Use of butyl tape to bed hardware to deck

[bustermaw]

Originally Posted by scottthardin

My 7.5 year old boat has been sailed a lot and I am now entering a period where numerous leaks are appearing. I had a bit of an urgent situation where I used butyl tape and ss fasteners to bed portlight covers in a way that made sense given that I might change the cover material out in the near future. A friend mentioned that butyl tape could work well for all rebedding issues where fasteners are involved such as stanchions, genoa car tracks, and the ss bases where my shrouds enter the boat and are subsequently attached to chainplate bars.

Have others used butyl tape extensively for above-the-water-line bedding efforts? I always thought marine grade silicon was what one used for such situations but my friend thinks butyl tape will give me longer life and easier serviceability. What do others think?

The makers of my " Houdini " hatch state that any warranty is void unless butyl is used for sealing.

[Peters Wet]

1 more vote for butyl, I own a 78 Catalina 30 that had leaks everywhere and now is bone dry, recommend reaming penetrations with a countersink to allow the butyl to create an "o"ring around bolts and screws.(with any sealant really) Cleans up easily with mineral spirits

[Bill_E]

Well, I'm another satisfied butyl tape user. Several people have posted the link to MaineSail's bed-it-butyl. (pbase.com) It's not exactly cheap but it's a lot cheaper than 5200 and easier by many hours. If you get it from MaineSail, be sure to read all of his links about how to use it. It is not an adhesive so you must have fasteners!! I've used it in the tropics and had no problems with running. I just use a little ball of the leftover to clean up. In most applications, a little bit goes a long way. The only place I think I'll ever use 5200 again is to bed and seal thruhulls.

Here is a link to a pretty good discussion of the different kinds of marine sealants. I agree with almost all of Dan's comments. Adrift at Sea » Marine Sealants in a Nutshell

Bill

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Pyxis156

I put a bead of 4000 UV around the outer edge of what I am sealing. Keeps the butyl in and pretty much eliminates butyl streaking. I have had to touch up or replace the caulk over time but have yet to have to remove the hardware and rebed anything sealed with butyl...

That would make for a much more complicated install.

[redhead]

Question to all you butyl users.

If I rebed say my stanchions with butyl, and the diesel deck fill is right next to one of the stanchions, (which it is), over the course of my life I am bound to slosh a bit of diesel when filling. I understand that even a slight exposure to petroleum product (even diesel exhaust) will degrade the butyl, thus breaking the seal.

My husband just said "You're going to get howled at".

I said, "So what?"

Any answers?

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by redhead

Question to all you butyl users.

If I rebed say my stanchions with butyl, and the diesel deck fill is right next to one of the stanchions, (which it is), over the course of my life I am bound to slosh a bit of diesel when filling. I understand that even a slight exposure to petroleum product (even diesel exhaust) will degrade the butyl, thus breaking the seal.

My husband just said "You're going to get howled at".

I said, "So what?"

Any answers?

True, diesel or any oils will degrade any other petroleum products over time.
You could put an absorbent towel around the fill hole.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by redhead

Question to all you butyl users.

If I rebed say my stanchions with butyl, and the diesel deck fill is right next to one of the stanchions, (which it is), over the course of my life I am bound to slosh a bit of diesel when filling. I understand that even a slight exposure to petroleum product (even diesel exhaust) will degrade the butyl, thus breaking the seal.

My husband just said "You're going to get howled at".

I said, "So what?"

Any answers?

I'd be more worried about the $50k fine for pollution of the sea

[doublewide]

5200 is an adhesive and should be used when adhesive properties are needed. It is such a good adhesive that it should not be used when the parts to be joined may need to be separated again.
Butyl is a wonderful waterproofing sealant, easy to use, and very reliable. Your auto windshield is bedded in butyl, for example.
Silicone caulk has little to recommend it outside its intended domain in the home bathroom. It contaminates everything it touches and must be laboriously removed mechanically before trying a different method of waterproofing.
Try the butyl. You will like it. I get mine from Sailrite; there are many on-line vendors if you can't find it locally.

[redhead]

Pinguino - I agree with you there. I don't have $50K to give away.

But when we filled up with 1100 USG two weeks ago we hired a fuel truck to deliver it at a work dock. As careful as he was I may have seen a drop or two escape. And although in my mind I have the grace of Pavlova whilst filling the tanks, ***** happens.

So use another scenario where a petroleum product spills right on or next to my butyl bedded deck fittings, do I automatically assume bond failure?

Thanks

[lateral]

Only thing I have against butyl if you allow the item to be sealed to twist you can end up with a broken seal. ie heads of screws.
So sometimes I use a combo, butyl on static & 291 on the twisting component.
3M VHB & Dow 295 for glazing. No fasteners. My choice anyway.

[bustermaw]

Originally Posted by redhead

Question to all you butyl users.

If I rebed say my stanchions with butyl, and the diesel deck fill is right next to one of the stanchions, (which it is), over the course of my life I am bound to slosh a bit of diesel when filling. I understand that even a slight exposure to petroleum product (even diesel exhaust) will degrade the butyl, thus breaking the seal.

My husband just said "You're going to get howled at".

I said, "So what?"

Any answers?

Yeah ! and white spirit too.
" So what " ,that's quite a cavalier attitude you have there lady.
That's the kind of mindset that gave women the vote , and what a mistake that was !

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by lateral

Only thing I have against butyl if you allow the item to be sealed to twist you can end up with a broken seal. ie heads of screws.
So sometimes I use a combo, butyl on static & 291 on the twisting component.
3M VHB & Dow 295 for glazing. No fasteners. My choice anyway.

That's been a concern of mine. We've solved it for the times we can't avoid turning the screw excessively by wrapping a small additional string of butyl around the shank of the screw immediately under the head - like a washer - before screwing it down.

One thing not mentioned directly in this thread so far, too, is that all holes in the deck to be sealed need a slight countersink added to allow the butyl to form a thicker seal around the hole.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Nanamuk]

When we built the boat 37 years ago we use 2 part Thiokol - still no leaks but same as 5200 to disassemble. Switched to 5200 10 years ago, only complaint is it gets everywhere. Last winter we redid the deck and re-bedded everything with butyl tape - not 100% happy. In the heat of the summer (B.C. so not tropical hot) it oozed out and I had to tighten all the fastenings and trim off the squeezed out butyl - probably would not have happened if I had done the installs in the heat but this was a winter project. The other issue is that the tiny seam of butyl attracts dirt and can't be cleaned to look crisp. I think I'll go back to 5200.

[nic26]

your way to go is

Compass Marine How To Articles Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com

Found the good stuff there, nothing to find in Europe.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by bustermaw

Yeah ! and white spirit too.
" So what " ,that's quite a cavalier attitude you have there lady.
That's the kind of mindset that gave women the vote , and what a mistake that was !

The "so what" comment was not only cavalier, but more to the point that she doesn't really give a sh*t what others might be considered laughable. I tend to agree.

As to the fueling issue, put a rag around the nozzle to catch drips. Unless you're filling without a single brain cell on alert, there's no reason to be going full blast enough to spew fuel all over. Topping off (even in a car) is a ridiculous habit...

As to petroleum and butyl degradation, I'd be really surprised that a whiff of diesel would cause an adverse reaction, unless 'maybe' it were in closed quarters.