marine goop instead of silicone sealant?

I have a tube of marine goop in the garage -- can I use that instead of silicone for sealing around holes for the footbraces and rigging?


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RE: marine goop instead of silicone sealant?

Hi ELB, 

i have not used Marine Goop, but based on what i read and what they represent, you can give it a try.  i don't think there is a lot of down-side to its use around footbrace holes or rigging holes.

that said, i do want to emphasize that the use of silicone (or marine goop), is not to water-proof the hull/wood core (the wood that you are putting the hole in), but to act as a gasket/washer between the hole in the hull and the screw/bolt to prevent water intrusion into the inside of the boat....that would otherwise enter between the little space between the screw and the edge of the hole in the hull.

all holes for foot brace holes or screw holes should use the drill/fill/drill technique (drill an oversize hole, fill with epoxy, drill final smaller hole through the solid epoxy) to ensure that the wood is never open to moisture....you don't want to rely on silicone (or goop) for that protection.

any failure of something like goop (or silicone) would probably be noticed as a couple drips/wetness inside the hull.....not the kind of thing that would result in a fast sinking of your boat.  so you would have plenty of time/warning to address the issue.   normal boat maintenance is to inspect your boat for minor leaks and address them by removing and recalking through hulls like this.   fwiw, i have used some "non-marine brands" water-proof silicones from the local hardware store and have had no issues.

so that is why, absent any specific concern, i think you can give it a go.

h

 

 

RE: marine goop instead of silicone sealant?

 Got it.  

For the rigging screws, do you happen to remember what diameter drill bits you used for the two rounds of drilling?

A related question -- the manual says to coat the holes for re-attaching the sectional with epoxy.  Am I correct in thinking I should be putting the t-bolts for the sectional into the holes with wet epoxy, rather than letting it dry first?

Still going back and forth on whether to drill holes for the footbraces versus using studs.

 

RE: marine goop instead of silicone sealant?

Hi ELB, 

on the two rounds of hole for the rigging screws (just to confirm these are #8-32 machine screws), i used 1/4 inch for the first hole.  and the second hole was slightly bigger than an 1/8 ....i think its 11/64.

fwiw, this is actually a pretty tight specification and you can go larger like 3/8 for the big hole...and whatever is the tightest you can get on the small hole.  i would do a practice hole in a piece of wood to confirm the smallest size for the screw....then its really a matter of how precise you can drill.  the 11/64 and 1/4 inch combination does not leave a lot of room for error.

on the t-bolt question, i am not really familiar with that part of the operation.  in general, i would seperate ensuring any exposed wood is encapsulated with epoxy as a seperate operation from attaching a bolt to ensure you actually sealed the wood prior to moving to the next step.

on foot braces, my preference is to have them go through the hull.   for some reason it just makes me feel they are more secure.    i don't happen to like silver/stainless steel look on the outside of the hull....so i have made a habit of dipping all my screw heads and any washers into flat-black rustoleum paint before using them...and then they seem to 'vanish' when used.

h

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