Bedding Compound for Hatches

[Ziggy]

I am rebedding one of my aluminum deck hatches. It mounts on a teak frame shaped to fit over the curvature of the coach roof. So I need to bed the teak frame to fiberglass deck, and the aluminum hatch frame to the teak.

What kind of bedding compound would you use? It looks like the hatches were originally bedded in polysulfide sealant. It lasted over 25 years before leaking so I'm tempted to use it again, but it was really difficult to remove. Butyl tape would be a lot easier to remove, but I'm concerned it would not stand up very well to the Cetol I use on the wood frame.

[zeehag]

use silkaflex or 3m 4200 or some similar beddinng compound. or butyl tape, altho i dont know how it orks with wood. maine sail is the promoter of that method, and has well defined tutorials.

[tropicalescape]

check out the compass marine website..lots of info..DVC

[Doodles]

As zeehag mentioned 3M's 4200. I worked well for me.

[SailFastTri]

I would go with Butyl. It will allow more movement of the dissimilar materials, and if you use 4200 you will not be able to get them out again without distorting the metal frame.

[GordMay]

Polysulfide adheres well to teak, and (unlike polyurethane**) is unaffected by harsh teak cleaners, making it the best choice for bedding teak rails, trim, and decks.
Polyurethane** (like 4200) is not recommended for bedding teak.

*Polysufide: BoatLife “LifeCaulk”, and 3M “101"
**Polyurethane: 3M “5200" & “4200", and Sikaflex “291" & “292"

[Cotemar]

1st choice would be Butyl tape
2nd choice would be Boat Life (Life Seal) Clear. Not Life Chaulk

[zeehag]

teak should never be cleaned with harsh cleaners--it actually gets ruined by harsh cleaning. sea water is all it needs.