Re-bedding ports question.

[marc]

Here I am again. Sorry to inundate the list with my constant questions. It will end soon - I hope.

I am re-bedding a leaking port. Removed it today and was thinking about its re-installation. I am accustomed to ports with exterior trim rings. This lets you get a good weather seal when remounting. My ports have no trim ring. Is there a method to get a good seal of caulk on the exterior where the bronze meets the fiberglass aside from just applying caulk at this interface and smoothing it with your finger? What has worked for you?
Marc

[MacGyver]

I plan to do mine this winter.

I suggest to use Life Caulk. Others will say silicone or the ever popular 5200.........

I am a boat technician and have used life caulk for all 12 years and never have issue with it.
5200 has its good uses, but my opinion is not with many items on the boat......
Heated topic, caulks.....

Anyway, just have to get a little extra around that section then wipe like you said on the outside. Using tape around the hole, and even some on the port to keep the caulk where you want it is a wonderful help to keeping it clean.
Each fastener as well, so ensure no leaks there too.

I am going to be making several movies this winter detailing all the step to do this and several other projects on a 19 but will be great for any boat.
The aspect is how a boat technician in a marina would do the job so that it doesnt come back (warranty) and do it the right way.

if you get it in there and can wait for the video, I will definetly have that to show you.

Mac 

[marc]

Mac,
Do you ever use butyl tape? I was thinking of using it at the screw holes.  Here's a link to a post on SailNet describing how to use it. It is a great article on bedding hardware no matter what caulk you use.
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/63554-bedding-deck-hardware-butyl-tape.html
Marc

[MacGyver]

We used to use it at the body shop I worked at when I was younger.
Not a big fan of it. But we are pretty picky what we use in our shop for boat work and I cant say I have ever used it at the marina at all.

Out of all the sealants I have used, Life Caulk stands out from the rest by far for all the work we do.

You could always try it, see if it works out.

Mac 

[Bob23]

I recently used butyl tape to rebed the stanchions on my cp 23. Great stuff...super cheap...easy to clean up the squeeze-out with a rag and acetone. Should be very removable if necessary. But very sticky in hot weather- so sticky it might make you cuss! In my opinion, the best for rebedding.
bob23

[marc]

Does the exposed edge of butyl get dirty & become a cleaning problem?
Marc

[Bob23]

I have not had a problem with sticking dirt. After I tightened down the stanchion bolts and the excess oozed out, I scraped the excess off with a dull gasket scraper and then did an acetone wipe-down. Seems to work great.
bob23

[marc]

Bob,
Thanks for the info.
Marc

[slowshoes]

  Any idea on where to buy butyl tape? Are there different types of butyl tape (I've seen different colors in photos) or is it just the color that is different? Thanks for any info.

             Bill


   

[Bob23]

Maybe an RV parts store. I got mine from my glass guy. It was black...not exactly what I was looking for but it worked fine. I wanted the grey stuff. Looked at Lowe's and Home Depot but no luck.
Bob23

[NateD]

  Any idea on where to buy butyl tape? Are there different types of butyl tape (I've seen different colors in photos) or is it just the color that is different? Thanks for any info.

             Bill

Check out the how-to rebed with butyl tape here: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware

and he sells the good stuff: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware

[marc]

I bought some earlier this week at an RV supply shop. A roll cost about $6.00. They had different widths in white, off-white and black.  It will elongated about an inch before it thins and breaks. Not near as good as Maincruising offers, but should do the trick and is significantly cheaper. I figure if I have movement of an inch of anything bedded in butyl, my problems are a lot bigger than what a good bedding compound will solve.
Marc

[slowshoes]

  I appreciate the info guys -thanks!

    Bill

[Pamelina]

Rick (my hubby) and I have used butyl tape on our boat. We bought the grey at a local RV store. We've bedded ports and stanchions with it and have been very pleased with the ease of use. You do have to trim it twice because it will expand even more after the first trimming.

[marc]

Instructions on Life Calk says to use their solvent for clean-up. West Marine didn't have any and a salesman, who is a sailor I respect, said to use acetone. Anyway, my taped off project ended up being messier than I'd like. Removed the tape after I got the ports bolted back in & then saw a section of caulking  I wanted to do better. A dry finger for smoothing gave me no joy. Just seemed to stick to my finger & smear  A finger wet with water seemed to work only immediately after Life Calk was in place. If I hesitated  another 30 seconds, I no longer got a smooth finish. In that case the caulk tended  to stick to my finger and kind of shred.  Acetone worked but denatured alcohol seemed to work better. Finally I just stopped and figured since Life-Calk is sandable, I can fix it later. If I can't fix it, I'm only into it for 1 port. I can do it again.
Any pointers? I'd rather not wait until the movie comes out.
Marc