Where would I not use butyl tape... that's a good question...
Not for anything permanently under water. Thru-hull fittings and such should have an adhesive sealant.
Not for sealing things that are routinely exposed to solvents, including diesel and gasoline.
Otherwise, I think pretty much anything goes. It is compatible with plastics, so it's good for bedding windows and hatches. When you use it to bed down a plexiglass window if you use enough, and squeeze it out, it is easy to get an attractive seam.
One downside is that since it is non-curing it stays sticky. That's good on the inside of the joint, but if it is exposed in a wide seam it will attract dirt.
Bill Kinney
SM#160 Harmonie
La Parguera, Puerto Rico
---In amelyachtowners@..., <lokiyawl2@...> wrote :
Bill,
I have heard good things about the butyl caulking tape. I have removed quite a bit of hardware that was bedded with it over the years and don’t recall see many problems but I have not used it much myself to date. Are there any limitations in where you would use this material? I hadn’t thought about the shelf life aspect, that alone is a good reason to carry at least some aboard. I have some of the tape and will put some in the box of parts I am taking to the boat on the next trip over.
Yes, I can imagine that trying to migrate a solvent into caulking to soften it would be a slow process. If the fitting is metal that you want to remove, try heating it up to about 200F. I find that I can usually remove the fitting using very little stress so no damage the gelcoat/fiberglass. It is of course preferable to only heat the metal part, not the gelcoat/fiberglass since heat will soften that as well.
Best,
James Alton
SV Sueno, Maramu #220
Sardinia, Italy
