UH-OH, I've committed the "Unpardonable" thing

[bob lamb]

   I found a foolproof solution to worn-out port gaskets on my 89 23d....and it only cost 11.95!  I put a bead of 3M 5200 (can I say that on here?) over the dry/cracked gaskets on the six bronze ports and let them set up until almost hard then closed them to form the seal.  And, whatdoyaknow,  it's like instant rubber.  They open and close easily, and most importantly, they seal!  She's been through Tropical Storm Debbie and a little of what recent Huricane Isaac blessed us with.  Not a drop of water from the ports.

Is that a cool trick, or what? 
Bob

[wes]

That's a pretty cool trick. I would have been terrified to try it myself. With my luck I would have closed the ports five minutes too soon and it would have taken a crowbar to get them open again . That 5200 can get you into some serious s*** if you aren't careful.

Wes

[skip1930]

Yea! Next time Vaseline the rubber.

skip.

[Salty19]

I'm moving this to Boat Modifications.  The DIY area where this post was located is a "show and tell" area.

I'll keep the vulger 5200 comments to myself on this one.   

[slowshoes]

  Bob

  Silicone will work for this as well. I've used it to make a gasket for my wood hatches on my other boat, until I found a good quality rubber gasket material. (instead of that useless foam rubber stuff I usually see at marine stores).