My Impex OI skeg control leaks a fair amount of water from both ends of the control box and I’m looking for suggestions on how best to seal this. I can’t tell if it’s coming from where the slider rod connects or where the actual cable enters/exits.
Should I just attempt to seal the underside with Lexel, or some such goop, or is there a better way? There is also a slight drip a few feet down the cable tube (in the cockpit) that I would assume goop would fix. Any ideas?
3M 5200
The 5200 is the better way to go. If you put silicone on it nothing else can be used.
Lexel or Goop are fine choices
Neither of them contain silicone and they cure much faster than 3M 5200. I prefer to use them for sealing chores and save the 5200 for bonding things like hatch rings.
Lexel
I bought some Lexel a while back to re-seal my back bulkhead so will try that in skeg control area, as well. From my reading it sounds like 5200 is more of an adhesive than simple sealant. 4200 might be more applicable. Lexel is 1/3 the cost, though.
I might try to dab a bit of Lexel on the ends of the slider rod where it enters the fiberglass, in case it’s leaking there. I assume the cable tubing itself is meant to let water in (and out) and isn’t supposed to be sealed? Someone I ran into said the cable housing should be flared somehow on the end, but I don’t see how that would help seal against water…
Is the slider tube end exposed?
Most skeg systems that use a tube to enclose the cable at the control also have a length of plastic tubing that the slider tube slides into when the control is in the forward position (skeg is up). One end of the plastic tube is bonded to the front of the control box and the other end is sealed, which prevents water that enters the control box from seeping into the boat.
If your boat doesn’t have this forward tube, you should add one. You can buy plastic tubing by the foot at home centers and hardware stores. Glass it in with a strips of fiberglass and you’re good to go. If you don’t have glassing supplies, you can try bedding it in Lexel or use 4200/5200 to bond it in place. It’s not under any real stress, so Lexel should be sufficient.