Stanchion base....
- Thread starter NYSail
- Start date
On the Beneteau 361 the stanchion base sits partly (mainly) on the aluminium rail and a part of it (a little "leg") on the deck. Stupid design if you ask me. On the Beneteau 423 it sits completely on the deck inside the wooden rail and is slightly different (it hasn't got that little leg).
I think Bene was pretty consistent in going with the one big bolt and nut design. At least it's just one hole, and through solid fiberglas--or at least it is on my 331 and I suspect all boats from the last couple of decades.
What did you use the butyl tape for? As a sealant around the screw that goes through the deck? Have you used any sealant or silicone? My last fix failed because I didn't seal it properly and would like to seal it properly this time. Thanks
Philip, have you read Mainsail's how to on bedding deck hardware. Butyl tape is the best sealant for that application. Just make sure you remove any silicone adhesives before bedding.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware
Did you folks have to break out (drill out or otherwise) some of the fiberglass headliner to get access? I need to rebed at least 1 stanchion on my 2005 373 and there doesn't appear to be any easy access to the underside.
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No, I didn't have to break out or drill anything. However, I had to remove (unscrew) the top of a cabinet to gain access at the bolt.
From other threads I will repeat my same response... It's not LAW but many agree and I hope I can convince you as well; Never you use silicone to bed deck hardware, ever! There are only a select few places on a boat where silicone is appropriate like DOW 795 for non-opening port lights, certain gasket applications in the engine room, and a few plumbing/head uses. That's pretty much it... if you are sealing anything on deck with silicone, anything below the water line or above the water line exposed to the elements/UV you are pretty much asking for it (it could cost you big time later).
If you have to re-bed something and you discover it was previously sealed with silicone you must manually scrape away as much as possible. Sand paper is only effective once 99% of it is gone, and even still it can gum up the san paper. Silicone residue is almost impossible to fully remove, you literally must grind away some of the surface laminate. There are no common chemicals that I have come across that 'dissolve' and clean up silicone residue. DOW chemical has one but it is only available to industrial customers and from the MSDS it sound like pretty nasty stuff. New resin (epoxy or polyester/vinyl ester) will NOT stick to a repair where silicone residue has contaminated the surface, as I mentioned you have to grind it away.
In the case of the aforementioned stanchion that had silicone... Since a laminate repair isn't needed you don't have grind away anything, just do a good job of scraping away the silicone remnants. Butyl tape is the best sealant to use because it will still 'stick' even if the surface has silicone residue. Other sealants like 3M 4200, Sika Flex, or Life-Caulk would normally be ok to bed deck hardware, but they won't be effective where silicone residue is present.
If you have to re-bed something and you discover it was previously sealed with silicone you must manually scrape away as much as possible. Sand paper is only effective once 99% of it is gone, and even still it can gum up the san paper. Silicone residue is almost impossible to fully remove, you literally must grind away some of the surface laminate. There are no common chemicals that I have come across that 'dissolve' and clean up silicone residue. DOW chemical has one but it is only available to industrial customers and from the MSDS it sound like pretty nasty stuff. New resin (epoxy or polyester/vinyl ester) will NOT stick to a repair where silicone residue has contaminated the surface, as I mentioned you have to grind it away.
In the case of the aforementioned stanchion that had silicone... Since a laminate repair isn't needed you don't have grind away anything, just do a good job of scraping away the silicone remnants. Butyl tape is the best sealant to use because it will still 'stick' even if the surface has silicone residue. Other sealants like 3M 4200, Sika Flex, or Life-Caulk would normally be ok to bed deck hardware, but they won't be effective where silicone residue is present.
All of which is what makes it so sad that Beneteau went and used silicone to bed the deck hardware! Blew my mind when I first encountered it.
Are you certain it was Benny that did it at the factory? Could have been a previous owner or also possible that Benny shipped the vessel to a dealer without the stanchions installed or the dealer noticed that they missed the bedding compound step at the factory and used silicone in a hurry... I would be pretty depressed to know that a reputable boat builder like Benny could ever allow such a mistake to happen (but anything is possible).