The Deck And Cabin Top - Tayana 37 Operation & Maintenance Manual

story. If possible, the hull should be inspected immediately after the hard
grounding on one of these latter bottoms. If deep scrapes are found or if the
fiberglass has actually been crushed or distorted, the yacht should be hauled at
your earliest convenience and the damaged fiberglass repaired. While we do not
wish to exaggerate the potential for water to soak into the damaged surface, the
possibility is there and immediate repair will limit the area of potential water
saturation. A good fiberglass repair kit is shown in the table.
Your TAYANA 37 comes with a heavy rub rail bolted and glued to the side. This
is primarily to protect the sides, but it is also a thing of beauty when properly
maintained. A wise investment is a stainless steel or bronze striker. This will take
a great deal of the abuse which otherwise would have to be absorbed by the wood.
The rub rail is very often neglected during cleaning. It should be cleaned, sanded,
and oiled in the same manner as other teak on the yacht. (See discussion below).
B. THE DECK AND CABIN TOP
The deck of the TAYANA 37 is molded in essentially the same manner as the
hull--in a one piece mold following the fiberglass schedule shown above. When
the deck is removed from the mold, most of the teak trim is installed before the
deck and hull are joined. Teak decks, teak facings on the cabin, and teak in the
cockpit are all installed after the deck is joined to the hull.
The fiberglass of the deck and cabin are cleaned and maintained in the same
manner as the hull. Any one of several good cleaners and waxes will tend to help
keep colors bright and new looking. The big job will be teak maintenance. In the
old days teak decks were maintained with a holystone and salt water. The
holystone was a large piece of pumic rock which was rubbed across the deck to
clean and polish wood. When done regularly, the teak was kept a beautiful,
natural silvery color which was quite striking when contrasted with to painted
surfaces and natural wood colors. The salt water helped keep the teak in good
shape because salt would be left in the wood as the water evaporated. Because the
salt was slightly hygroscopic (attracts moisture), the teak did not dry out rapidly.
Of course, wetting and cleaning had to be done daily if the deck was to be kept in
the best condition.
Not many people are going to holystone their teak daily in this day and age,
although that is to be highly recommended. Most people seem to prefer the deep
brown of newly oiled teak. There are several products on the market which make
it possible to keep the beautiful brown of teak without a great deal of heavy labor.
These products are strong and corrosive and must be used infrequently and with
great care.
When you receive your yacht, the teak will have been cleaned and will be
relatively dry. It should be cleaned with common washing soda that one can
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