Screwholes under water line need resealing?

[Boston2120]

I have a 2003 2120 which is kept in saltwater during the summer in Boston Harbor. Its bottom painted. I had a 2003 Boston Whaler that leaked water around the transducer screw holes and turned the interior foam into wet heavy mush. I don't want this problem to occur with my 2120. Should I remove and reseal all the screw holes (transducer, swim platform, trim tabs) below the water line as a precaution as they have not been touched since 2003? What would you advise?

 

[Bryan 2530]

Yes. Use 5200 to reseal or you can do the epoxy re drill procedure for a permanent fix.

 

[jeffnick]

3M 5200 can take a week or more to fully cure, BUT it does seal when when soft and I wouldn't use anything else.
Check out the last paragraph in this blog entry for how to get the most out of 5200.
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... plies.html

 

[DaleH]

That's the 1st thing I did to my boat when I boat her, as the 2nd owner! A couple years later ALL through-holes were modified to be drilled through a permanent epoxy plug set into the coring.

I am NOT the big believer in 3M 5200 as some holier than thou product many boaters seem to think it is. It has its application - yes, but it is not a be all, end all product.

 

[TWOBOATER]

I'm with Dale on this one. The adhesive quality of 5200 is way-over-kill when all you want to do is bed a piece of hardware. The worst thing is when you need to remove something that was bedded with 5200. I have removed gelcoat several times taking off old hardware. transducers are destroyed. 3M 101 sealant is more than sufficient for 95% of bedding needs. Use 5200 when your sure it will never need to come off. I asked the old carpenter at the boat yard where I work for some 5200. He said "whadyah fixin' your sneaker?"

 

[kidfreediver]

Yes do the right thing with holes below the water fill it in with epoxy. 5200 is just a sticker adhesive for a permanent bond not for patching holes int he boat. Adhesive can be easily punctured or penetrated where as epoxy can not. Think about the wood in the transom and the motor be support by that wood. The motor is saying it deserve better than 5200.

 

[DaleH]

The worst thing is when you need to remove something that was bedded with 5200.

Bah ... I have only ONCE in my life ripped a tiny piece of glass by removing an item bedded with 3M 5200. Most of it comes off TOO easily IMHO, lol. And it doesn't stick to screws for nothing! And thus I say, even worse than bedding something with 5200 ... is the false sense of security owner's can get by thinking that anything bedded with it is totally waterproof!

Water resistant? Maybe. Water proof? Depends ...

If it is a screw subject to repeated stress loading, that in/out stress mechanism can actually 'pump' water into the core by acting like a diaphragm in a pump. BAD examples of this would be where screws were used to affix a swim platform. Through bolting is always the #1 choice, and if you can't thru-bolt, then put a nice big hole into the glass and core and backfill w/ epoxy using a syringe. Then put a bedded screw into that epoxy plug.

I still use 3M 5200 for under the waterline bedding, but otherwise use LifeCaulk by BoatLife company. Far superior to 3M 4200 it is and the tube lasts for years! Unlike 3M products :evil: ...