Ack! Silicone Was Used on My Ports - Now What ?

[vintageray]

Go to an auto paint store and get a gallon of Prep Sol. It's what body shops use to remove wax, silicone and other contaminants before body and paint work is done.

[minaret]

Or maybe some 202. It's what we use to degrease/dewax boat hulls prior to painting. It's super powerful. If you spill just a little on our asphalt/blacktop yard it eats a hole right through the pavement. It also eats rubber gloves off your hands...


Interlux 202 Fiberglass Solvent Wash 0202G Gallon - Prices, Reviews, & Product Specs | 1054555867

[roverhi]

How do you keep the screws from leaking with butyl tape?

Place the butyl tape on the backside of the fitting so that it covers the mounting bolt holes. Wrap a short length of the butyl around the fastening and insert the bolt in the Puka. The butyl will flow around the mounting holes and seal up with no problem. I've used it to seal a couple of diamond padeyes that have taken a lot of abuse and a couple of large ports with no leaks developing. The padeyes were deck attachment points for the boom vang and forces on the boom visibly flexed the deck on a 15 day passage to Hawaii. The portlights had poorly cut openings that left a very small lip for the ports to seal against. Resealed these fittings with butyl to replace SPO's sillycone seal job that had failedl.

Sillycone belongs in Boobs, not boats. Other than the fdat that sillycone has failed to seal on almost every fitting that PO's have foisted on me, it's a pain to clean up. Acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits don't seem to cut it and leave a messy film all around anything sealed in it.

5200 and it's not so aggressive adhesive relative 4200 as well as SikaFlex sealant are polyruthanes that seal well. 5200 is an adhesive caulk which does a good job as a glue as well as a sealant. You can remove fittings that are bedded in it but it's a challenge. Some people say that they've got 5200 to seal where all other caulks have failed. Personally have had great experience with LifeCaulk that stretches back 4 decades.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by minaret

Or maybe some 202. It's what we use to degrease/dewax boat hulls prior to painting. It's super powerful. If you spill just a little on our asphalt/blacktop yard it eats a hole right through the pavement. It also eats rubber gloves off your hands...
Interlux 202 Fiberglass Solvent Wash 0202G Gallon - Prices, Reviews, & Product Specs | 1054555867

Here is a good "How to use 202 . . . " link: Wholesale Marine - Boat Parts, Boat Paint, Outboard Engine Parts, Pontoon Seats, Anchors, Docking, Watersports

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by roverhi

How do you keep the screws from leaking with butyl tape?

Place the butyl tape on the backside of the fitting so that it covers the mounting bolt holes. Wrap a short length of the butyl around the fastening and insert the bolt in the Puka. The butyl will flow around the mounting holes and seal up with no problem. I've used it to seal a couple of diamond padeyes that have taken a lot of abuse and a couple of large ports with no leaks developing. The padeyes were deck attachment points for the boom vang and forces on the boom visibly flexed the deck on a 15 day passage to Hawaii. The portlights had poorly cut openings that left a very small lip for the ports to seal against. Resealed these fittings with butyl to replace SPO's sillycone seal job that had failedl.

Sillycone belongs in Boobs, not boats. Other than the fdat that sillycone has failed to seal on almost every fitting that PO's have foisted on me, it's a pain to clean up. Acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits don't seem to cut it and leave a messy film all around anything sealed in it.

5200 and it's not so aggressive adhesive relative 4200 as well as SikaFlex sealant are polyruthanes that seal well. 5200 is an adhesive caulk which does a good job as a glue as well as a sealant. You can remove fittings that are bedded in it but it's a challenge. Some people say that they've got 5200 to seal where all other caulks have failed. Personally have had great experience with LifeCaulk that stretches back 4 decades.

Yeah, I hate having to deal with things that have been siliconed. I like Lifecaulk too. I have often wondered though, if someone used high quality silicone based caulking (like the 30 year blended GE stuff etc) for above water use if it would really be a problem? I aint going there, but geez, the stuff is used architecturally even 40 stories up! and as we know... it's tenacious!

[FSMike]

I think it is Beckson that recommends using only silicon on their ports. One would think they might have a good reason.

[osirissail]

When you do get into serious boat refitting you will find that there are up to 200 different kinds/blends of caulks/sealants/adhesives - silicon and other stuff. Each is formulated for a specific purpose and to use on specific type of materials such as FRG, glass, plexiglass, etc. Even in the marine supply catalogs you will find a dozen or more different caulk/sealant/adhesives listed.

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by osirissail

When you do get into serious boat refitting you will find that there are up to 200 different kinds/blends of caulks/sealants/adhesives - silicon and other stuff. Each is formulated for a specific purpose and to use on specific type of materials such as FRG, glass, plexiglass, etc. Even in the marine supply catalogs you will find a dozen or more different caulk/sealant/adhesives listed.

Same as anchor Types and Brands all claiming they are the best,

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Capitain Mike

Same as anchor Types and Brands all claiming they are the best,

Similar but not the same as anchor types. Each different caulk/sealant/adhesive has a specific formulation designed to adhere and seal to the different surface materials. Adhering to fiberglass is different than plexiglass which is different from glass which is different from metal, etc. , etc. So read the descriptions carefully to get the maximum best performance for the materials you are trying to seal/caulk/adhere.
- - Although each brand/manufacturer makes the range of materials it is common that your local supplier will only carry one brand/manufacturer for each type of different caulk/sealant/adhesive. Having two brands of the same stuff on the shelves is extra expense for the seller.

[Aussie Sealady]

Osirissail, Love the picture of the computer cat

[DeepFrz]

I think it is Beckson that recommends using only silicon on their ports. One would think they might have a good reason.

They also say that sanding will remove the silicon which it will not. They also mention that silicon will stain the gel coat. I think they are more worried about chemicals in the sealant harming the plastic port frames than they are about having to reseal a port.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

The point is that, according to that guide, if the sealant is UNDER COMPRESSION and above the waterline, silicone sealant is fine. You don't NEED adhesion, as the sealant is working as a gasket material. So just scrape off the excess old sealant, put some new in there, job done.

I have made bold the words UNDER COMPRESSION in the post above. That is something that is open to interpretation. If my ports were thru bolted and the silicone was acting as a gasket I would consider it. Reason -- the silicone is acting like a gasket and being held against the two surfaces with the bolts. My ports have a 1 1/4 frame around them that are mounted with screws. In this situation I need a sealant that acts like an adhesive and I need that adhesive to stretch (because of the flex of the boat) my choice for this was to use an adhesive that is used by glaizers on High rise buildings. This is taken from Maine Sails website, ""As for sealant Dow 795 is the most widely used sealant for this type of application. Alternatives are Sika Flex 295 UV with the primer & GE SG-4000." I have used both Sika Flex and the Dow 795 and have found that the Dow is cheaper and easier to use. It was harder to locate but once I found it the Dow is half the price of the marine products.