Sealing Deck Hatches

[Uncle Joe]

GE Silicone for me.....and a caulk removal tool because I have to remove at least one hatch every spring.

 

[Diad]

bringging back an old thread. The search function is quite helpful! I have been replacing hoses all over my 265. it has been a pain in the butt. the scuppers were completed and a couple more for the sanitary System (including the external macerator and Y valve add from this site) to be done and then it’s the fuel lines. I’m not looking forward to the main tank fill hose and vent. Anyway, to my question…what do you scrape the old seal around the deck hatches with to get a clean edge? I would think a razor blade will ruin something. Then my next question is, how do you get the clean edges with the sealant? I purchased the GE SCS1700 in almond from the Grady dealer. Should I use painters tape for the straight edges? Do I put down a bead with the caulk gun and then drag my finger through to flatten, push it down? Thanks!

 

[SkunkBoat]

I use a razor, then scrubby pad with solvent. Vacuum cleaner is needed. If you use alcohol or acetone, don't caulk until it is fully dry or the silicone won't cure.

I pull up and reseal my deck hatches EVERY year. Clean & inspect tanks. Air it out all winter.

if you are "good" you just lay it in with the caulk gun and walk away.


I have my 265 head apart right now. Can't get any hoses off the tank. They are not bad but the Groco macerator don't work.
Also need a new Jabsco manual pump on the head. (cheaper to buy a new pumper than buy all the rubber pieces). Might start a thread on that project

 

[Gmack76]

bringging back an old thread. The search function is quite helpful! I have been replacing hoses all over my 265. it has been a pain in the butt. the scuppers were completed and a couple more for the sanitary System (including the external macerator and Y valve add from this site) to be done and then it’s the fuel lines. I’m not looking forward to the main tank fill hose and vent. Anyway, to my question…what do you scrape the old seal around the deck hatches with to get a clean edge? I would think a razor blade will ruin something. Then my next question is, how do you get the clean edges with the sealant? I purchased the GE SCS1700 in almond from the Grady dealer. Should I use painters tape for the straight edges? Do I put down a bead with the caulk gun and then drag my finger through to flatten, push it down? Thanks!

One reason I do like the silicone is that’s it’s soft and you can cut into it easily with a razor and also use a razor, carefully, to remove the old dry caulking. I even find I can use my bare fingers to rub/stretch/ pull off the small remaining amounts after getting under it with the razor.

I’m a paint contractor and have done a lot of caulking, of course. You smooth it out with your finger for the best finish but half the battle is laying out the perfect bead to begin with so that it isn’t 1) Sinking in and creating a void you need to go back and fill again or 2) An excessive amount that will sneak out either side of your finger as you smooth it. Lay a nice, even bead and run your finger over it. If some does squeeze out, keep a rag on you to wipe . . . The more you do it, the better you get, as with anything.

 

[Diad]

I use a razor, then scrubby pad with solvent. Vacuum cleaner is needed. If you use alcohol or acetone, don't caulk until it is fully dry or the silicone won't cure.

I pull up and reseal my deck hatches EVERY year. Clean & inspect tanks. Air it out all winter.

if you are "good" you just lay it in with the caulk gun and walk away.


I have my 265 head apart right now. Can't get any hoses off the tank. They are not bad but the Groco macerator don't work.
Also need a new Jabsco manual pump on the head. (cheaper to buy a new pumper than buy all the rubber pieces). Might start a thread on that project

My head is sitting in my garage right now! The new pump handle assembly will be here Thursday. I think it was $108 on Amazon. I am in the process of doing what Max did here.

Groco pump -simple macerator retrofit- 265 Express

Mine crapped out in my '04 265. I considered getting a Groco replacement but $500 for a lousy design was not appealing to me, so I looked for alternatives. After inspecting the arrangement, the first thing I determined was that better access was required- the existing 5 x11 hatch was...

www.greatgrady.com

The hoses were all pretty bad. Not as bad as my scupper hoses.

 

[Hookup1]

3M 4000 uv stable, not as aggressive as 5200/4200. This Grady White washing the tanks recommendation is confusing. No water should get in there if the hatch and ports are sealed up. Unclear how the water gets out of the compartment.

 

[Belting1313]

I use the GE Silicone Almond to seal my deck hatches works great and the color is very close.

 

[SkunkBoat]

3M 4000 uv stable, not as aggressive as 5200/4200. This Grady White washing the tanks recommendation is confusing. No water should get in there if the hatch and ports are sealed up. Unclear how the water gets out of the compartment.

tank compartment drains to the rear bilge.
Brand new Beckson pop-outs are less than" completely" watertight. i find a small blob of salt goo every year and black slimey mold covering tanks.

 

[Timcan]

I’m currently replacing my main fuel tank on my 99 Seafarer. Here are my observations from my experience. I pulled out the tank as a preventive maintenance to epoxy it and replace all the fuel hoses. The tank was pitted badly on the bottom where it sat on 2 plastic strips. The only pitting on the tank is where the plastic strips came in contact with the tank. The rest of the tank is in great shape. My guess is the strips held moisture against the tank and caused the pitting( see attach pics) I don’t know if washing the tank with fresh water will help the bottom where the plastic strips are. I can see it helping the top and sides of the tank.
On my new tank install I will 5200 those plastic strips to the tank to avoid moisture between the tank and the plastic strips. Moving forward after every fishing trip I will open the circular inspection hatches to air out the gas tank compartments. I will also wash the tank as Grady recommends.

 

[Hookup1]

tank compartment drains to the rear bilge.

I'm not sure about that on mine. The one to the left has a solid plug in it. I tried to get an answer from Grady White on this. Get conflicting answers.

Removing aux tank on 1999 268 islander

It wouldn't be the 1st Grady that I've heard of with a drain tube that was glassed over. I'm likely stating the obvious, but my forward compartments won't drain to the back unless the boat is on a significant incline. Are you sure you have enough slope to get the compartment to drain back to the...

www.greatgrady.com

 

[Ky Grady]

I'm not sure about that on mine. The one to the left has a solid plug in it. I tried to get an answer from Grady White on this. Get conflicting answers.

View attachment 28482

Removing aux tank on 1999 268 islander

It wouldn't be the 1st Grady that I've heard of with a drain tube that was glassed over. I'm likely stating the obvious, but my forward compartments won't drain to the back unless the boat is on a significant incline. Are you sure you have enough slope to get the compartment to drain back to the...

www.greatgrady.com

 

[SkunkBoat]

I suppose if the space was TRULY water tight...forever..., the plug makes sense. But as we have learned, the beckson ports are not and eventually you are getting salt in there.
I hear a lot of hesitation by people to pull up the deck. I don't understand why. Its just screws and silicone.

 

[Hookup1]

I got a similar response from Carolyn @ GW but if you look at my photo it is clearly plugged. I don't pull the hatch every year so I don't know if its holding water. Maybe this year I'll replace the fuel tanks and see what is really going on here.

 

[A&J Outdoors]

I use a razor, then scrubby pad with solvent. Vacuum cleaner is needed. If you use alcohol or acetone, don't caulk until it is fully dry or the silicone won't cure.

I pull up and reseal my deck hatches EVERY year. Clean & inspect tanks. Air it out all winter.

if you are "good" you just lay it in with the caulk gun and walk away.


I have my 265 head apart right now. Can't get any hoses off the tank. They are not bad but the Groco macerator don't work.
Also need a new Jabsco manual pump on the head. (cheaper to buy a new pumper than buy all the rubber pieces). Might start a thread on that project

What do you use to clean the fuel tanks?

 

[SkunkBoat]

What do you use to clean the fuel tanks?

soap & water, rag & brush. Sometimes I'll knock the mold off the bulkheads with a light powerwasher.

Important to remember that anything that falls in there has to fit through a 1 inch pipe to ever get out...

 

[A&J Outdoors]

soap & water, rag & brush. Sometimes I'll knock the mold off the bulkheads with a light powerwasher.

Important to remember that anything that falls in there has to fit through a 1 inch pipe to ever get out...

Thank you!

 

[Gullchaser]

I use a razor, then scrubby pad with solvent. Vacuum cleaner is needed. If you use alcohol or acetone, don't caulk until it is fully dry or the silicone won't cure.

I pull up and reseal my deck hatches EVERY year. Clean & inspect tanks. Air it out all winter.

if you are "good" you just lay it in with the caulk gun and walk away.


I have my 265 head apart right now. Can't get any hoses off the tank. They are not bad but the Groco macerator don't work.
Also need a new Jabsco manual pump on the head. (cheaper to buy a new pumper than buy all the rubber pieces). Might start a thread on that project

Hi Skunk. I would love to view your thread on the manual pump replacement. I replaced the submersible macerator on mine when I got the boat in 2020. Not the most pleasant job, but doable. Do it while its still cold and it won't smell as much.

 

[seasick]

bringging back an old thread. The search function is quite helpful! I have been replacing hoses all over my 265. it has been a pain in the butt. the scuppers were completed and a couple more for the sanitary System (including the external macerator and Y valve add from this site) to be done and then it’s the fuel lines. I’m not looking forward to the main tank fill hose and vent. Anyway, to my question…what do you scrape the old seal around the deck hatches with to get a clean edge? I would think a razor blade will ruin something. Then my next question is, how do you get the clean edges with the sealant? I purchased the GE SCS1700 in almond from the Grady dealer. Should I use painters tape for the straight edges? Do I put down a bead with the caulk gun and then drag my finger through to flatten, push it down? Thanks!

Here is a variation on the usual painters tape. When done correctly it works very well.
Use masking tape to cover the area that will have caulk as well as an area wider of course. Befor using and caulk, possition the fitting to be sealed in the hole. The outer edges of the fitting should have tape under them.
Draw a line around the outer edge of the fitting, basically outlining the fitting. Now remove the fitting and using a razor or utility knife, cut the line you drew.
Remove the inner section of tape leaving the tape that was not under the fitting.
Apply caulk or sealant to the underside of the fitting and put the fitting in place. Any caulking that squeezes out will do so onto the tape. Lightly screw in the fitting. It is important to not apply too much force while the sealant is 'fresh'. You need to wait a bit for the sealant to start to set so that when you tighten the screws, all of the caulk doesn't get squeezed out. (This is especially important step for under water thru-hull fittings. The amount of time to let things setup before the final tightening varies depending on the caulk, temperature or humidity. For silicone, wait 5 to 10 minutes before pulling off the tape and a bit longer before tightening the screws.
For adhesives like regular set 4200 and 5200, you would wait longer. 5200 can stay pliable for days when used to bed a fitting.


For straight line applications like deck lids, just apply the tape around the edges where you dont want the caulk to be, wait 10 minutes or so after applying and them pull the tape. Silicone can skin over pretty quickly so smooth out you seams quickly. A finger wetted with alcohol works well.

 

[DennisG01]

bringging back an old thread. The search function is quite helpful! I have been replacing hoses all over my 265. it has been a pain in the butt. the scuppers were completed and a couple more for the sanitary System (including the external macerator and Y valve add from this site) to be done and then it’s the fuel lines. I’m not looking forward to the main tank fill hose and vent. Anyway, to my question…what do you scrape the old seal around the deck hatches with to get a clean edge? I would think a razor blade will ruin something. Then my next question is, how do you get the clean edges with the sealant? I purchased the GE SCS1700 in almond from the Grady dealer. Should I use painters tape for the straight edges? Do I put down a bead with the caulk gun and then drag my finger through to flatten, push it down? Thanks!

You can buy plastic razor blades (they're usually orange) that will fit a standard knife or scraper tool. Or just use it by hand. Small pieces still left can be rubbed off by hand or do something like others mentioned.

Tape or no tape? Depends. If you're pretty good at using a gun you won't need it. But then, it certainly can't hurt to use tape, either (or just as a precaution). You're only filling the crack - not trying to bring the sealant up level with the floor. The crack makes a natural guide to follow.

 

[Fishtales]

Washing the tanks is kinda a placebo. You may get the top and some of the sides (I've done it a few time) but you won't get the bottom.