Sealants

PabloPicasso

PabloPicasso

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Why does almost everyone want to use sickaflex on a boat. It's nasty stuff that does not work in damp conditions, which to state the obvious, is life on board!

Use a polymer that is easy to get in any builders merchant, does a very good job, and works in the wet and under water. Tek 7. I have no connection with the makers or marketers, just pleased with results. CT1 is the same stuff and marketed at us boaters albeit cheaper than sicka and more expensive than Tek7.

The other recommended sealant is butyl tape, ( note to myself, I must get some), but I'm not sure that's good below the waterline.
 
PabloPicasso said:
Why does almost everyone want to use sickaflex on a boat. It's nasty stuff that does not work in damp conditions, which to state the obvious, is life on board!

Use a polymer that is easy to get in any builders merchant, does a very good job, and works in the wet and under water. Tek 7. I have no connection with the makers or marketers, just pleased with results. CT1 is the same stuff and marketed at us boaters albeit cheaper than sicka and more expensive than Tek7.

The other recommended sealant is butyl tape, ( note to myself, I must get some), but I'm not sure that's good below the waterline.
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If this is Tec7, it's an interesting product thanks.
 
PabloPicasso said:
Why does almost everyone want to use sickaflex on a boat. It's nasty stuff that does not work in damp conditions, which to state the obvious, is life on board!
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I suspect the reason that 'everyone' uses Sikaflex (if not necessarily the appropriate one) is similar to the reason 'everyone' uses West epoxy: it's aggressively distributed, widely available and a brand name people are familiar with. West, too, has major shortcomings: it's excellent for filleting, good for laminating, but a pain in the proverbial for coating in cool damp climates (ring any bells, UK-dwellers?) West, too, has the asset of its 'system' in which associated products are also easy to get.
 
I like CT1 very much indeed but have to get it on line with expensive postage as no retailers seem to stock it in the Chichester area. If anyone knows of a stockist near to Chichester I'd be pleased to hear about it ?
 
andrewbartlett said:
I like CT1 very much indeed but have to get it on line with expensive postage as no retailers seem to stock it in the Chichester area. If anyone knows of a stockist near to Chichester I'd be pleased to hear about it ?
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Tec7 or is it Tek7. Is the same as CT1 and available in most builders merchants. Last time I went in to one there was a big rack on the end of an aisle.
It's cheaper to
 
andrewbartlett said:
I like CT1 very much indeed but have to get it on line with expensive postage as no retailers seem to stock it in the Chichester area. If anyone knows of a stockist near to Chichester I'd be pleased to hear about it ?
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I bought mine from Days Buildbase, Gosport. They also have a branch in Portsmouth.

According to the Buildbase website there is a branch at Selsey. Maybe they have it, or can order it.

http://www.buildbase.co.uk/content/branchinfo.asp?id=127
 
A friend of mine was also fed up with Sikaflex, for the reasons you mention (mess etc) and also regardless of how much is paid it never seems to last longer than 12 months when sealing the windows.

He thought about it and decided to use a revolutionary product that was easy to use, designed for sealing windows, with a great track record over decades (maybe even centuries) and is also low cost.

Linseed oil Putty. About £1 for a tub.

It's worked fine so far, no leaks at all 4 months in. If it lasts 12 months he'll be quite happy - he'd still need to reseal if he'd used the dreaded S product at 15x the cost!

Perhaps not for the purists, but certainly worth consideration.
 
Trundlebug said:
A friend of mine was also fed up with Sikaflex, for the reasons you mention (mess etc) and also regardless of how much is paid it never seems to last longer than 12 months when sealing the windows.

He thought about it and decided to use a revolutionary product that was easy to use, designed for sealing windows, with a great track record over decades (maybe even centuries) and is also low cost.

Linseed oil Putty. About £1 for a tub.

It's worked fine so far, no leaks at all 4 months in. If it lasts 12 months he'll be quite happy - he'd still need to reseal if he'd used the dreaded S product at 15x the cost!

Perhaps not for the purists, but certainly worth consideration.
Click to expand...

Butyl tape might be the best in the 'sealing windows' application
 
I've used a number of different sealants over the years trying to keep the windows watertight and none of them lasted longer than three years. Until I tried black silicone sealant more than ten years ago that is. It's still working and no-one is more surprised than I am!
 
apogee said:
I've used a number of different sealants over the years trying to keep the windows watertight and none of them lasted longer than three years. Until I tried black silicone sealant more than ten years ago that is. It's still working and no-one is more surprised than I am!
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I sealed the forecabin windows on my Fulmar with black silicone and no leaks since 2003.
 
Good thread. I have tried Sika products and Marineflex & yet nothing seems to adhere to (well prepared) Perspex for more than a couple of years, so now experimenting with Stixall from Tool Station.

If anyone has a realistic solution as to how to adhere perspex to grp, without losing the adherence to the perspex element I would love to see it PLEASE!
 
maxi said:
Good thread. I have tried Sika products and Marineflex & yet nothing seems to adhere to (well prepared) Perspex for more than a couple of years, so now experimenting with Stixall from Tool Station.

If anyone has a realistic solution as to how to adhere perspex to grp, without losing the adherence to the perspex element I would love to see it PLEASE!
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When I refurbished my ally framed windows a few years ago, it was touch and go whether the frames were salvageable. It turned out that they were, but if they hadn't been, I'd decided I couldn't afford new frames, so I'd go with frameless perspex. My intention , having seen some truly dreadful DIY jobs (I hope they were DIY!) was to paint the part of the perspex that overlapped the GRP black on the inside then stick self-adhesive neoprene - http://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping.asp?intDepartmentId=1#14 to the painted perspex before screwing it down. Perspex always moves a bit, boats flex when the sea gets bumpy, the pane expends and contracts with heat, so any sealant has a tough job, so I figured something that isn't stuck to two surfaces that move in relation to each other, but relies on simple pressure to keep the water out must have a better chance.

I never did find out if it would work without the frames, but the neoprenes's kept my forepeak windows leak-free for about seven years now.
 
Trundlebug said:
A friend of mine was also fed up with Sikaflex, for the reasons you mention (mess etc) and also regardless of how much is paid it never seems to last longer than 12 months when sealing the windows.

He thought about it and decided to use a revolutionary product that was easy to use, designed for sealing windows, with a great track record over decades (maybe even centuries) and is also low cost.

Linseed oil Putty. About £1 for a tub.

It's worked fine so far, no leaks at all 4 months in. If it lasts 12 months he'll be quite happy - he'd still need to reseal if he'd used the dreaded S product at 15x the cost!

Perhaps not for the purists, but certainly worth consideration.
Click to expand...

If you're sealing a window with Sikaflex polyurethane(other polyurethane adhesive sealants are available) and it's not lasting more than a year either you're doing it wrong or the sealant is the wrong type/out of date. I like arbomast for general non-setting sealant duties above the waterline, as you can do alsorts with it and it cleans up easily.
 
penfold said:
I like arbomast for general non-setting sealant duties above the waterline, as you can do alsorts with it and it cleans up easily.
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Unfortunately, Arbomast don't do it in black any more - only white and grey. I tried some of their BR Black just before they stopped making it a couple of years ago, but it hasn't bonded well to the perspex after two years. But I agree that it is easier to work with than Sikaflex.

Rob.
 
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