I use a lot of different glues and sealants. One that has worked pretty well for me, and might for you, is 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200. It is white in color, fairly sticky, doesn’t sag much, and stays flexible indefinitely after “setting.” It might seem more like a sealant or caulk, but I have been able to spread it in order to fill gaps and glue pieces of minicell to one another where contact cement would not work, and where some (but not all) urethanes would have bubbled and stiffened too much. It seems to set up properly even a couple of inches in from the atmosphere. It is rather slow to set, but this is an advantage because one can move the parts into better position. It is sticky enough to hold minicell and other light parts in place without clamping, and it has little or no tendency to run out of the joint. This product is slower to set up (and become useless) in the tube than products like Aquaseal. Note, however, that after setting, it is somewhat less flexible than Aquaseal, and therefore not suitable for neoprene skirt repairs or things like that.
SO, there you have it. Another glue, good for some things and not for others. You should find it at better hardware stores. If you want more data, 3M’s website will have it.
Don’t get none on ya.
Thanks
Always looking for more info for boat outfitting.
MikeT
I should also have said that it is
slower to set than almost anything else y’all are using. Slower than Aquaseal, slower than congressional ethics reform.
But it does set, and it remains flexible.
Regular or fast cure?
Comes in two flavors. The regular is crazy slow.
I must have the regular. Slow. Slow.
But I have been able to proceed with work on the next day without disrupting the original.
Would this be the best choice?
…for re-sealing foam bulkheads on a VCP kayak? Or do you guys recommend something else? And how do you get it to the seam if your arms aren’t long enough to reach the front bulkhead from the cockpit side? Any tricks?
Thanks!
yes
good sealant for bulheads.
get a small person to climb in or if you put the boat upside down on saw horses you can climb in. other options a long stick?
steve
Fast cure
I've used the fast cure version of 5200; it's slow to cure as well. Not crazy slow, but definitely screwball slow. It took at least a day to really set up and cure.
5200 Fast is mildly crazy like Tom Cruise.
5200 regular is "out of his gourd" crazy like Nick Nolte.
But yes, 5200 does an excellent job sticking to Roto hulls, so long as you rough them up a bit first.
Phreon
Was the comment about roto hulls…
…in response to the question about sealing foam bulkheads? If so, my hulls are actually made of C/K…
I think maybe if I get the boat upside-down on very short supports I may be able to reach on my knees lying on the underside of the deck with my arm outreached…sounds uncomfortable!
(What one will do for love!)
Does this product come in a tube or can? How is it normally applied for bulkheads?
Thanks!!