Far too often I see pictures here of sloppily applied marine sealant and even worse white marine sealant being used on a duckboat. If your boat looks like a bagel that is on you (or whomever you paid too much to apply the sealer) because it is so easy to fix with a rag and some appropriate solvent.
The SS Poppyseed
You don’t want your boat looking as tacky as this mailbox do you?
Of the adhesive sealants, I like original 5200, I like the consistency and workability. The curing time gives you plenty of options to work with it and it is known to hold up over decades of hard use. I’ll choose black 5200 every single time. To clean it up, you need a rag and an appropriate solvent. The solvent needs to be a non-polar solvent like mineral spirits, not alcohol or acetone.
Mineral spirits
Epoxy coated ply ready for sealant. Notice the heavy countersink that will hold the sealant and leave a formed in place “O” ring of sealant under the washer. Were this on my boat, I’d epoxy seal the countersunk area and the hole.
Sealant applied
Sealant cleaned up or left “natural”
Rag with 5200 - you can maintain clean hands and workpiece by rotating the rag and folding the used material away inside the rag. As messy as I see some of these boats covered with smears of sealant, I wonder what is going on.
With paint.
With simulated wear (a quick hit from a fine wire brush). Notice how tidy the cleaned up sealant looks on the top bolts and washers be it white or black. Also notice how easily the paint came off the 5200 compared to the painted epoxy encapsulated wood. You can see where the paint is burnished by the wire wheel, but is intact compared to where it is on the rubbery sealant and comes right off.
When you are done with your sealant put it in the freezer and it will last for years and years. With these moisture cured polyurethanes, I've found that if they are liquid they will cure properly no matter the date. I've had great results from tubes that were hardened front and back, but I've cut into them to find some good stuff in the middle and it worked well.
The SS Poppyseed
You don’t want your boat looking as tacky as this mailbox do you?
Of the adhesive sealants, I like original 5200, I like the consistency and workability. The curing time gives you plenty of options to work with it and it is known to hold up over decades of hard use. I’ll choose black 5200 every single time. To clean it up, you need a rag and an appropriate solvent. The solvent needs to be a non-polar solvent like mineral spirits, not alcohol or acetone.
Mineral spirits
Epoxy coated ply ready for sealant. Notice the heavy countersink that will hold the sealant and leave a formed in place “O” ring of sealant under the washer. Were this on my boat, I’d epoxy seal the countersunk area and the hole.
Sealant applied
Sealant cleaned up or left “natural”
Rag with 5200 - you can maintain clean hands and workpiece by rotating the rag and folding the used material away inside the rag. As messy as I see some of these boats covered with smears of sealant, I wonder what is going on.
With paint.
With simulated wear (a quick hit from a fine wire brush). Notice how tidy the cleaned up sealant looks on the top bolts and washers be it white or black. Also notice how easily the paint came off the 5200 compared to the painted epoxy encapsulated wood. You can see where the paint is burnished by the wire wheel, but is intact compared to where it is on the rubbery sealant and comes right off.
When you are done with your sealant put it in the freezer and it will last for years and years. With these moisture cured polyurethanes, I've found that if they are liquid they will cure properly no matter the date. I've had great results from tubes that were hardened front and back, but I've cut into them to find some good stuff in the middle and it worked well.
