Albin 36 decks

[seblyte]

Hi, I wonder if anybody can advise me on what the decks are made of. Are they solid fibreglass under the teak decking or are they cored? Would very much appreciate this information. Also how is the teak decking fastened to the superstructure. Is it screwed, stuck with glue or bolted.

Thanks

[jleonard]

Cored fiberglass, teak is screwed and plugged. That's where the problem arises....water eventually wicks past the screws or between the teak planks and gets the core wet.
The teak is also part of the structure...so you cannot simply remove the teak and be done. You need to build up the fiberglass thickness to maintain deck strength.

[seblyte]

That was what I feared. Would it be feasible to remove the teak, reseal the decks with a fibreglass coating and reattach the teak decking using an adhesive or is this just not an option. Do you have any remedy you can suggest? I am very grateful for your help on this.

[jleonard]

reseal the decks with a fibreglass coating and reattach the teak decking using an adhesive

Yes this is a good option...I have heard of others who have done it that way. If/when I have to replace some of mine I will definately consider that option. If you use an epoxy it will be waterproof so that solves 2 problems.

[Veebyes2]

I have a friend who has an early 80s Marine Trader 36 Sedan Trawler. Same deck problems as the Albins of that era. Eventually he got fed up trying to find & fix leaks & just tore most of the teak deck up except over the cockpit. He reglassed it, painted & applied non skid. Much cooler underfoot now & no more leaks.

[seblyte]

I think the epoxy idea is great. I image I could get a good seal and finish with this and then re-attach the decking.

[seblyte]

Just thought I'd let everyone know about my deck solution. I went to the Excel boatshow in London and had a long chat with a company called SP Gurit. They produce an epoxy sheet that cures as a hard, flat surface about 3 mm thick. You can cut the dry cloth with sissors to fit the area you are working on. Perfect or re-attaching with adhesive, a new/restored teak deck or a synthetic teak deck. It provides extra strength to to the deck and cures any leaks. Cheap as well!

[jleonard]

Can you post the link to thier website?

[seblyte]

Hi, the link is http://www.gurit.com/sp_home.asp?sectio ... tle=Marine Hope this is useful