Prism Leak Solved

Well, just like any other project, a boat project isn't any different.  What we thought was just a leaky seal for the starboard prism turned out to be much more.  You see, the decking, when originally placed, was not glued well.  There was only one bead of polysulfide (caulk) between the teak wood and the fiberglass deck, eventually allowing water to run under the teak and into the cutout for the prism.  We thought we had fixed the problem by recaulking the prism, but it turned out that the seal was ineffective because of residual moisture, causing the caulk not to seal properly.  Do overs.

This time, the teak decking along the starboard gunwale was removed, first by removing the existing caulk between the boards as well as all the bungs and screws holding the wood in place.  Then the teak planks (came up easily and) were cleaned and dried.  The fiberglass deck had to be cleaned, with a wire brush, to remove the residual caulk, and then the planks were re-grooved (using a router) and epoxied in place.  New screws, new bungs, and new caulk were the last steps in restoring its integrity.  This time we WON'T need any do overs!  But there is the rest of the decking to be done ...

Before, during, and after: