ADVICE - LAYING OF A BOAT BRIDGE

STEP 1:

- First, dismantle the fittings (cleats, candlesticks, rails, etc.).

- Prepare the laying plan of the deck slats. Divide the batten quantities in two for port and starboard.

- Protect the areas around the deck with plastic or heavy adhesive to avoid splashing.

STEP 2:

- Sand and grind the surfaces to be covered (gelcoat ...) with a medium grit abrasive (80 or 60).

- Remove the dust due to sanding and clean the bonding area (support + slats) with acetone 30 minutes before laying the slats with a paper towel. This eliminates the natural oil on the surface of the teak and improves the penetration of the epoxy (on steel or aluminum, it is better to sand or sand and use an epoxy primer -Awlgrip-). Make sure the grooves are clean and free of dirt and dry.

STEP 3:

- Position the first row of battens or deck framing (banks) blank (without glue) from the front and mark the location of the banks.

- If you use double rabbet slats, drill the pilot holes in the banks with our pilot forests (4 different diameters corresponds to the diameter of the plugs -8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 15mm-).

NB: Note the reference points on the battens and on the deck (number). Be careful to install the slats symmetrically with respect to the fixed elements of the deck (roof, hood, candlestick). Drill the gelcoat in the pilot holes with a drill (diameter 4mm smaller than the screws) and insert the sheet metal screws.

STEP 4:

- Start by preparing a small dose of epoxy to test your speed.

- Deposit a bank, stick on the bridge, go up the bank with the screws tight and repeat the operation for the other banks.

- Clean all the excess glue.

- You must adjust the advancement time to the setting time of the FFE 200 (2h30 may vary depending on the outside temperature).

STEP 5:

- Group your slats by size and then separate them symmetrically into two groups so that they can be symmetrically mounted port-starboard.

- Cut them to fit them and mark them if necessary.

- Stick the bridge as you go using a pointed 3mm toothed spatula and if you use S4S slats, firmly press the slats with fixed decks every 30 to 50 cm before tightening them completely. so as to overflow the epoxy.

- Allow the glue to polymerize deeply for 24 hours before removing the screws. Remove the excess glue at the bottom of the grooves using the TDS seal hook (it is preferable between 8am and 24am) and re-seal the old screw holes with our epoxy.

- If using double-slats, put the caps in place to hide the screw holes.

STEP 6:

- Sand between the slats with the TDS sanding block and then vacuum to leave the grooves clean and degrease them with acetone using a cloth before applying the bottom of the joint.

-Put the bottom of the joint in each groove (if the joint depth is greater than 8mm) to prevent the joint from sticking to the bottom. For the durability of the joint, it must be glued only on the edge of each slat to avoid an additional bonding point that may shear the seal over time.

STEP 7:

- You can now apply the joints between each batten with our TDS SIS440 caulking joint which is used without primer.

- Make the joint bombe with a spatula (be careful, there should be no moisture or water during application).

STEP 8:

- Sand the new deck after 7 days for black joints and 12 days for gray and white joints to even the entire support using a medium grain belt sander (80) and an orbital sander and wedge to sand flat for finishes.

- Protect your deck with the Teak Sealer after sanding with two coats.

The teak can then be left as is (natural) or regularly maintained with the ECO 100 or 300 range.