What sealant to use?

[Leeward Rail]

The fundamental question administrators should be asking is - why take the risk?

Every forum i am part of has stickies for the important threads. All are for DIY stuff like vehicle repair, boat maintenance, etc.

Why take the risk ? People are idiots and repeat incorrect info and circle goes round and round.

Is this a jurisdiction issue ? Florida has to be worst place for predatory lawyers. I swear they have lawyer ad signs every 200 feet.

Another option is for a user to post it, and it not be stickies.... That way it's like anything else here.

what liability accrues to the person or entity supplying the information.

Yeah. If that is the risk..then all forums should close. Have you seen the ignorance of some posts here, nevermind elsewhere. To me the whole point of forums is to help teach and learn. If we go down the path of being so scared of legal idiocy, that we stop posting info then why have forums.

 

[MikeHoncho]

I think the biggest liability is the topic drift of this thread……

 

[Dave]

Good points are being raised.

At the moment I'm thinking something along the lines of a generic statement, "It's important to use the right sealant in any application....." and then provide links to the data sheets for the most popular caulks and sealants from 3m, BoatLife, and Sikaflex. What we would be providing is shortcuts to product information and encouraging people to use the right product. If some other company complains we didn't include them, well, we'll just edit the original post and add them.

 

[JamesG161]

"It's important to use the right sealant in any application....." and then provide links to the data sheets for the most popular caulks and sealants from 3m, BoatLife, and Sikaflex.

Why even do that?

You are just tossing up a "Fruit Salad" . Example is this thread.
_____________

My advice was to seal the leak from the outside, and not re-bed.

In my post, I backed my advice up with a YouTube Video. [my post #8]

Many Post include repairs with a YouTube link.

This thread is kinda like a dog chasing his own tail.

Jim...

 

[Leeward Rail]

My advice was to seal the leak from the outside, and not re-bed.

And someone else then posts some stuff that contradicts your or another member post.

The whole point of stickies is for easy access to a compendium of constantly repeated information

Someone asks the same info that has been covered in the past...forum members are saved the hassle of typing and just post a link.

Same thing with having a single sticky that tells people how to effectively post a question. (Include a photo, give full.details, etc.).
Sure beats having to repeatedly type that every time someone asks vague questions.

In this case sealant choice is of a general nature, but application specific, so a reference post makes sense.

Not so much what specific tasks to use it for, but to simply list what each type of adhesive and sealant does and doesn't do, how long it takes to cure and in what conditions, it's life expectancy, what it reacts to, what it is incompatible with etc.
Anyone should then be able to read that and make their own choice for the job they are doing.


of course you can Google the info and weed out the incorrect and oft repeated info. But people are lazy. There is a reason the lmgtfy website exists.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Yeah. If that is the risk..then all forums should close. Have you seen the ignorance of some posts here, nevermind elsewhere. To me the whole point of forums is to help teach and learn. If we go down the path of being so scared of legal idiocy, that we stop posting info then why have forums.

you may be conflating what you or I do which I’d proving opinion with what the forum administration does by tacitly approving advice. You and I have no risk, however, SBO may. It’s not legal idiocy as much as avoiding the cost to SBO of litigation or a judicial finding of liability

 

[Leeward Rail]

what the forum administration does by tacitly approving advice.

Forums all over. Many hosted in the USA, sticky post member posts all the time.
Likely not much difference than SBO sending out the newsletter and poll, with specific threads being selectively chosen for promotion.

It’s not legal idiocy as much as avoiding the cost to SBO of litigation or a judicial finding of liability

I get that. The fact that it is even a concern, is idiocy. Books, organizations, and other groups distribute all sorts of serious bs. nevermind DIY info

Protecting your business against lawyers, obviously isn't idiocy.

 

[Terry Cox]

Except for the port lights I will continue to use what our yard recommended and uses for their repair jobs, 3M4200 above the waterline and 3M5200 below. I've followed that practice for several years and have always had good results. I want a product that will not fail below the waterline. Our keel stub joint repair, to me, is the best example of that recommendation.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

A lotta bunch of Bull fiddlesticks
Just stick to the original posted question and if there is a previous thread that is good, advise the poster

 

[Leeward Rail]

previous thread that is good, advise the poster

That is exactly what a "sticky" thread is.

 

[karellen]

I am chasing a leak in the corner of this deck window. What sealant should I use to rebed this window?

So dar the 3 different ones I have used all failed.

You may find this post helpful from when I did this project on my 356:
Rebedding fixed portlight

 

[BroncoJohn]

I wanted to post an update. I used a tire cutter tool I had that made removing the old sealant very easy. It is like a super soldiering iron with a U shaped razor blade that heats up to 500 degrees or so.
I taped up the window and hull them sanded the area before laying down a bead of Dow 795. I took others advice and used a plastic spoon to smooth it out and remove extra sealant.
I don't know if it worked yet but will he on the boat this weekend during rain.