rebedding deck hardware

[benz]

Osteoderm is, of course, correct: any improperly installed hardware will give you grief regardless of bedding. And if you plan on removing a piece of hardware often, then a more temporary sort of bedding is in order anyway, since longevity isn't an issue. I got so sick of bedding and rebedding and worrying about leaks that I'm building a boat with a bulwark to bolt everything to: no bedding required. I even built special mountings into the fiberglass deck and cabintop so that less bolts would have to go through into the boat's inside; I've kept the number of holes from outside to in to a bare minimum, but I will be using 5200 on all of those--I don't expect ever to remove them again.
Best,
Ben

[mikestevens]

Thank yiou everyone for your replies regarding bedding compounds.
I have a few particulars I would like to throw out.
First, are winches, particularily primaries, a special consideration, given all the torque put on them by sheets.
Second, if upon removing the hardware the holes are still a tight fit and seem to be good as new, is it really necessary to drill out, fill and redrill, given that I only plan to have the boat for a few years?
Third, there are a some holes, in the jib tracks for example, which were leaking, and when exposed were shown to have been slopped out that would definitly benefit from the above process. how big of a hole should I drill? Put another way, how much of a shoulder of epoxy is recomended around the bolt hole when completed?
Fouth, would it be a good idea not to drill through the interior fiberglass?
Fifth, the starboard chainplate was moved slightly due to a repair. It is about 1" inboard of its original position at the bottom and about half that at the top. A really sound repair has been made on the back of the bulkhead, so I am pretty sure it is not moving, but I was wondering if this slight change in angle might be the cause of a signifigant leak.

[Renoir]

I'm a Sikaflex fan for bedding fittings. I use 3M5200 for "glue". The 5200 may not unadhere from a surface but it WILL tear apart if the fittings are flexed. The Sikaflex will move 50% without tearing apart like 5200 does.

[Douglas]

Hi Mike, I too agree with all the replys to your bedding query, above.

I don't think that it has been said yet,,, but after you epoxy the hole, countersink it too,,,, I even countersink the hardware too, if I can,,,,, this allows the calk squeeze out to fill in that annular groove around the fastening bolt, thus creating a nice "o-ring" seal, and that process,has stopped all my fastener leaks, at least soooo far.

Mostly I use 5200 , but have found it has some problems when squished paper thin under a deck fitting like a ss flat plate stancion base.

5200 comes with air bubbles in the mix, and squishing it flat under a fitting, ruptures those bubbles, and leaves little sliver-moon shape cuts in the paper thin bedding, which hold moisture and allows corrosion to begin under the fitting,,,,, 3M said that they were going to try to fix this air bubble problem,,,, don't know if they did , yet !

There are those who like to only finger tighten the fasteners until the calk skims over, then finish tightening the fasteners later, but I haven't had that much "leak stopping" success doing this process.

When possible I create a secondary "o-ring" seal, outside of the bolt hole, by grinding a groove in the gelcoat or on the underside of the fitting , or both.

Happy stickey fingers,,,,, Douglas

[Brian Duff]

Life Caulk brand Life-Seal for bedding hardware to masts plastics, and fiberglass decks.. Great Stuff, easy to clean up too !

[TomP]

"butyl tape" has, by far, surpassed anything i have ever worked with. Stays flexible, conforms to irregular surfaces, weather resitant, heat resistant.

A 20 yard roll will set you back about $15.00...

We just pulled the aluminum toe rails off of a 1980 C&C for powder coating and the butyl tape they were bedded with was still flexible and tenacious to say the least. The owner never suffered from a leak.

If you are bedding hardware, this would be my suggestion.

[mikestevens]

I think this was under my bow plates. Good stuff, to be sure. I can see how it would be good for flat surfaces. Where can one buy this?
Mike.

[Matthew Sebring]

My compound of choice is the 3m 101. This has very little bond (read: glue) but is at all times very flexible and very easy to work with. As noted elsewhere, use a ton of it and make sure it squeezes out everywhere. I will say though that the best stuff to clean it by far is the 3m adhesive remover. Not only does this clean up nicely but it will not at all effect your gel coat. I hate 5200 with a passion - try the 4000 if you have to have some sort of glue. It doesn't stick as tenaciously as the 5200 but it seems to bond to a wider variety of materials than the 5200 does.

[Russ L]

Originally Posted by mikestevens

I think this was under my bow plates. Good stuff, to be sure. I can see how it would be good for flat surfaces. Where can one buy this?
Mike.

Hi Mike,
I got butyl tape, for toe rail rebedding, from a RV service shop. They had many sizes and can order if they don't have what you're looking for. Another plus, you can store it a long time and it's still good.

Cheers, Russ