3M Marine Sealent

Robsail

New Member
I need to know what kind of sealent you guys would use for the laser. It seems like my choices are 3M 5200, 3M 4200, 3M 4000. BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, IS WHAT DO YOU RECCOMEND??

I have removed the daggerboard break, the rachet block, the auto bailer, and the aft drain plug. I am replacing all of the above..... so when i go to screw the new ones back in, WHAT KIND OF SEALENT should I use????

PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks, Rob
 
I use 5200 on everything, the only problem is it sticks to everything! especially your hands, to prevent that you can lick your fingers, or whatever youre using to apply it!

Hope this helps,
ChalmersP
 
A good silicon sealer is all you need. Just wipe some around the screw before you screw it in.

5200 is overkill - the deck to hull joint in your boat is joined with 5200.
 
Yeah I just use regular ol silicone. When I was a kid I used 5200 and when it came time to reseal later it was really hard to get things apart and resealed. My boat never leaks with the standard stuff.
 
I need to know what kind of sealent you guys would use for the laser. It seems like my choices are 3M 5200, 3M 4200, 3M 4000. BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, IS WHAT DO YOU RECCOMEND??
I have removed the daggerboard break, the rachet block, the auto bailer, and the aft drain plug. I am replacing all of the above..... so when i go to screw the new ones back in, WHAT KIND OF SEALENT should I use????PLEASE HELP!!! Thanks, Rob

I agree that 5200 and 4200 are overkill. They are adhesives not just sealants. BUT make sure you use a marine grade silicone which 3M makes as well. Bathroom caulk will breakdown with saltwater and the marine environment over time.
 
A good silicon sealer is all you need. Just wipe some around the screw before you screw it in.

5200 is overkill - the deck to hull joint in your boat is joined with 5200.

The hull deck joint on the laser is not 5200. It is an industrial bonding putty called Plexus. Repairs to the joint can be made using 5200 over small areas however.
 
The hull deck joint on the laser is not 5200. It is an industrial bonding putty called Plexus. Repairs to the joint can be made using 5200 over small areas however.

I didn't think Plexus was class approved? I thought you were using Plexus on V-15s, 420s, Zumas and the like but not Lasers
 
So what is bonding putty, and what is the difference between bonding putty and 5200?

I would assume that the putty is more pliable, and might have a longer set time. Are they equally strong? (And, is 5200 strong enough to hold the deck and hull together?)
 
I've heard stories of people forgetting to put keel bolts in their lead mines, after re-bedding in 5200, and lifting the boat on slings. The 5200 is said to have held the full weight of the lead keel. I have no idea the reliability of this particular story, but given my own experience with 5200, it would be plenty strong to hold the deck to the hull. I wouldn't use it on anything that is less than permanent though.
 
So what is bonding putty, and what is the difference between bonding putty and 5200?

I would assume that the putty is more pliable, and might have a longer set time. Are they equally strong? (And, is 5200 strong enough to hold the deck and hull together?)

The "bonding putty" in the Laser hull/deck joint is stiffer then 5200 (5200 has a bit of flexibility to it, even when fully cured) - if it's not just thickened polyester resin aka "bog" it something very close.

It's a very old technology for joining two pieces of laminate and is inexpensive and pretty easy to apply.

5200 would be more then strong enough. It's a much better adhesive then polyester resin, if you tried to pull apart a hull/deck joint made with 5200, the laminate in either the deck or hull would fail before the 5200 pulled away. But with that little bit of flexibility the boat may not be as stiff as the current method. 5200 also has a long cure time compared to poly resin

The Plexus line is a much better solution, but costs more...
 

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