1. The "edges" of the hull and deck fiberglass (where the two come together) don't seem to be sealed well, and at least on my boat, there seem to be many small spots where the edge on one or the other is "crumbly" compared to how strong the fiberglass is on the rest of the boat or other fiberglass edges around the boat. My boat is a 1995, so not too old, not too young... This leads me to believe that nothing special is done at the factory to seal those edges, and that they are susceptible to being water damaged over time. I especially think that rough handling makes this worse. (Ask me why I think this...)
2. The original sealant between the joint flanges is one thin bead of sealant, still flexible (4200 or similar?), on the OUTER edge of the bolts (between the bolt and the edge). Each bolt was then sealed with a ball of sealant when it was pressed through the joint, and the blob was left in place after tightening. While apparently sufficient straight out of the factory, it is a wonder to me that they did not put enough sealant in the joint to cover the whole joint and/or at least go around the holes from the inside.
3. The stainless bolts had a small head (5/16" wrench) and a larger nut (3/8" wrench). Both sides dimpled the fiberglass but the top bolt head worse, and in many places, it cracked the gelcoat. I don't know if the PO(s) tightened the bolts down further, or if that was "factory tight". However, I plan to add a small washer to both sides to help spread the load and avoid dimpling the fiberglass so much, or cracking the gelcoat again. I think this is in part due to #2 above, which kept the outer edges wedged apart, and caused the line of bolts to pull the two pieces together, creating uneven forces.
4. The PO(s) put goopety-goop along the top-inner-edge of the rub rail in several places to help seal the joint. This might have helped, I don't know. I DO know it's a pain to get off of the boat.
My Question:
I'd like your opinion of my idea, please.
After messing with this joint, and stripping beads of goopety-goop off (and I haven't even taken the inner bead out yet!) I am toying with using something other than a tube-type sealant to re-seal most of this joint. I am instead considering putting something like an outdoor-rated, foam type weather-stripping in that joint, perhaps 3/4" to 1" wide, if I can find one I think will work, and compressing it as I tighten the two halves together again. Here's why:
1. The inner surface of that joint is not smooth, it is the same unfinished surface as the rough fiberglass you see in the bilge. I am thinking that it will do a better job of filling all the little gaps as it is pressed together, and won't get squeezed out when two "high spots" meet.
2. If wider, I think it will ensure a seal across the whole surface instead of just at one edge.
3. The joint is flexible. As the boat moves and the stresses of sailing, the waves, and such make the boat flex, that joint has to be able to flex slightly. (IMHO, this rules out using 5200 or anything that gets hard, even though I know the factory uses that on all new boats.)
4. It also would help take out the variations in how much sealant gets applied as I work my way around 50+ feet of deck joint. I'm pretty steady-handed, but it's nearly a gamble to try to get the same amount consistently applied around something that large.
5. It might help seal "unclean" areas better, where the sealant might not adhere well due to something on the surface (like old goopety-goop).
Any input, please?
