fill it pushing forward. This completely eliminates air bubbles. Pulling backwards has a risk of including airbubbles. Then let it rest and cure (over a month, looks ugly in the meantime, but gives a perfect flat result without having to sand back too much teak) as you indicated because it shrinks quite a bit, before cutting it off and sanding. You're done now for the next 5-7 years anyway ;)

Great job both on the deck and video. The drawings made understanding what you were doing better.

A great eye for detail Aladino, excellent job.

Wow, so many comments but one more for a rave review: Aladino's calm voice and methodical approach were very helpful to me in dealing with my own modest projects. Wishing you well on a stormy day on Lake Erie, USA

Wow. Initially, I thought I might skip this one because I know nothing about caring for a boat, but I really appreciate the clear, simple explanations and directions. It’s great watching anyone be an expert, even if I don’t understand everything. And thanks for the bluesy soundtrack! Well done!

This is a best video of Magic Carpet. Good job!

Mate, that was extraordinary... I am doing that just now with our Vindoe 30 from the 60's... You have so much great advice!!!!

Wow... excellent tutorial.

Greetings from Arizona USA. You did a Great job ! WOW ! looks Awesome, Good video. Wishing you good luck and good fortune , take care.

Your teak caulking looks amazing! Well done!

I just finished sanding and redoing the varnish on all of the exterior wood. At least 2 weeks of all day work...In the future I just want a boat where all the wood is made up of straight, standard sizes available at the local hardware store whereever I go and I just pop the old ones out, replace and varnish.

Unaltro capolovoro bravo !!

Besides being a wonderful craftsman you are also a great teacher. After watching you I say to myself ‘ I could do that’. !😃

Get a can of wine preserve its nitrogen and a bit of argon, displace the air in the primer can with and you will extend its shelf life, I use it for many products that oxide when in contact with air

What a really great job, so easy to follow.

Dear Sailing Magic Carpet couple. Usually I do long or even very long comments. Only 7 words needed to say this time: Perfectly done again and as always! Congrats! 👍👌👏 This applies for the very complex job AND the editing! Thanks a lot for making teaching recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and health. Postscriptum: Please kindly allow me to ask: Wouldn't a Ziehklinge (sorry, don't know and couldn't find the English designation) do a better job cutting off the excess of the Sikaflex? There are several types available.

Super nice job. The video is actualy a good technical one..

To all boat people. Before I have even watched the whole video I simply have to mention something: There are some special tools for removing and renovating teak deck seams (respectively seals/seams of all kinds) existing for at least over 10 years. If I remember correctly unfortunately only for the most expensive, high quality Fein Multimaster oscillating tool which I bought years ago. Hope this information and those tools can be helpful in the future. Best regards, luck and health.

well done video. Everything has a science and an art component, finding the right balance is important. IMHO, DIY videos need to go light on the art aspect in order not to be a distraction. Having said that, an evening or walk in an anchorage would probably due well going heavier on the art side of things. ❤️ 😃

Great job Aladino on both the teak and the video! Teak is like that hot girlfriend you had that was great to look at until you realized how much work it was to keep, so you dumped her and moved on to the homely girl down the street who didn't require any maintenance.

Great and dedicated job ...both teak deck work and video presentation...and maya( an Indian name) for your support...go ahead dears😘

You are meticulous in your work on the boat. It certainly shows. It takes a lot of patience, some people do not have the patience to do the kind of work that you do. Much respect. Beautiful job.

Not bad for your first video! But you have a tough act to follow! If you're going to make a go if this, you are going to have to sing and dance and play an instrument while you are shooting! ;) Just kidding. That is a very difficult but visible aspect of boat maintenance. My Kalik 44, made in Belgium in '83, had a teak plank deck that was toe-nailed with tiny nails to pieces of plywood and then laid in the mold and had the fiberglass deck molded over it while upside down. I suppose it looked fine initially, but the lawyer couple that owned it before me had it in charter in Annapolis, MD, and relied on the charter company to do the maintenance. That was a mistake because it wasn't done. It sat on a mooring ball for years and suffered several other boats dragging into it in storms. It was damaged which is the only way I could afford it. When I received it in Michigan, the teak seams had all cracked and leaked water into the plywood which rotted it. The teak planks were popping up everywhere and this is an entire teak deck and cockpit and saloon top, etc. I had no choice but to remove all the teak and the rotted plywood substrate. Reworked Kaliks usually have non skid on the decks and they don't try to replace the teak. I happen to like the look of it and it is a great non-skid surface! In researching this problem and planning the refit, I noticed that most teak planks are at least 3/8" thick. Mine are barely 1/4". Since it is so expensive, I may have to try to reuse the planks. You said your teak planks are screwed down from under the deck. Mine aren't thick enough to do that. Nor are they thick enough to screw from the top and bung, in my opinion. I know sometimes they are epoxied down or put down with 3M 5200. Do you have experience with either of these ways? I suppose vacuum bagging a glued down deck is good but I can't think of a way to do it without trying to do it all at once. I can't do that by myself. Is it feasible to cut slits in the edges of the planks at, 8" intervals and then using a flat shouldered bolt with the sides of the head slid into these intermittent "scarfs" on either side of the gap for the seam. This way each plank could be glued and screwed individually and manageable by one person. Then you would put the seam caulk in over the tops of the screw heads down in the seams.to hide them. OR I could take the easy way out and put down synthetic teak mats! Any experience with any of these? And I seem to remember a teak deck treatment a long time ago that was silica-based and soaked onto the teak and hardened and dried clear. The only way you could tell that it was even treated was to watch the water bead up on it like a waxed car! Do you know what THAT might be?

Now that Patrick is gone (rip),you guys are probably the best boat project/sailing channel

3 things 1. The gloves matched the tape. 2. Warming the sika. Gold. 3. Paint brush finger spin while on camera. Double gold

I'm impressed with your knowledge and attention to details. I've heard that all wooden boats need regular maintenance such as this for them to last.

36hrs. @ $100=$3600.00. Nice work!

I’m a Canadian who has sailed the Great Lakes and 1000 Island region for the last 40 years. Normally we travel Europe during the winter however last year we got stuck in France during Covid-19 so this year we stayed home and looking for our Europe fix we started watching your videos and I must stay they are great. You two are very talented and it’s a joy to see someone following their dreams. I’ve often said a dream without a plan is just a wish. Here is wishing you two all the best. PS: what editing software are you using?

excellent work, very good, congratulations!

Lovely btw my parents saw you at worms yacht club👍❤

OMG, I just commented on your previous video on how I would love to see how you do your scenes and here is the video. Please accept my apologies..

... brilliant, thanks :)

Good video. I've done a lot of caulking, but I learned new techniques. Thanks. To sharpen chisels, knives, plane blades, etc I use a system called Scary Sharp (Google it, it's a method not some expensive gimmick) you're pretty close to it already. When you plane western red cedar strips (to build kayaks) and just to be fussy you touch up your plane blade after an hour with 2000 grit - and you notice a difference? You're at the avant garde of sharpening. The trick to using sand paper is to always draw your edge, not push it as you're doing (but if you're not gouging or tearing your paper, and a master in the boat yard told you to do it this way... follow them. Me? I pull. The burr on the edge is taken off when you do the back. To trim the excess caulking usually pulling a scrapper is more 'idiot proof'. But again, you know what you're doing. The can of Sika primer with the short life. For PVC/ABS solvent/cement, which has the same short shelf life problem: store them upside down. The stuff inside won't dry out. Just be careful they don't leak. Also aluminum foil seals better than plastic. That's why the insides of crisps bags are metallic. A thin deposit of aluminum. The half used Sika tubes? Remove the spout and wrap some aluminum foil around the opening. It'll be usable for longer. Wear gloves, Respirator, etc... There's a lot of cancer around, maybe it's some chemical the person used in their youth. Why take the chance? I'm sure you learned during your apprenticeship the difference between acetone and epoxy. Acetone has a nasty sharp chemical smell, but isn't too bad. Epoxy has a nice nutty smell but is highly toxic (the Resin is full of BP-A, which works on our bodies as random doses of estrogen (the female hormone). We don't grow breasts, we get cancers many years later. I use West System Epoxy, the Resin is 90% BP-A. Also 20 years ago epoxy was considered food safe, and very safe for babies. Now it's banned for these uses (still great on boats!) Every 20 years or so some plastic that was once said to be very safe turns out not to be. I"m suspicious of Nalgene, why are the bottles all so different, when it's supposed to be the same thing? What's really going on? Some of them don't even have the plastic code on the bottom. I drink out of stainless steel, even at home (in part because I live like an old hippie.....) Hope you find some of this helpful.

Great job on your first edits!

Aladino You should get some SHARPENING STONES 😇

Ciao Aladino.. thanks for your super hints.. it’s the fifth time that I’m looking at the video before retrofitting my teak.. thanks.. what kind of varnish do you suggest if using as you did sika primer and sikaflex 290 DC pro?

Excellent job, Aladino. Have you ever used a “Mozart Messer”? Could be an alternative to your screwdriver approach. Regards from Switzerland. Silvano

Watched the video with my 11 yo grandson. He was mesmerized. So was I, of course. Then we watched the one dollar boat story. He sails with us but you guys have introduced a whole new dimension. Thanks. Norm. Cape Cod

Love your choice of music Aladino! Nevertheless, I’d love to see/hear Maya playing the violin again. Nothing beats live music.

And Voila! There you go, the BEST teak deck caulking video on the whole internet. THANKS Aladino and Maya!

Awesome Job! You make it easy to understand, and your illustrations really help for those not understanding the nature of wood and its grain. The result shows your knowledge and experience. So few people understand the importance of a sharp edge tool, nothing compares to it. Thanks for a very informative video, your boat shows your skill and dedication to preserving such a beautiful craft!.

You are quite the artisan!

Swiss attention to details. Great job!

You have a very steady hand and a keen eye sir !

你們太棒了！

Wow! I truly admire your attention to detail on 'Magic Carpet' and deservedly so, as she is a very fine looking vessel...thanks for the vid.

Very interesting and instructional video! Your skilled attention to detail is both amazing and reassuring. Master class quality work!! Thankyou for sharing your knowledge and expirience with us!

.you are a true artist!

Bedankt

There is no one on RU-vid who is as poetic nor as good a writer as Maya. So don't even try to be the same. You are great as yourself. Now make Maya do more boatwork!!! I happen to know she is quite practiced from watching the $1 boat.

Dry? Yes, but very informative and you do great work. Thanks.

Hello! I need to replace seams in the teak in the cabin, as it is leaking, so I turned to your video. Questions: 1) What Sikaflex and primer do you use? 2) If you use something as a degreaser, for acetone, or alcohol, do you have to use Sika primer? It seems the stuff in the USA is very expensive, and as you say, it has a short shelf life... Thanks for you answer.

Couldn’t have come at a better time: just about to start tackling the caulking on my Vindö 30. Thanks man 🦊

Loved watching the sikaflex get scraped away, so satisfying:)

Hey then, with this great tutorial, you're probably the one to ask: we have been getting some air bubbles coming up with our Sikaflex, and wondering what you do with those (if you've already run a nice straight fillet) for example. Do you try to do the fillet again? Our Sika dries in about 4 minutes in our hot temperatures here in Mexico. Thanks for the helpful tips!

It is great to see a craft persons process, you should do more work videos

That was interesting. Although I no longer have a boat, I was very interested in the procedures you followed. The work is never done on a boat.

Nice job! Both on the boat work (as always) and the Videoediting!

Very informative. Happy to have more Aladino videos in the future 🙂

That was awesome !! I now realize that teak is a labor of love. Your patience is so very excellent. My boat has very little teak, and I can see why it needs to stay that way !

I own a Sweden Yacht 37 and have the same problems with bad seam substances, which started to melt during our trip to France. Your RU-vids are very helpful and I love the way you both present them. Enjoy your sailing. Herman de Jong / The Netherlands

Apologies, i wanted to say how much i enjoy your channel, as i wanted to do the canal's of Europe when i was younger [82 n0w]on my own boat, to late now, and i do not have the resources to charter a vessel, so it will not happen, i believe your boat was built by Cheoylee ?, i owned a Cheoylee, Robb 35, Teak built, Yawl rig, great boat, sailed very well, would go to weather like gang busters, purchased her in Hong Kong, back in the 80'S, she was 15 year's, taked very good care of [boat boy full time], in closing, i would say, you are a VERY LUCKY guy, to have a partner who has class, and smart. Fair Wind's, Doug.

Nice video. Most of my teak deck grooves have become almost flush due to the deck being worn down after 21 years. I think I have enough teak left to deepen the grooves by 4mm at least. What tool would you recommend for this job? I imagine it would be easy to make a mess if the grooves are not straight.

Thank you Aladino. Great to watch your stuff. As a mechanic of many years, but 0 boat experience it is wonderful to watch your work and the detail you give.

The sika primer is very volatile. Don't keep the bottle open and in the sun. Sikaflex have a best before date. Avoid using older than 12-18months.

Pulling back the gun while your laying in the sika is not a good practice as you can create air bubbles. I always push the sika forward motion and have very good results. Try it :-). You can use any epoxy as a primer too if you don't have sika primer

Is there a fiber glass video from Aladino yet?

You're right about one thing! a good caulking gun, makes a massive difference in doing a good job or or not. It can eliminate a lot of headaches. Years ago I looked everywhere for a good caulking gun. I found each gun had pro's and con's to each design. So what I did was buy three or four of them and built a really good caulking gun., and I've never had trouble with a caulking gun again. lol

easy watching, informative content, love it..

You do very nice work. And I’ve learned some good tips you have shared. Thanks for taking the time to video, edit and share. Now can you come to the US and do my Boat? 😂

Aladino, you have great skills, you are a master.

Awesome! Great explanation and master like execution. Thanks.

hermoso trabajo del deck. congratulations Aladino

Love the video...is there a good use for teak oil.?? That would give a wood tone color simple nd water rappelling??

Superb work, Aladino. Both the editing and the teak work. My preference for my own boat is to oil the teak (which I have lots of) but I too can appreciate the fine silver of well cared for teak. Oh, we always enjoy Maya's album when sailing. You two are awesomely talented.

Aladino great job with video and the decking.

If you want to use and save your Sika for a long time, put it in the frig !! it is fantastic and won't affect the product

Excellent

Ottimo lavoro Aladino! ... L'uomo dalle mille risorse... E più. Greetings.