I am ready to start rebedding and installing all of my deck hardware on my 22. I just finished the topside painting and need to know what size butyl tape do I use and how do I use it to rebed my hardware? Help!
How to use Butyl Tape
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You do not want to compress it all at once. Tightening it slowly, a little bit at a time, over time will result in a better seal and will not damage/stress bolts, the deck or hardware. I actually did a little experiment where I tightened a fitting until the 1/4 X 20 bolts broke. I then replaced the bolts and made them tight/snug. The next day butyl was still slowly oozing out. Even when breaking three 1/4 X 20 bolts it does not just force it out quickly. It needs to displace from under the fitting at its own pace and multiple small tightening events works best...
Your article at http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=117172 is a most excellent reference and converted me to a butyl believer. Until I read that, I had only heard brief mention of "using butyl" in other posts, and dismissed it as an inferior product based on my experience with recreational vehicles, where it is generously used. RV's leak despite any reasonable amount of owner maintenance. Reading your article convinced me that it is not the butyl material, but rather the design and construction methods of the RV industry that causes the problem. I have been less than impressed with the 4200 sealant I've used to bed a half-a-dozen items on my deck so far. I think from here on out I'll join the Church of the Butyl.
By the way, the original article contains a question from a member asking how to bed cam cleat without the butyl gumming up the cleat mechanism. To that I would suggest mounting a washer or fender washer under the cleat before tightening things down.
By the way, the original article contains a question from a member asking how to bed cam cleat without the butyl gumming up the cleat mechanism. To that I would suggest mounting a washer or fender washer under the cleat before tightening things down.
HI, where do you buy type of butyl tape that Mainesail recommend? We are hulling out boat for a survey soon and would like to grease seacock since boat will be out of water.
Grainger has it. New catalog, page 4314. Part # 2EJR3. 20 foot roll, 3 inches wide, 1/16 inch thick, gray in color.
Oh yeah, 20 bucks and coin..
Oh yeah, 20 bucks and coin..
Buy it from Maine Sails link and you will not be disappointed. I too am redoing my windows and hardware and the size is perfect.
Heaps of praise for Maine Sail and his excellent thread on using butyl tape. I just finished rebedding all my deck hardware and teak, and it was so much neater than using 3M 4200. Much easier to trim off the ooze-out than the messy clean up with semi-liquids.
Does it work as well?
I soaked down my entire deck with a hose and none of the places that showed leakage before we're wet. Even those I had rebedded with 4200. Takes quite a bit more time to do it Maine's way, but I think it's gonna be worth it. As for adhesive holding power, I bedded one of my sliding hatch rails, and attached it to the pop-top, then decided I needed to take it off for some reason. After tugging for quite awhile, decided to just leave it alone and installed the screws.
Hint: The butyl tape is a lot easier to work with when the ambient temperature is below 60*. It doesn't stick to your fingers like it does at higher temps. The downside of that is it takes way longer for it to ooze out for trimming. I'm guessing when I get the boat out into the sun this summer i'll need to trim away a bunch more. I might take a heat gun to the s/s fittings to speed things along.
Does it work as well?
I soaked down my entire deck with a hose and none of the places that showed leakage before we're wet. Even those I had rebedded with 4200. Takes quite a bit more time to do it Maine's way, but I think it's gonna be worth it. As for adhesive holding power, I bedded one of my sliding hatch rails, and attached it to the pop-top, then decided I needed to take it off for some reason. After tugging for quite awhile, decided to just leave it alone and installed the screws.
Hint: The butyl tape is a lot easier to work with when the ambient temperature is below 60*. It doesn't stick to your fingers like it does at higher temps. The downside of that is it takes way longer for it to ooze out for trimming. I'm guessing when I get the boat out into the sun this summer i'll need to trim away a bunch more. I might take a heat gun to the s/s fittings to speed things along.
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