Looking for a hand plane....

[Hal Steele]

I am reseaming the teak decks on my boat. Each plank has one rabbeted edge which, when laid next to the adjacent plank, leaves a 3/16"-1/4" seam to fill between the two. The rabbets started out about 1/2" deep. As the teak has worn down over the years that depth has decreased. In some spots it is as little as 1/8". I need to increase the depth of the rabbet in those spots so the new caulk has enough teak to adhere to and stay in place.

There are a couple of really bad ideas (for me at least) out there to do this. They involve a router or a circular saw. There are jigs that help with these but they are cumbersome and not something I want to use. I have used a 1/8" chisel on some spots which works but is slow. I am thinking that a small hand/rabbet plane would be the best alternative but I have no idea on what to look for. I use quite a few tools i.e. table saw, routers, drill press, power planner, etc. However, I've never owned a hand plane in my life. Any suggestions on a plane that will handle that small of a rabbet? Any comments and help appreciated!

[Derek Cohen]

Hal, I think that this will be difficult to do with a rebate plane or a plough plane. You may have better luck with a router plane. My thought run, however, to a small power router guided by a track.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom M King]

If they are all the same width, a guide that keys off the first correct groove could guide a small plunge router to run the next one. Just do 1/8" per pass and it would not be hard to control. Not cheap, but Microfence probably has something that would work like a charm.

[Jim Koepke]

The problem that comes to mind is you will be cutting a slot into the wood making it thinner in the area of the gap between where the planks overlap.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Simple hand plane to mill a rebate.....Stanley No. 78....or Sargent No. 79

[Jim Koepke]

I am reseaming the teak decks on my boat. Each plank has one rabbeted edge which, when laid next to the adjacent plank, leaves a 3/16"-1/4" seam to fill between the two. The rabbets started out about 1/2" deep. As the teak has worn down over the years that depth has decreased. In some spots it is as little as 1/8". I need to increase the depth of the rabbet in those spots so the new caulk has enough teak to adhere to and stay in place.

There are a couple of really bad ideas (for me at least) out there to do this. They involve a router or a circular saw. There are jigs that help with these but they are cumbersome and not something I want to use. I have used a 1/8" chisel on some spots which works but is slow. I am thinking that a small hand/rabbet plane would be the best alternative but I have no idea on what to look for. I use quite a few tools i.e. table saw, routers, drill press, power planner, etc. However, I've never owned a hand plane in my life. Any suggestions on a plane that will handle that small of a rabbet? Any comments and help appreciated!

An answer to a question might help to determine what will work best for you.

Are you going to disassemble the decks to do this work or are you planning on doing it in place?

If you are going to do it in place you may need to make your own router plane. It isn't really all that difficult. Something similar to this:

491704

Of course a shop made router would be made out of wood and start out looking more like this:

491705

It wouldn't have to be so ornate. The main consideration would be to have a keel fore and aft of the cutter to guide it in the groove you want to make deeper.

jtk

[Tim Janssen]

How thick were the deckplanks originaly? Just wondering. Is there enough thickness left to go much deeper.
If I undertand you correctly, your teak deck in some areas has worn down by 3/8". That is a lot of wear!
How big is your boat?

Tim

[Hal Steele]

Thanks for all the responses. The boat is a 42' Grand Banks trawler. I believe the decks were originally 3/4" thick. They have been sanded by previous owner (bad idea) and worn down with time/cleaning. The conventional wisdom of the teak deck experts is that 3/8" thick is considered "serviceable". Mine are that at a minimum with some areas slightly more.

I am doing the reseaming with the teak planks in place. No way to remove them without destroying them as there is an agressive adhesive underneath to hold them to the fiberglass deck.

The planks do not overlap. The rebate on one side of a plank butts against the next plank over which leaves a space for the deck caulking. I believe the seam rebate was 1/4"-3/8" deep. The amount of teak left in the rebate is not an issue. Actually, I have been told to remove it entirely if possible and put the new caulk all the way to the deck below. New teak decks are made without a rebate, just an open space between the planks which is then filled with caulk.

If I was reseaming the entire deck, with all seams open/cleaned of the old caulk then a jig would be a no brainer. I have plans for one that is used. About 6' long, adjustable, screwed into an adjacent seam every 8" or so. However, I hate to screw it into the good seams that are there. I have read about using a small router with a guide off the front and back that was placed into the seam to guide the router. Not really sure about how to do that though.

I think I answered all the questions from above? Jim, thanks for the plane suggestions. I haven't looked at them yet but will shortly!

[Reed Gray]

You may be able to do it with a hand plane,, but teak is hard, and has a lot of silica in it, so your irons will go dull quickly.

robo hippy

[Tom M King]

Grain will probably run all directions too. I've figure out a way to use a small plunge router. Even then, you will probably go through several bits. I wouldn't screw anything down either. You could even just have a guide on the bottom of the router base that fits in existing grooves, but you would have to be careful to keep all the pressure against one side of the existing groove.

A side rabbet plane could clean up any scallops you make.

This guy screws down a guide, but there has to be multiple ways to do it without screws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ws7nB09po

[Keegan Shields]

Instead of screws for that jig, could you use one or more vacuum hold downs? Wouldn’t be hard to make if you have access to a vacuum pump.

[James Pallas]

Hi Hal. Real job you have. Decks are probably curved both perpendicular and longitudinal to the caulking rabbet. Makes it difficult to use a flat based router. A rigged up router plane may work somewhat. You may have to do it with traditional tools. A good sharp reefing hook will dig into the bottom as well as any hand tool. Just dig deeper where you have to. Having an even bottom makes little difference. If you get the sides all wonky it looks awful. Tipping power routers or planes that cut into the sides are problems. Tapered sides won’t hold onto the caulk. Good luck with your project. I don’t know of any other way than hard work. She should be a beauty when done.
Jim

[Jim Ritter]

Since I was in that business I’ve dealt with shallow caulking seams and popping bungs way too much. There is an electric tool called a seam ripper which I use for bigger jobs, but this is the Neanderthal section so I’ll stick with that. If you don’t have a reefing hook (made from an old file) you can easily make one. Grind the hook to the width of the seam and put a nice edge on it. Teak is a wonderful wood and will carve out nicely under the sharp point. I’ve tired all the previous suggestions and the reefing hook is the best for small lengths.
If you need pics I can take some pics of tools I’ve made specifically for this task.
Jim

[Mike Evans]

I would use a router with an axillary base having strips sized to fit the existing slot and aligned with the bit. The strips would just fir into the slot and guide the router. A base with one strip could be used to reach the end of the groove. The bases should be simple to build. This is not a hand tool answer but probably the best solution overall.

[Jim Koepke]

Is it possible to make the grooves wider at the bottom than the top? This would be like a running dovetail for the caulk.

Side rabbet planes with slanted depth gauges could do this.

jtk

[Tom Bender]

You will get better advice from a wooden boat forum, but Jim Ritter brings some expertise here.

[Hal Steele]

Hi Hal. Real job you have. Decks are probably curved both perpendicular and longitudinal to the caulking rabbet. Makes it difficult to use a flat based router. A rigged up router plane may work somewhat. You may have to do it with traditional tools. A good sharp reefing hook will dig into the bottom as well as any hand tool. Just dig deeper where you have to. Having an even bottom makes little difference. If you get the sides all wonky it looks awful. Tipping power routers or planes that cut into the sides are problems. Tapered sides won’t hold onto the caulk. Good luck with your project. I don’t know of any other way than hard work. She should be a beauty when done.
Jim

Thanks, Jim. All true. With the teak decks and seams being absolutely parallel there is no room for wandering. It would stand out like a sore thumb. I've been using a reefing hook/tool to "rout" out the rebate somewhat. While this is somewhat fraught with danger (comes out of the seam and makes a nice gauge in the adjacent teak), it is less dangerous than an errant router bit or saw blade. Yikes. I have been using a 2" chisel to make a relief cut along the edge of the plank where the rebate starts and then the reefing hook to plane out more depth. In one area I made the relief cut all the way to the deck and removed the rebate completely. I have decided that this isn't necessary and increases the use of $25 a tube caulk tremedously. If I was doing the whole deck all at once I would probably use the fence and a small 3.5" circular saw. However, I'm only doing relatively small areas so I think hand tools are the way to go. Which lead me to my search for a plane! The more I hear, discuss, I am coming to the conclusion that I am doing it the best way already. Yes, a lot of work. Knee pads are key!

[Hal Steele]

I have a multitool and purchased a caulk reefing blade. I didn't realize that the friggin $50 blade was for a different model of multitool and I didn't notice it when I purchased months ago and now I am long past a return date. I was was going to order the correct one but getting the caulk out with a razor knife and the reefin hook is not very hard so I haven't ordered it.

[Hal Steele]

I just couldn't figure out how to make the strips and adequately attach them to the front and back. I am a little surprised that there isn't something like this available commercially.

[Hal Steele]

I'm not sure how that would work out. Conventional time honored method of seaming a boat deck is to have a good bit of depth to the seam. Then you lay down a thin strip of tape in the bottom. This keeps the caulk from attaching to the deck, only the sides of the planks. Boats move, twist, turn, etc. and if the caulk is attached to the deck it causes it to tear away from the planks. I don't know the effect that a dovetail type joint would have on this. Also, there isn't a place to get the bit into the seam as they run the full length of the boat and butt up against bulkheads and covered with teak quarter round.

[Hal Steele]

Yes, I've read far too much on boat forums! Like most forums, everyone has a different opinion and, of course, theirs is the best! There are fans of each method discussed above. You guys are the Neanderthal hand plane eperts though!

[Jim Ritter]

491803Here is a pic of most of my hooks and the commercial one supplied by TeakDecking Systems. Some are mostly worn out as they get sharpened often, but after 35 years what do you expect. They are easy to make so make one that fits your needs.

This was a job I worked on in 2019, a 100’ Swan named Red Sky. It is the last decking job I will do in most likelihood, turning 70 next month takes the fun out of crawling around on my knees.
491804

491805

491806

Jim

[James Pallas]

Hal, Jim Ritter has it down. Lots has been tried. IMHO dovetailed is a bad idea. Just think how badly you could tear up that narrow top edge with a hook. Sometimes the old ways are good ways. The thing is you get better at it as you go along. I’m somewhat like Jim Ritter, 76 this year no urge to caulk anything. Getting a good clean job and a good looking varnish job is much tougher to me.
Jim