Tech Wiki

Teak Eyebrow Replacement

Mike and Jan Smith, Breezer #688

I replaced the teak eyebrows on Breezer last spring. I bought six, five-foot lengths of 3/4' rounded edge teak strips at West Marine. I cut the ends at a 45/45 bevel with a miter saw and butted three of them together for each side with a 3" strip of 3/4" wide fiberglass tape at the joint on the flat underside saturated with epoxy for strength. I clamped it overnight to cure. I cut off equal lengths on each end to match the length of the old strips, beveled each end and lightly sanded the strip until smooth. I applied several coats of Cetol Marine (Light), lightly sanded between coats, and then finished with a couple of coats of Cetol Gloss. I took the strips to the boat and laid them alongside the existing strips and carefully marked where the screws were located. (You'll need an extra pair of hands for this) I drilled and countersunk screw holes in the new strips. I took a pencil and traced a line above and below each old strip to show where the strip was when I removed it. I removed the old strips and cleaned the area with acetone. I cleaned out the old holes and squirted some marine sealant (NOT 3M 5200) into them. You may need to fill them with West unthickened epoxy, let it cure over night and then re-drill the hole to repair/prevent water intrusion damage. I ran a thick bead of marine sealant (NOT 3M 5200) down the flat bottom of the new strip, set the strip between the lines I traced and screwed it down with SS screws and finishing washers about 95% of the way, so that some of the sealant squished out. I let the sealant cure overnight then tightened the screws down all the way, and trimmed off the excess sealant with a utility knife.