Re seal Deck plates

[miky2884]

Getting ready to tackle resealing all my deck plates. The boat is now 13 years old and im sure this has never been done. I pulled one of them off last night and the caulking is hard and crumbling so I think its a good idea to do it now. I know Megabyte has done this hey Kevin anything special you did or found by doing this let me know. I plan on using 4200 to reseal them.

 

[DTrain]

Are you planning to replace any of them? I replaced that one over the fuel tank and the 2 I have in the splashwell. I used 4200 too.

 

[miky2884]

No they are in good shape, just want to reseal the holes and the rims to make sure no water is getting into the deck. The plates don't leak.

 

[DaleH]

Check the edges of the deck CORE and if t needs it, apply some epoxy, ecen if simply (waterproof) 2-part 5-minute type. I'd use LifeCaulk by BoatLife ... I find the tube lasts 2-3X longer (shelf-life) than any comparable 3M product, while being just as good in service.

 

[miky2884]

Yea Dale good point I was thinking about doing the 5 min epoxy around the raw edge of the opening.

 

[Parker23]

Life caulk is the way to go. Just make sure you clean your surfaces up good before rebedding.

 

[miky2884]

Yea I got days worth of work just cleaning up the existing caulk and getting the surface smooth again.

 

[miky2884]

cleaned up all the old caulk last night went faster than I thought. We got temps in the high 50's this weekend here in CT, gonna try and get them sealed back down.

 

[TimC2520]

I did this last year. I shot some CPES into the screw holes (taped the bottom off) and let the core absorb as much as it would. Then I pulled the tape off. Once that kicked, I re-bed them all, while also injecting the BoatLife into the screw hole.

I took my time and it took awhile, but I won't be worrying about them again for a very long time. Those things are sealed up like Fort Knox. I did the same with the slam hatch in front of the motor.

 

[Brent]

cleaned up all the old caulk last night went faster than I thought. We got temps in the high 50's this weekend here in CT, gonna try and get them sealed back down.

I dont see any beverages :shock:


Did you run out?

 

[miky2884]

cleaned up all the old caulk last night went faster than I thought. We got temps in the high 50's this weekend here in CT, gonna try and get them sealed back down.

I dont see any beverages :shock:


Did you run out?

Haha the bottle of Brandy is inside the pilot house, I will get it in the picture next time,the acetone under the cover with the heater going got the job done as well

 

[Brent]

Are you using blue tape around the lid perimeter to catch the excess ?
or what is the best method for a clean seam?

 

[Megabyte]

I did tape all around mine with blue tape to keep any excess off the deck.
But... I used marine silicone on mine because I wanted to make sure I could re-do them about every 5 years.

One tip. Don't crank your crews down tight. You don't want to squeeze all that good bedding material out.
Also, replace the o-rings. They are cheap insurance.
When you do replace the o-rings, coat them with some teflon zipper gel. They will seal better and last longer.

 

[miky2884]

Completed this project this weekend. I did do the blue tape and did the 5 min epoxy around the edges and inside the screw holes. I used 4200 to seal the rings back down. Feel better now that i know they are all sealed down and tight.

 

[Brent]

My deck plates need replacing b/c the frames are cracked due to overtightening the screws. One is a Beckson with pop out lid and the other is a spin out Tempress unit.

Which brand and style of deck plates are better? For plate over the fuel tank I will use a clear lid so I can see the fuel indicator guage.

thanks

 

[350bake]

I need to do this as well - thanks for sharing. Where would I purchase new O rings - the Manufacturer?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[Megabyte]

I need to do this as well - thanks for sharing. Where would I purchase new O rings - the Manufacturer?

Yes. That is where I got mine.

Edit: After you replace the o-rings, coat them with a teflon zipper lube.
It will help seal the hatch, and keep the seals from being damaged.

 

[350bake]

Thank you Kevin. Much appreciated.

Larry

 

[Brent]

What brand are they using on new Parkers?

 

[TomS]

I'm in the process of gathering all the materials to rebed the round deck opening above the fuel tank as well as the rectangle slam hatch in front of the motor.

I've got the new O-Rings and gasket for the hatches from Tempress, new tube of LifeCaulk, acetone, blue masking tape, etc.. Last weekend I pulled the old hatches out and scraped off the old sealant. Found a few spots with wet wood which weren't protected by Gelcoat in the deck cut-out for the slam hatch, so ordered the Raka epoxy sample pack as well.

Thanks to everyone for the good tips in this thread!

-- Tom