Is this one time use stuff?

[Bloodweiser]

I want to reseal my motor bracket while I sit waiting to go out. I bought this 3m stuff I've used before but never in the cartridge. It says you can use a caulk gun.

Question is this, is this a one time use in this cartridge. Or will it last if there is left over in the cartridge? Just want to be prepared. If I need to use all at once, then I will seal up wherever I can. Not cheap stuff.
Thanks ahead

Blood

 

[Late Again Grady]

Pretty much. You can slow down the cure by placing in an airtight bag and placing in the refrigerator. But, in the end, it turns into a rock.

 

[leeccoll]

Bloodweiser,
Maybe a month or two has been my experience.
I take a nitrile glove and wrap it as tight as I can with a beefy rubber band around the tip.
When you use it again, you likely have some dried up at the tip, which can be excavated by a paper clip, screw, etc.
After a longer time period, you can always unscrew the plastic tip, and see if it is still usable at that point.
It's pricey, so use all you can!
Hope that helps you a bit.

 

[HookUp]

This is how you save the stuff.
Clean the living crap out of the spout while its still fresh. Then tap the bottom of the tube on the counter a few times lightly, getting the 5200 back in the tube. Then PACK Vaseline into the tube. A couple of good globs if you can manage to pack it in there. Just keep tapping the tube on the counter. Then pack some Vaseline into the spout from the bottom, screw onto the tube and it will be ready for next time.
Just push out the Vaseline with the caulk gun and you're GTG

 

[drbatts]

Seal the end real good and put it in the freezer.

 

[seasick]

Ditto on the freezer.

 

[Halfhitch]

The freezer will help, but for sealing the transom bracket and bolts that is not a good choice. That is not considered a permanent mounting and you will cuss yourself when one day you want to remove it. You only need a sealant there not an adhesive. That's just my $.02. When that stuff first came out a lot of us old guys invented some new cuss words while educating ourselves why that word "Permanent" was printed on the container.

 

[Bton]

Freezing it has worked well for me. A full tube last a long time. But the small tubes seem to disappear

 

[DennisG01]

All solid ideas on how to try and save that 5200 for later use. Never tried that vaseline trick, though!

But... more importantly, I want to ditto Half mentioned. 5200 is absolutely the WRONG product for this application. 5200 often gets touted, out there in "internet land", as the be-all, end-all of sealants. Too many people listen to misinformation... and then pass it along.. and then pass it along... you get the idea. All you are doing here is sealing - you are not gluing. 5200 is like superglue - not needed in this scenario.

5200 creates a stronger adhesion to the gelcoat than the gelcoat does to the fiberglass - you can figure out what can happen the next time an item is tried to be removed. Besides, it doesn't really SEAL better than other stuff - plus it can crack and deteriorate when exposed to UV, thereby defeating the purpose.

If you like the 3M products, use 4000UV. BoatLife makes some fantastic products, too. You could use good stuff from Home Depot, too - but those products have a better lifespan.

 

[Bloodweiser]

thanks everyone for the advice.

Halfhitch and Dennis, I guess my first question should be is the the best stuff for what I was doing. Thanks for bringing up that it is not the best way to go.. I will look into those other products you mentioned. appreciate that.

 

[PNW_Drifter]

I just resealed mine with 5200 yesterday, pulled it out of freezer from 6 months ago. Still good! I had bought 4000 UV for this purpose but figured below the waterline in my motor bracket. I want to be pretty dang permanent.

I don’t find a 5200 is that damaging after pulling six outboards off over the years I’ve never seen you do damage. Yeah I know It can and is strong. I found just touching it with the roller with two part epoxy on it destroyed the 5200 and I pulled it off with two fingers. It was weird. That was around the motor bracket where I had to replace it.

I’m not expert but I think both will work.

What’s the life caulk version of 4200?

 

[DennisG01]

What’s the life caulk version of 4200?

You said it - it's called Life Caulk The two main products by BoatLife are Life Seal and Life Caulk. Over the past 15 years, those are pretty much the only two sealant/adhesive products I have been using, anymore. I find one of those two products works for any project I have going.

 

[PNW_Drifter]

You said it - it's called Life Caulk The two main products by BoatLife are Life Seal and Life Caulk. Over the past 15 years, those are pretty much the only two sealant/adhesive products I have been using, anymore. I find one of those two products works for any project I have going.

Dennis is probably right about not using 5200 but it's so tempting to WANT these repairs to be permanent. For deck hardware I only use Butyl Tape.

Right on, I've always used 3M products but would be willing to switch for an advantage.

My biggest mistake on this round of below waterline use was I didn't factor in I had fresh black bottom paint. I'm not used to that. So I had white in both 4000 UV and 5200. That's a big mess that's hard to hide. I masked both transducers and the motor bracket but the transducer holes are tricky to make look clean with white glue on a black surface. I did ok but black 5200 would have been invisible.

Don't get me wrong, I did better than Homer Simpson who was the former owner of my boat. Just took 6 pairs of gloves

 

[Blaugrana]

What was the consensus on how to seal the bracket? I am planning on doing this once my boat is out of the water. 4200? Boatlife Lifecaulk? Boatlife Lifeseal?

Thanks!

 

[blindmullet]

I used 5200 on my custom bracket. It was also recommended by the the fabricator. Anything below the water I use 5200 on. Debond and some fishing line removed what appeared to be 5200 off the original.

 

[Blaugrana]

OK - I have nothing on there right now. Should have done before I put the boat in, but will now be doing it in the off season.

 

[blindmullet]

OK - I have nothing on there right now. Should have done before I put the boat in, but will now be doing it in the off season.

If your only going around the edge and not pulling the bracket use any sealant that's recommended for below the water line.

If you pull the bracket I would use 5200. If it's an original bracket those bolts can be an issue. I had one the started to spin inside the bracket when I removed it. The adhesive Grady used definitely helped me out. That's only if you remove the bracket.

 

[Lt.Mike]

The freezer will help, but for sealing the transom bracket and bolts that is not a good choice. That is not considered a permanent mounting and you will cuss yourself when one day you want to remove it. You only need a sealant there not an adhesive. That's just my $.02. When that stuff first came out a lot of us old guys invented some new cuss words while educating ourselves why that word "Permanent" was printed on the container.

Ever get “great stuff” on your hands or clothes? Makes 5200 seem mild.

 

[seasick]

Both 5200 and 4200 are suitable for under water use. So is Boatlife caulk. Silicone products and latex are not suitable for below water use.
There is a basic difference between a sealant and an adhesive. In simple terms, sealants are usually flexible and/or stretchable whereas adhesives are not meant to be used on surfaces that move relative to each other. An engine bracket is not supposed to move where mounted so an argument could be made for a caulk or an adhesive. On something like a transom cap, a sealant would be more appropriate since transoms can flex a little ( or a lot)
The strength of adhesion as measured by the force required to separate materials from each other. It is less for 4200 than 5200 but in applications where the strength of a connection or mounting is mostly mechanical as it is for a thru bolted fixture, I prefer 4200 since it is easier to separate parts later if needed. I agree with Dennis that 5200 is more likely to pull off gelcoat or even fiberglass in some cases. Note that unless you remove all wax, polish. other treatments and also scuff gelcoat, the strength of adhesion for 42/5200 will be a lot less than if properly prepared.
Adhesives like 5200 don't seal well if they are used on mating surfaces that are secured (bolted) together too tightly. The adhesive will squeeze out making a poor seal. Caulks/sealants can also squeeze out but the squeezed out material will still act as a sealant. When something already installed needs to be sealed around it's perimeter, adhesives are a poor choice. In other words, fight the temptation to use left over 5200 for a caulking need when you don't have the appropriate caulk