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From: <wrf_at_CISUNIX.UNH.EDU>
subject: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 15:55:14 -0400
Ice damage this winters broke the seal between my bulk head and the 
bottom of the kayak- now I have a leaky forward compartment.  Can it be 
repaired with any good silicone sealer or does it take a special kind of 
flexible sealer??  Any ideas

Thanks

Wayne F
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From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 20:06:29 -0700
wrf_at_CISUNIX.UNH.EDU wrote:

>> Ice damage this winters broke the seal between my bulk head and the
bottom of the kayak- now I have a leaky forward compartment.  Can it be
repaired with any good silicone sealer or does it take a special kind of
flexible sealer??  Any ideas >>

Silicone is not recommended, in case you later need to do a major fix of the
hull -- polyester resins (and epoxies) do not stick well to surfaces that
have had silicone on them.

Depends on what the bulkhead material is, but 3M 5200 is commonly used for
this application.  It comes in a fast(er) cure and a regular cure.  Either
kind should work here.  Getting the old joint clean and abraded will be
tricky, but the 5200 is a good gap filler, so it is OK to erode some
bulkhead.

5200 is at the local marine supply store.

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR

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From: td376 <td376_at_mail.anonymizer.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 2003 16:24:26 -0400
3M 5200 sealant.  I just removed a bulkhead that was installed with 3M 
5200 and the only thing that would take it out was a Dremal tool with a 
cutoff wheel.  Seals great, very strong, and flexable.

wrf_at_CISUNIX.UNH.EDU wrote:

> Ice damage this winters broke the seal between my bulk head and the 
> bottom of the kayak- now I have a leaky forward compartment.  Can it be 
> repaired with any good silicone sealer or does it take a special kind of 
> flexible sealer??  Any ideas
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From: Richard <rmagill9_at_netscape.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 21:37:46 -0400
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (i.e.  headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.]

I proport again Use Aquarium Sealant! A lot less expensive then 3M, and 
does the same thing.

td376_at_mail.anonymizer.com wrote:

> 3M 5200 sealant.  I just removed a bulkhead that was installed with 3M 
> 5200 and the only thing that would take it out was a Dremal tool with 
> a cutoff wheel.  Seals great, very strong, and flexable.
>
> wrf_at_CISUNIX.UNH.EDU wrote:
>
>> Ice damage this winters broke the seal between my bulk head and the 
>> bottom of the kayak- now I have a leaky forward compartment.  Can it 
>> be repaired with any good silicone sealer or does it take a special 
>> kind of flexible sealer??  Any ideas
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From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 20:10:30 -0700
<rmagill9_at_netscape.net> wrote:

> I proport again Use Aquarium Sealant! A lot less expensive than
> 3M, and does the same thing.

Works fine until you need to do a hull/deck repair there.  Then the silicones
from the aquarium sealer will make adhesion of either epoxy or polyester
resin difficult or unreliable.

YMMV

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR

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From: alex <al.m_at_3web.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:54:00 -0700
> > I proport again Use Aquarium Sealant! A lot less expensive than
> > 3M, and does the same thing.
>
> Works fine until you need to do a hull/deck repair there.  Then the
silicones
> from the aquarium sealer will make adhesion of either epoxy or polyester
> resin difficult or unreliable.


I didn't notice any mention of the hull material, but would suspect that
this is important too.  Are you guys talking of fiberglass or poly?  How
about good adhesive for poly - not necessarily flexible?
Alex.

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From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 11:03:59 -0700
alex" <al.m_at_3web.net> asked:

>I didn't notice any mention of the hull material, but would suspect that
>this is important too.  Are you guys talking of fiberglass or poly?  How
>about good adhesive for poly - not necessarily flexible?

We were discussing composite boats, I think:  FG with either epoxy or
polyester/vinylester resin as part of the matrix.

By "poly" I assume you mean polyethylene, as in rotomolded boats?  I do not
have a good answer for gluing bulkheads to polyethylene.  Polyethylene does
not take well to any adhesive I know of.  In my experience, by horribly
roughening the surface, contact cement works OK for minicell for padding, and
3M 3532 works OK for low-stress applications where the hull will not be
flexed.  I would guess if the bulkhead material is tight fitting, 3M 5200 or
silicone sealer would be equally "good," but not very good.  I have seen a
handful of polyethylene boats with bulkheads separated from the hull ...
probably because of rough handling in surf, or some other interaction that
caused oilcanning.  I'd be curious if others have solved this problem.

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR

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From: Shawn Baker <shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sealer for bulkheads
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:59:27 -0700 (PDT)
>....the seal between my bulk head and the bottom of the kayak- ...Can
it be repaired with any good silicone sealer or does it take a special
kind of flexible sealer?? 

Sorry if this has already been answered; I've been snorting Puget Sound
salt water for 4 days and have been away from computers...woe is me! ;)

It's best to stay with something compatible with the original system;
that way if a subsequent repair is necessary, you're not limited.

Using silicone will limit you to only using silicone in the
future...and even it won't stick all that well to itself once fully
cured.

Necky uses Lexel clear rubber sealant on its minicel bulkheads.  Some
use the original resin.  Contact your manufacturer to see what they
use.

3M 5200 urethane adhesive/sealant also works well and is very tough.

Shawn

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