84 Tournament - Console seam question

[TheViolentVicar]

Hello all,

This is a bit tough to describe, so please bear with.

I have a 19' Tournament. In front of each of the cockpit seats there is a kick panel (ie below the helm and below the glove box). The innermost edges of those kick panels border the walkway to the bow, and are covered with a strip of teak, with a third piece of teak serving as a door sill, more or less, at the place where the floor in the open bow rises.

I removed the two lateral pieces of teak the other day and saw surprisingly rough seams, secured by the screws that hold the teak trim on, between the kick panel and the wall of the walkway. Is this normal for a tournament of that vintage, or should I be looking into why mine is like that?

The area and the three pieces of teak I'm speaking of are clearly visible in the centre of Photo 6 at this URL (not my boat, but a lot like it): https://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing ... +6&photo=6.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can decipher my description and respond.

 

[TheViolentVicar]

Sorry, try this URL: https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1986/G ... ted-States

 

[Curmudgeon]

Sounds like "furring strips" which act as a filler/backer. At least that's what I have on an '86 T-22 ... :wink:

 

[TheViolentVicar]

OK, so the panels aren't meant to be one continuous piece of fiberglass, then. THat's good news. I thought there might have been damage or a silly modification.

 

[Curmudgeon]

A picture would help, but my best guess would be as suggested ... :?

 

[TheViolentVicar]

Yeah, you are right, and I'd post a pic if I were near the boat. I only get to see it on weekends. :cry:

 

[toolguy73]

I think I know what you're talking about. My boat is a 24' Tournament. 1983. The three pieces make a "U", like this: l_l

I replaced most of the teak this year, and had the rest of it all off to refinish. I also replaced the bulkheads (kickpanels). Those edges you're talking about aren't finished that well, and some could be.

Here's my 2 cents...............

GW could have done a better job on the vertical edges, and eliminated that teak trim, but then you would have the bottom piece (kick panel?) all alone. That's an important piece because these boats tend to flex due to the lack of lateral-support in the top cap (no cabin to tie everything together). Any kind of finished joint there would definitely lead to a crack in that joint. So they put a piece of teak there to cover the joint. It made sense, both then and now to carry that same teak line vertically. The teak line on mine runs along all edges of the top cap; the walkway area you described, under the glove box, under the helm, and all around the cockpit. The alternative to teak is aluminum or stainless molding, which would probably more expensive, but not as pleasing to the eye.

I like the looks of this trim, even though it's a PIA to maintain. I considered using starboard as a replacement, but decided against it.

More than 2 cents worth, I guess...................

 

[TheViolentVicar]

toolguy73, that was an excellent post. I don't mind the teak - in fact I like it and am pretty obsessive amout maintaining stuff, but I was concerned that perhaps someone had cut that joint, or it had failed. That it was left loose deliberately to allow for flex without damage makes a whole bunch of sense.

I just bought this boat, and it looks more like it's 8 or 10 years old than 24. I think it must have been stored inside or was just very well looked after (or both). THis new discovery has been my only concern and I think I am satisfied that it is a design feature rather than a defect.

Thanks to all who replied.

 

[Afishinado]

Violent....
When I bought my 22 Tournament (a 1982 that was 13 years old) the bulkheads (or kick panels as you call'em) were rotted out, the vertical teak pieces were cracked also. NOTE, I also found virtually every screw between hull and deck cap on the sides, was loose, broken, missing etc. Be sure to pull the rubrail and have a look. Without those bulkheads doing their job, the boat flexes a great deal more...

 

[TheViolentVicar]

Afishinado: Many thanks for the advice. My impression on inspection is that the boat is sound throughout, although the teak on the port side of the |_| is cracked where one screw goes in - I can laminate that back together without too much trouble. The bulkheads themselves (as you note, I have referred to them as kick panels because they look too frail to be of any structural value, and look much more like cosmetic or organizational items) seem like they are OK structurally; it just seemed to me unusual that they were not glassed in to place toward the centre line of the boat.

Elsewhere on the boat I have seen no signs of stress or undue flex; the gel coat, which looks newer than its age but is nonetheless weathered somewhat, has no cracks. However, as you suggest it might be worthwhile to pull the rub rail. Is that tough to do on a Grady? My experience on my other boat was that these things tend to be relatively easy to pull off, and rather more challenging to replace.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Ditto the advice about pulling the rub rail insert. Also, check the windshield alignment. Any undue flexing in the cap and hull will show up there, too. The bulkhead panels (laminated plywood) will start to rot from the bottom, so check there first ... :?