So I did some more research and came up with a possible solution for my application. It's a product made by DAP called Flexible Clear Sealant, (original, I know.) I work for Home Depot so I was able to talk to the Vendor about my application and he recommended this stuff hands down. It stays flexible, it's clear, U.V. resistant, mildew resistant, and it's a synthetic rubber base product that will not be a problem to paint around down the road. Best of all, he had a couple of samples, two scraps of wood to metal or plastic to demonstrate flexibility. He grabbed the wood to metal piece and pulled the two apart with what looked like a moderate amount of force. It's a little more expensive than silicone at $8 a tube but a bargain compared to 3M and others. I'm gonna give it a shot and see how it works out. Keep you posted on the results.
I was cleaning up the cross members last night getting them prepped for paint and looking over at my recently painted hulls, thinking to myself... Do I really want to risk screwing up almost 40 hrs of work on an untested product that will, at best, work as good as a marine bedding compound that cost a little more. After a couple of beers and more sanding I decided to play it safe and stick with an application specific bedding compound. So forget my previous pos,t unless you would like to play guinea pig.
screwing up almost 40 hrs of work on an untested product that will, at best, work as good as a marine bedding compound that cost a little more. After a couple of beers and more sanding I decided to play it safe and stick with an appli
I actually played guinea pig for that product by chance. I needed to get the boat in the water and didn't have time to order anything marine specific. Short term results have been good. Boat is completely water tight. I taped off areas where I didn't want sealant prior to application. Cleanup requires solvent which would probably remove your paint but it was generally OK on my gelcoat. So far things look good, no discoloration etc.
Jeremy,
I'm a little late to post on this, but the intent when someone beds the beam is to create a stiffer platform, in effect by creating two mirrored surfaces, maximizing contact area on the micro level. A flexible compound will not achieve that goal. If your intent is to fill the voids to keep stuff out, just use a marine grade silicone and be done with it, but this sometime has the reverse results and ends up trapping the crude. If you do nothing (no sealant) you can flush out the crude, salt water minerals, etc. with a strong spray from the garden hose.
Stiff rig. If this is your intent, put the boat together and sail it for a season. If the rig flexes you will see it. If it doesn't and the rig is stiff, leave it be. Sometimes the beams marry very nicely to the beds from the factory. OMMV. Nice paint work.
Your post makes total sense, I just can't seem to find a product that would do what you describe without being inherently non-hardening. The product I had decided on is Dolfinite: http://www.westmarine.com…Num=10325&classNum=10328. It's pretty expensive, but seems like it would be just the ticket for filling in all of the unwanted voids between the hull and cross member. In the description it clearly states that it remains flexible. To your point though, I read through the build directions last night for the Sol Cat and they made no mention of bedding the hulls in anything. So maybe bolting them down and sailing the damn thing is the best course of action!
Thanks for the compliment on the paint. Have to admit that I was just the body work and prep monkey, talked my Pop's into painting it for me! Know your weaknesses, and those who find them contrary to their own... or something like that.