Philip, You recently talked about using Boat Stripe Tape to cover a window seam. I wanted to share a Quick n Dirty solution with you and others.
Before crossing the Atlantic we had some ocasionally dripping windows (from age and flexing) onAngel Louise, our 25 yr old catamaran. Also had some deck hatches where we did not want sea water on deck to seep through the seals. It was too much of a hassle to fix em and not enough time before we were crossing the ocean! So we remembered and used a tip given to us by by an 'old time boater' who showed us how to prepare for hurricanes by using 3M Blue Painters Tape. We now call 3m Blue Painter Tape Hurricane Tape, by the way. Get the widest tape, use it to bridge the gaps between a window and the fiberglass. 3M Blue Tape is supposed to be removable if taken off within five days! Longer than that it sticks like crazy (but it does not leak water through it). It sticks well but when left long time it leaves a tiny bit of tape residue in place. We solved the later problem with 3M Restorer Wax. On fiberglass the 3M Restorer Wax will take any residue all off pretty easily, even after months of it being in place. We scrape it or peel it off glass or metal trim with a razor first. We used the 3M Blue Painter tape to cover gaps over many places before our North Atlantic Crossing last summer and it worked like a charm. WE USED IT TO COVER OVER GAPS AROUND HATCHES too (after bolting them down with toggle bolts) to seal gaps around hatches so no rain or sea water could not get in them. The 3M Blue tape is a superior product and years ago we prepared for our crossing of the Gulf Of Mexico the same way and left some on a previously leaky window for months. It stayed dry. Flexing of the boat did not loosen it for a year as we have found it will stay in place and keep stuff dry beneath it. Since it lasts for months if you need it, you have time to later properly seal the window or deck hatch later. I am a bit embarrassed by the blue outline around our windows when we do go to sea in such situations but we get it all off easily later and its a good quick and dirty fix for a nagging problem you described. (PS... Be careful not to use some solvents on plexiglass - as it can destroy them.) In closing, to summarize one of Rick's Rules: The view of paradise is the same from the cockpit of a humble small vessel as from the deck of a Goldplater! Ed Kelly - USSV ANGEL LOUISE is now in London for 2 more weeks. Present Spot on a map: http://tinyurl/edandsue (posted from iPad - along with 1 finger typos) _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://liveaboardonline.com/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardonline.com/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
