Rebedding Starboard Stanchions

Three days ago Arnold and I began the task of rebedding four of the starboard stanchion bases. (We are not bothering to rebed the forward stanchions over the chain locker. Fortunately we decided to do the work of cleaning the teak bases at the patio behind The Fuel Dock. Soon Jimmy from a boat berthed in front of the patio took an interest in what we were doing and before we knew it he had produced a small sheet of "Star Board" so that we could replace the cracked teak bases that had seen better days. "Star Board" is a marine grade plastic-like product much like those plastic cutting boards for the kitchen. It is made for supporting winches and other deck gear. The thickness of the sheeting was almost identical to that of the teak bases. Jimmy provided a jig saw for cutting the bases and Phil provided a belt sander for rounding off the corners and edges. We produced 10 new bases, enough for every stanchion, though we used only 5: four for the starboard side and one for the port side stanchion above the head which was still leaking. The other stanchion bases will be replaced according to need and opportunity.

The bottom photo shows a rebedded stanchion base with plenty of sealant to ensure that no water can penetrate the deck. The excess material can be easily removed after a few days when the sealant has cured to a rubber-like consistency. In the middle is one of the discarded teak bases. On the right is a "star board" base ready for future use.

The top photo shows the underside of the base that I had rebedded with black sealant a few weeks earlier and had still leaked through one bolt. Note how I was a bit too cute with the sealant and almost missed surrounding one of the bolt holes. Note also a crack in the lower left portion of the teak base.