Reglassing the Deck

The Florida crew just keeps on amazing me on how much they can tackle and get done.  All the PO 46's had teak decks applied at the factory.  They were all built in the early 1980s and most need replacing if they have not been already.  Many owners have redone the decks in teak and other have opted for a greener option.  With teak prices being what they are and teak wood becoming rarer it made sense to save a few trees and just glass the deck.

There are many benefits of just glassing  and painting the deck.  Teak decks are beautiful but require maintenance and sealing to keep them looking good.  The fiberglass deck on the other hand is bulletproof and requires a hosing down and scrubbing once in while.  The boat is in Florida which is another reason the glass and brighter surface made sense.  Dark brown teak decks create an oven down below during the summers in Florida.

The object of this rebuild after all was to maximize the enjoyment while minimizing the maintenance and work that it take to keep a boat up.

 Cutting and rough fitting the fiberglass mat

 Dry fitting mat

 More mat

 Bow view

 Port side

 Fiberglass resin rolled into the mat

 Priming the starboard side

 Primer on the foredeck

More priming

 Priming

High build primer starboard side

Primer on the deck

The next step is to fair the deck using Awlfair and then she will be ready for the non-skid application.