Replacing deck staples on Solid Yachts & SY Series

A common problem with Solid Yachts is that eventually the original deck staples will rust away. Getting modern replacements of the correct size is hard with most available being either galvanised or too large which will look out of place on your yacht. If you are lucky enough and the staples are still strong, you can "Lift" the old staples out of the deck and fit a replacement. If you have a hull on which the staples have rotted completely, don't worry you can still make a good repair. With most of the Solid Yachts, the deck fittings were hammered in by eye and the placement of the fittings side to side can vary quite a bit and will not  be mirror image. I will cover both procedures.

As with all procedures, take photos, make drawings & take measurements first.

Here is the procedure if your staples are still strong.

Place a paint scraper flat on the deck adjacent to the staple that you want to remove, put your narrow bladed or crosshead screwdriver through the staple and rest the end onto the paint scraper, lift the screwdriver upwards and applying pressure, lift out the staple. The staple will either come away cleanly and can then be replaced or if it is rusty will bring out a small amount of wood with it, if this happens, make a repair with wood filler, sand back and touch in with matching paint. A new staple can be fitted adjacent to the original position.

Here is the procedure if your staples are rusted or missing.

Using wire cutters, trim the staple as near to the deck as possible, using a pin punch tap the ends of the staple just below the deck level. You can then make a repair with wood filler, when dry sand back and touch in with matching paint. A new staple can be fitted adjacent to the original position.

The procedure for making a set of new staples;   CLICK HERE