I’m quite happy with a silicone caulking compound.
What does your surveyor have against silicone, and
what is Sikaflex?

Joe Steiner
S/V Half Moon
Antigua, BWI
— John Sommer <> wrote:

Hello,

I will be picking up my new chain plates from the
local machinist this week. In thinking about
putting them back into the boat, what should I use
to keep the water out. The PO used silicone and it
worked quite well. However, my surveyor was not
very fond of silicon and recommened Sikaflex. I
don’t want a permenant bond (thats what the bolts
do), I just want something that will keep the water
out.

Suggestions?

John Sommer
Indulgence #179
Portland, ME

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Ok, I answered my own question. Sikaflex is a
polyurethane. You won’t go too far wrong with that,
though I think it’s overkill, and I’m not crazy about
PU in that they sometimes don’t cure well and they
don’t weather all that well either. I’ve used silicone
around the deck without any problems and I’m in the
tropics for the past two years.
— John Sommer <> wrote:

Hello,

I will be picking up my new chain plates from the
local machinist this week. In thinking about
putting them back into the boat, what should I use
to keep the water out. The PO used silicone and it
worked quite well. However, my surveyor was not
very fond of silicon and recommened Sikaflex. I
don’t want a permenant bond (thats what the bolts
do), I just want something that will keep the water
out.

Suggestions?

John Sommer
Indulgence #179
Portland, ME

To unsubscribe, e-mail:

For additional commands, e-mail:

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Silicone alone is a compressive sealant – in other words, the gasket is made, cured and then compressed. If done correctly, will last for years. If done incorrectly as most boaters and some 'professionals' do not only allows leaks but guarantees them.

Silicone sealants will pull away from the substrate and will wick water in with capillary action to the extent it will leak worse than it would have without the sealant.

Sika is a company that produces a number of sealants/bedding/adhesive compounds for many purposes. Sikaflex is a terrific compound for any purpose except polycarbonates.

For my two cents, then, use either a combination silicone/polyurethane like Boat Life, or pure polyurethane like Sikaflex. Silicone in this application is guaranteed to fail and will result in delamination or core rot because around the chain plates you can't compress the stuff after it cures.

Bob

On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 9:25 AM, Joseph Steiner < ([email][/email])> wrote:

Ok, I answered my own question. Sikaflex is a
polyurethane. You won't go too far wrong with that,
though I think it's overkill, and I'm not crazy about
PU in that they sometimes don't cure well and they
don't weather all that well either. I've used silicone
around the deck without any problems and I'm in the
tropics for the past two years.
— John Sommer < ([email][/email])> wrote:

Hello,

I will be picking up my new chain plates from the
local machinist this week. In thinking about
putting them back into the boat, what should I use
to keep the water out. The PO used silicone and it
worked quite well. However, my surveyor was not
very fond of silicon and recommened Sikaflex. I
don't want a permenant bond (thats what the bolts
do), I just want something that will keep the water
out.

Suggestions?

John Sommer
Indulgence #179
Portland, ME

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Bob Fine
Fine Software LLC
Your data on the web your way. No kidding

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John,

I’ll let you in on a really cool secret if you promise not to tell anyone. This past year I discovered a most amazing
bedding substance. Learned of it from a first-rate boat repair guy who owns a shop here in my boat yard. He’s been using
it for years and swears by it. I’ve since met a few veteran cruisers who know about it and they rave about it, too. It’s
extremely easy to handle, seems to have a limitless shelf life, never makes a mess, stays where you put it, can be
finger-shaped to fill any void, seals deck fittings 100% water tight first time every time, never dries out or hardens,
never adheres, lasts for years – so far no one I know has reached it’s lifespan – and costs pennies. Needless to say,
West Marine doesn’t sell it, although they may some day under some “marine” label for 5-times the going price. Have I
peaked your interest?

It’s “Rope Caulk Westherstrip,” available from Ace and most other hardware stores. It comes in a long roll of sliced
strips (photo attached) and is incredibly easy to use. I’ve been bedding everything from deck fittings to portlights
with it when I don’t want adhesion, but do require perfect water-tightness. Just did the fuel gauge viewing port in my
cockpit sole. I don’t use it below the waterline just because I don’t “experiment” with my boat’s bottom, but everywhere
else on the boat it has proven to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Once you start using it yourself, you’ll
see. Next time I re-bed my chain plate deck plates, I’ll do it with Rope Caulk.

One thing to keep in mind. It’s best to tighten down on whatever fitting you’re bedding gradually, to give the caulking
time to find its shape, especially in cooler weather where the caulk is a bit stiff at first. Hand tighten the fitting,
then come back a few times and tighten it a bit more every 10 or 20 minutes until it’s as tight as you want it, rather
than forcing it down hard the first time around. Whatever oozes out can be trimmed with a putty knife and used somewhere
else.

Just kidding about it being a secret. Once you “discover” this stuff for yourself, you’ll want to share it with everyone
you know.

Tor

Not to be nay sayer,’cause I use alot of non-marine
soultions…… what about UV protection or breakdown
from?

alan

— Silver Heels <> wrote:

I don’t know yet first hand, Alan, but I expect it’ll last as long as most other goops, and it certainly is a lot easier
to deal with. The handful of people I’ve talked to who have been using Rope Caulk on boats tell me, based on their own
experience, that it has lasted “for years.” The boat repair shop guy talked about fittings he’d installed on customers’
boats “years ago,” which he later removed and found the caulk to be in perfect shape, like the day he’d put it on. I’ve
had some things bedded with it aboard Silver Heels – a porthole and various deck fittings – baking in the Florida sun
for a year now and they’re still watertight. If you think about it, only the outermost edge of the putty is in the sun
anyway, the rest being in between the fitting and the fiberglass to which its mounted, so I doubt whether UV is going to
be a big factor in its longevity.

Hey, try it out somewhere non-critical, give it a few years, and see how it does. It’ll cost you all of two bucks to
find out for yourself.

Tor

Cool! If this works out, you will have my eternal gratitude. I’ll give it a try.

How do you use it to caulk your chainplates? There’s a small cover plate over mine, but it isn’t much to brag about. I’ve taken to covering the whole mess with 4200 or similar and replacing it every couple of years.

—
Rich Carter

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Is there a brand name to look for other than rope
caulk.
— Silver Heels <> wrote:

Rich,

I haven’t used rope caulk to bed my chain plates yet. I re-bedded those deck plates last year with silicone seal, before
I knew about this caulking. When the time comes to renew the bedding, I’ll first have to scrape away the remnant
silicone, which is not easy. (Silicon’s tenacity is my biggest gripe against the stuff.) Then I’ll use rope caulk pretty
much the way I’d use any other bedding material. I think those deck plates are adequate for their purpose. Just use
plenty of caulking and screw the plates down in stages, as I suggested before, particularly if the air temperature is
cool and the caulk is a little stiff. If I’m wrong and the stuff only lasts a few years, it’s no big deal. Rope caulk is
real easy to remove.

Tor

I haven’t researched rope caulk and don’t know if there are differences between brands. I’ve used some from Ace and some
from Hope Depot. It all seems about the same to me. Try it. You’ll like it.

🙂

This is a timely topic, as I was going to start on my chain-plate re-installation this weekend as the temps are finally going to get above freezing here and I can start to do some epoxy work.

After I removed my old chain-plates, I then used an allen key on a drill to remove 1 inch on core material from around the slot. At first, I just refilled the whole thing with thickened epoxy and then I was going to cut out a new slot.

However, I was wondering if it would be easier if I formed the slot in place. I was going to wrap an old chain-plate with tape until it was 1/2 inch thick where it goes through the deck. I was going to cover the area that would see the epoxy with clear tape and some wax. I would inject thickened epoxy into the cavity. Hopefully then, after the epoxy set. I could remove the old chain-plate and have a perfect 1/8 inch gap around the new 3/8ths inch chain-plate for adding your preferred bedding compound.

Has anyone tried something like this. Will the clear tape /wax be enough to release from the epoxy. Should I wait until the epoxy completely sets or remove it just after it starts to firm up.

Thanks,

Paul

When I installed the aluminum angle over my stringers I covered the aluminum with a product called GLY. It is dialectic silicone grease in a small jar. I covered the stringers with thickened epoxy and clamped the aluminum over that. The next day I just tapped the aluminum and it came loose no problem. I would think that it would do the same for your application.

Linus

<.. snip>

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Paul,

Neat idea! However you decide to release the chain plate & tape from the hardened or hardening epoxy, you might just do
a trial run on the workbench first rather than in the deck. That way if the first idea doesn’t work as hoped, no harm
done.

Let us know how it goes!

Tor

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