Underwater Loc Tite??

[Steve Pope]

Hi SV Cattales, Interestingly enough I have just bought a blue 248 stick, the trade price here in NZ is $31.00 and the retail is $54.00 a huge difference from the $9.84 (USD?) you have paid. Someones is raking it in. (: (:

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

I would use 5200. Coat threads and bottom of head. Wipe threads so that the threads are visible with 5200 in the thread groves. Let the 5200 set but not cure before inserting and tightening down.

For easy removal use a small torch to heat the screw head.

So every time he wants to replace the zinc, he has to haul the boat and torch the saildrive?

[GordMay]

Neither Loctite 248 & 268 will fully cure underwater, and must be allowed cure prior to submersion.
Generally, red (Loctite) means high strength, blue means moderate strength, and purple is low strength.

Loctite has an underwater-curing epoxy product., Fix Master” underwater repair epoxy. I’ve never used it as a thread lock.


Henkel - Welcome to Loctite®

[cooper]

I am a bit confused ..why wouldnt you replace the zincs when the boat is hauled. surely the zincs should last long enough that you replace them when you do your normal anti foul. If they are lasting less than say..two years then you have other galvanic issues. You may need to find out what is causing the problem and at the worst bond the sail drive to a large annode. There is a number of products that should work very well, under these circumstances. There is even moisture cured epoxys but I honestly dont think you need to go that far. Diving on a boat as a method of staving off good maintenance to save money has its own problems. You should be able to work out a two yearly cycle.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

So every time he wants to replace the zinc, he has to haul the boat and torch the saildrive?

Just trying to solve the problem at hand. A quick simple fix until he can haul and do the job right.

[cooper]

Hey i am not interested in craping in anyones nest, commercial or otherwise. Simple fact; it is a more expensive proposition to replace an anode "out of season" than to do it when you are doing normal maintenance. You are not extending the life of the anode by replacing it under water. You are not extending the "in water" life of the boat by doing the same thing. I will decline from saying that under water maintenance is worse, but I will vigorously promote the logic of maintenance without the hindrance of a lack of visibility, the lack of a second pair of eyes,and the lack of the ability to use an abundances of tools in a normal way. Fact is, if the maintenance schedual , and the boat systems are all working , it is unnecessary. ....I point this out from the point of view of a complete miser. I cant afford to waste money...

[Canibul]

This won't help you underwater, but in a pinch ladies nail polish ( or probably gentlemen's nail polish too, for all I know) works just fine in lieu of loc-tite. Nail polish is cheap, and you can find it just about anywhere.

[Sandero]

The problem with adding any "glue" to the threads is that there is little space for the glue when the fasteners male threads engage the female threads. But there is a space and adding some "adhesive" such as silicone, 5200 or even epoxy might help, but only in dry clean conditions.

[MidLandOne]

Is it possible to use some screws that one can actually tighten properly - Phillips drive screws, as apparantly currently used, are a poor choice if security is important.

Substitution with hex (ie Allen key drive) or square drive socket head screws would at least enable being able to properly tighten the screws in the first place (but not over-tight if into aluminium).

[hellosailor]

I know some vendors have stuck to galvanized screws instead of stainless one, saying that stainless is too smooth and they prefer the rough surface of the galvanize--and a little corrosion--to lock screws in place.

Maybe a shot of acid and a bit of fine iron filings would help ensure screws stayed screwed in places that LocTite just wasn't doing the job?

[svcattales]

Cooper: Reason for doing it in water is not because it was worn out, but because it came loose. Also, it isn't a big deal doing it in Florida since water is warm and clear enough to see easily. I do the diving myself so there is no cost except for an air fill. I'm not on a 2 year cycle, but a 3 year cycle because I do all the bottom cleaning and don't brush or scrape off all that valuable paint like most divers. I use a 6" nylon scraper that takes off the slime and saves the paint. I've also replaced my fixed props with folding props underwater and I find it to be a perfectly acceptable way to do maintenance. In fact I tend to find things before they become problems BECAUSE I do maintenance in the water.

Regarding Loctite Use in the water: I've been using the stick form on my props for 3 years, but it wasn't till now that I figured out the identity of the product (the manufacturer coated the bolts with it). I did the initial prop installation underwater and used them for over a year and none of the bolts came loose. I'm pretty confident that this will work on the zincs also. Again, my zinc loosening problem occurred because I used the blue LIQUID Loctite last time and I'm sure it didn't cure in the water because I just tried it in a bucket and it didn't cure there either.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by cooper

I am a bit confused ..why wouldnt you replace the zincs when the boat is hauled. surely the zincs should last long enough that you replace them when you do your normal anti foul.

Maybe this is the case in your part of the world, I assure you that it is not in California. Any zinc that lasts 2 years is not doing its job, IMHO.

Frequent, periodic underwater hull cleaning and zinc replacement is the norm here and I ain't talking about once every year or two. We dive boats every month or three in California.

[Alan Wheeler]

Two years is a little long IMO. Yearly is more the norm. But fstbttms, are you saying you have to change zinc's every thre months, or am I not understanding?

[cooper]

.......yearly even with another anode ?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Two years is a little long IMO. Yearly is more the norm. But fstbttms, are you saying you have to change zinc's every thre months, or am I not understanding?

I'm saying we replace zincs when they need replacing, be it 6 or 9 or 12 months or whatever. In most cases, any given zinc will be replaced several times in a two year period.