Need my teak bowsprite repaired or replaced

I tried a different marina last weekend since the one I had been using has such a narrow channel. The moron owner of the marina (Speckled Trout in Ozona, FL) decided to "help" me. He unhooked the winch, and when he thought the trailer was in far enough he pushed the boat off. However, the trailer needs to be pretty deep for the bowsprite to clear the winch post on the trailer. Consequently, the bowsprite hung up on the post and split in two. The zip ties you see in the pics are so I didn't lose the broken piece. Here is my dilemma - I have NO idea where to go or who to contact to get this repaired or preferrably replaced. Anyone have any suggestions on who would do this kind of work?? Pictures can be seen at http://www.bradkistler.com/bowsprite.htm.

Re: Need my teak bowsprite repaired or replaced

Oh man... that ain't good. I'd examine it carefully, remove the entire unit from the boat, pull it apart, glue it back together, sand & refinish, refit.

I'm not really sure that's possible, however, in this case.

As I'm sort of handy with woodworking and have the right tools, I'd probably figure out how much teak I need (and it ain't cheap!), how much labor it would take, and charge the idiot accordingly.

Re: Need my teak bowsprite repaired or replaced

Anyone have any suggestions on who would do this kind of work??

Click to expand...

Ayuh,... A Cabinet Maker, or Custom Wood Millworks...

Re: Need my teak bowsprite repaired or replaced

Are you in love with the concept of a teak pulpit, or would this be a good time to change to a fiberglass one?

If you want the teak one, it is probably going to need a complete replacement. It could be repaired but might be cheaper to replace.

I googled "teak bow pulpits" and came uo with the following;

• http://www.woodworkingforwatercraft.com

Not much out there.

You might give "Don's Marine Salvage" in St. Pete a call and see if he has one. Or call "Marine Surplus" in Sarasota, on 15th St, they carry new old stock and manufacturer Surplus.

The way the wood broke makes it look, to me, like it was dried out and not as strong as you were assuming. So a replacement may be the better way to go.

This is just an observation but I would have expected the pulpit to pull out of the fiberglass instead of breaking as teak is a very dense wood and this is layered so it was even stronger than a solid piece would have been.

Re: Need my teak bowsprite repaired or replaced

That bowsprite is definetely thrashed and even repaired will always look "repaired". It can be done by a skilled and patient woodworker but it looks like it will need to be doweled in about 8 places I could count, and I'm not sure what you'd ever use as a joint filler for the cracks that would blend. I vote replace it.