Varnish lifting at joint in toe rail etc.

I have only used Smiths Clear Penetrating Epoxy for this repair, following the steps outlined above. This product is also sold under the "Rot Doctor" label. I have no affiliation, just success. Think twice about using anything else you have to thin, as this first step is the one that keeps the wood from having the ability to absorb moisture. I have used a router, saw, and sharp quality chisels. 1/4" wide x 1/4"deep, deeper if you need to to find clean grain.

Nice job.

Smart move. Nothing wrong with that joint. (Maybe I'd have cleaned it out a little with a very fine file.) IF the joint was spread and gunked you would have cut it with a fine hand saw like you use to cope moldings with. A Sawzall would have led to a disaster. Save that for cutting 2 x 4's, tree limbs and pipes. Good job.

+1

Nice job, but your joint is too tight and it will happen again......

Sawing with the right saw is one solution, I have seen a shipwright create these joints with chisels. The results looked like laser cuts!

Could you 'splain that lucy? To me, that joint is class A. Egg Harbor turned out even tighter joints year over year on its toe rails. Let's agree that maintaining quality outdoor teak fit and finish is work - particularly with 100 degrees of temperature swing through the year?

The black in the joint is moisture. You can also see a moisture drip line from the bottom right teak plug. The joint is simply too tight. You can even see slight bulging at the joint on the top and bottom of it in the photo. The varnish didn't lift at the joint for no reason.

Agree on the moisture probability, but not the fit. Good eyes on that bulging. I would have chalked that up to edge sanding if I had even noticed it. So what's a good solution to dry it out before he applies another 6 coats? Short of a narrow saw blade?

Capt. J has a good eye and his conclusion comes with experience. Tight joint + flexing boat + expansion and contraction is too much. The varnish will not bridge the joint and moisture finds its way in much easier than it can evaporate out. Once the moisture gets in, it to will warm up, lifting more varnish.

A narrow saw blade or dremel to open up the joint then fill with that putty made for teak joints then varnish.......is the only answer.

If the joint still has some moisture it should be cleaned or cut, dried, and seal with Git-Rot epoxy first.

So it seems once it gets wet (really wet) the saw blade seems the only option. Will a very narrow jewlers blade do the trick - I just cringe at cutting that joint wide open.

I'm of a different opinion, although I agree the joint should have been cleaned out as I mentioned in #46. (Yes Beau a jewelers blade or file would probably be ideal for the job.) Moist wood can only shrink. That means that opening the joint further will lead to a gap as it dries. Whether to open a joint further or leave it as is and just clean it depends on the humidity where the job is done. In NJ I'd leave it as Cleanslate did. Where J is I'd probably agree with him depending on humidity at the time the job was done. You can always cut wood away. Once gone you can't put it back.

Moisture wicks up from underneath. I would reef out as much bedding from under the wood as possible and then inject bedding in under it. Boat Life makes a thinned caulk that will be easier to force into the space. You could use West System syringes to better apply the sealant. A hack saw blade could work well for reefing the old bedding out.
The problem with the joint in the picture is that it is close enough that any movement will "shear" whatever sealant/adhesive is in there. It does look as it's well secured, though. so the varnish should seal the top and sides from the outside.

What about that dark middle bung, does that indicate a broader water intrusion and that new bedding may be in order as discussed above. I can't imagine that's just a carpenter's mismatch

D meister got there while I was drafting this

Actually, I thought Cleanslate's job looked good. I'd wait till next time to revarnish, then do the cut and deal with the joint.