Replacing Teak Trim Boards Around Cockpit...

[Stu Jackson]

So the FINAL question for this project:

Are all Butyl tapes created equal?

Did you not read Maine Sail's piece? He specifically addressed this issue. NO, they are NOT all created equal.

Reading Comprehension 101: from Maine Sail's details, which you say you HAVE read. This is on page 2:

It all began when I started to get nasty emails saying the butyl tape folks purchased did not behave or perform as I had described in the article. Some boat owners had even purchased "butyl tape" that was water soluble. I went ahead and began ordering various butyl tapes, despite some only being sold is case lot quantities, and testing it.


I quickly discovered the butyl tapes of today, thanks to changes in EPA standards, were not what they had been in the 70's & early 80's. The products I tested were so horrible I was driven into developing a true marine quality product specifically for this purpose. Bed-It Tape is not a simple run of the mill butyl tape it's a hybrid elastomeric butyl based tape with properties specifically formulated for bedding deck hardware. Bed-It Tape is a Compass Marine Inc. product. This formulation is not licensed to any other companies.


Bed-It Tape is 1/16" thick by 1/2" wide X 50' long. It is specifically engineered & formulated for bedding marine deck hardware and best of all it is manufactured right here in the US supporting US jobs! Even the corrugated packaging is made here in the USA.


Many builders used to use butyl tapes, CS Yachts and many others did, but they all stopped because using butyl in a production environment is significantly more labor intensive, read slower, despite being a better mouse trap.

 

[TomY]

It's hard to tell what the OP is attempting, without photos. I used Butyl tape for the first time last spring re-bedding handrails and dorade ventilator boxes.

I liked it! But I knew these mating surfaces, close with little or no gap, were suitable. It did a great job of sealing the leak prone mating surfaces of typical handrails. The best plus was the lack of mess I'm used to with tube sealants.

I'll still be using tube sealants when it comes to bedding wood to fiberglass or wood to wood, when I need void filling properties. I can't tell if the piece(s) that the OP is trying to mount and seal, wouldn't benefit from a sealant that fills larger voids. Butyl tape is a great sealant, but it doesn't replace all sealants.

The only thing I haven't figured out with butyl tape is how clean up the squeeze out. I haven't done that yet. Any tips?

 

[dlochner]

Take a small piece of butyl tape and roll it into a ball. Then roll the ball along the squeeze out, it should pick up the extra. You may have to use a not terribly sharp knife (a dinner knife) to help separate it, but probably not. Any residual can be cleaned up with a mild solvent, like paint thinner.

 

[gsteiner]

Stu, I appreciate you taking the time to respond, though I believe you misunderstood my question. Perhaps it is my fault for not being clear enough. While I did read the article (completely) and understood perfectly the contents therein, it did not address the details for which I was looking for clarification.

It was clear from the article that there are many "Butyl tapes" (note the quotes used here and the article) on the market which are actually not what would be considered true and/or quality Butyl tape, but are rather a concoction of fillers, etc. Some contain nearly no actual Butyl Rubber at all. My initial thought was that no tape on the market will be 100% Butyl Rubber, I imagine it might be possible that one exists.

So here is my question rephrased and expanded upon:

Assuming that you are dealing with different brands of quality *actual* Butyl tape (made with a high percentage of Butyl Rubber and not what I will call psudo-butyl tape or more generically "putty tape"), are they all equally effective as a sealant? Further, in a quality product, what would be the minimum acceptable percentage of Butyl Rubber in the formulation?

 

[gsteiner]

Alright guys, I've spent a bit more time researching Butyl, and while I'd still be interested in knowing more about what considerations make for a good rather than a poor butyl formulation, I realize that I'm getting away from the realm of practical use and into chemistry formulation, so I'll wrap up the topic here.

I just ordered two rolls of the Bed-It brand tape, based on everyone's help, advice, and recommendations.

Thanks again for all the information. I appreciate everyone taking the time to contribute!

Happy Sailing!

Greg

 

[nightowle]

Did you buy new wood for this project? If so, where did you get it?

 

[gsteiner]

Yes. Bought it from a local wholesaler in West Palm Beach, Florida called World Panel Products. Their phone number is (561) 840-0500. They supply all of the local yacht yards with Burmese teak. If you're in the area, they have a warehouse you can go and pick out the particular boards you want. I spent about an hour there pulling out all the boards and finding ones that had a similar color and grain in the sizes I needed. Dimensional lumber is sold by the board-ft, but I only needed 1/2" boards, which are sold by linear foot. The prices as of today (1/10/18) for 1/2" boards are $13.00/lf for 6" Wide, $16/lf for 8" and $19/lf for 10". They also have 4x8 sheets of thin cut teak which they can glue onto marine plywood of varying thicknesses to use for bulkheads, etc.

 

[nightowle]

awesome.