3M sealer

[matty133]

hey guys,<br /> What 3M product should i use for my through hull fittings below the water line such as the blige hole. (im not sure if thats what it is called) Also what should I use to seal the top of the boat to the bottom? 3m 5200? Lastly what are good options for foam. The pourable (EXPENSIVE) stuff? Or would home depot foam insulation work? Thanks <br />Matt

 

[fishingdan]

Re: 3M sealer

Below water fittings can be bedded in 4200 or 5200. I usually use 4200 assuming I may need to replace the fitting at some time. Regardless of which you use, partially tighten the fitting initially and then tighten it the rest of the way after it partially cures. <br /><br />Are you trying to seal the gap between the deck cap and the hull exterior? If the gap is not too wide, I think I would again use 4200 or equivalent that remains soft and flexible. <br /><br />The pourable USCG approved 2-part closed cell foam is the best and , naturally, the most expensive.

 

[dmarkvid2]

Re: 3M sealer

Hi Dan, just out of curiosity, Why can't layers of, lets say, 1 1/2" pink styrofoam work as flotation under the deck. I know it wont water log or deteriorate. If I was to "cut to fit" the pieces to the form of my boat's hull, and glued them together to make one 10" or 12" piece though out the boat, Why do you think it wouldn,t work. Are the bouncy properties different between the styrofoam and "expensive" kind? like I said, just courious.

 

[Ron Everson]

Re: 3M sealer

I gotta confess. I filled the space below the floor in the Texas Maid Fiesta with pieces of styrofoam closed cell rigid insulation cut to fit in between the aluminum stringers and purlins. I didn't want to use pourable foam because the boat would occasionally pop a rivit, and then I needed access to the inside and outside to replace it. The floor came up real easy - plywood screwed to the stringers and purlins. I figured that it was better than nothing, and if it got saturated (unlikely) it could be easily replaced. Certainly nothing fancy, but it served the purpose well. When I removed a section of the floor in the 1975 Reinell to repair a split in the keel, I found a super saturated hunk of rigid insulation that someone had put in there during a previous repair (poorly done). So, if the insulation is continually soaked, apparently it can hold water. I filled that area with pourable foam and glassed that section of floor back in. It sure improved the structural integrity of the floor and hull in that area - it no longer flexed in rough water.

 

[fishingdan]

Re: 3M sealer

Originally posted by Mark's Joy:<br /> Hi Dan, just out of curiosity, Why can't layers of, lets say, 1 1/2" pink styrofoam work as flotation under the deck.

Some designers specify using the blue or pink home insulation panels. My guess is that they are just as bouyant. <br /><br />Other designers specify the use of the pourable foam. <br /><br />The benefits to pourable foam is that it can completely fill a compartment and not leave any space for condensation to occur. It can also bond with the hull and actually contribute the the stiffening of the hull.<br /><br />I know some people have even used empty soda bottles or those colored pool "noodles". <br /><br />Bottom line is that any of these can help keep you boat afloat in the event of a disaster. You need to decide which problem(s) you are trying to solve.

 

[2manyboats]

Re: 3M sealer

Don't use the Home Depot foam, as its not closed cell. Styrofoam is okay, until it comes in contact with a solvent, gasoline or whatever. Then it melts like the Wicked Witch of the West and water...then you got a wicked problem if you swamp and didn't know your foam was gone.