Hi, French or Dutch side doesn't matter much... all the repair folk seem to have a fast dingy. We had a good experience with Custom Fit Marine redoing the hard dodger windows (and matching the

We are now on Dutch side at island water world. We did spend 2 nights at Fort Saint Louis but moved to lagoon for services. Ben Driver S/V La Bella Vita SM #347

Dan, If you must go to Guadalupe, Pointe a Pitre Marina at Bas du Fort is your place. However, there is a reason that Amel moved to Martinique. You will find Martinique very safe and secure as

We stayed at Pointe a Pitre Marina - Bas du Fort - just last month. A lot of activity with charters coming and going. Many eateries and bars in the marina to choose from and some services. And

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

Whew! Kent Robertson S/V Kristy karkauai@... Panama cell: +507-61171896 USA cell: 828-234-6819

Hola Craig! Your keel came off??? Ouch!! I've been out of touch, did you post about it on the Amel Owners' group? Your luck seems to be catching up to mine the last couple of years. Best to

OOPS - sorry guys. In the off season Katherine and I race Soling 1M Radio Controlled Model Yachts and the keel broke off of Katherine's "yacht", not Sangaris. Now, that would really have been a fun

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

Woah!! Did you just say your KEEL broke off??? Did I miss something? Do you have a link to more information about Rescue Bond? Google can't seem to find a technical data sheet or MSDS. Just

Woah!!!! Say WHAT??? Your KEEL broke off ???? Did I miss something? Do you have a link to any more information about Rescue Bond? Google can't seem to find an MSDS or details about the product

The Rescue Tape people recently came out with a new product called Rescue Bond XL1Pro which is said to be much better than 3M's 5200. I just tried it last week to rebed my keel after it broke off. It

James, There are a couple of proprietary solvent mixtures that do soften 5200 and help with its removal. (DeBond is one I have used) but it is a slow and tedious process. For most bedding purposes I

Bill, Besides the removal issue, I also avoid 5200 for underwater or deck applications because it can be permanently softened by oils. As to the removal of deck hardware that has been bedded down

Duane, Good question, and you have the issues right. You want to tighten the clamps before the adhesive cures. That is one of the reasons that silicone or RTV is not a good choice for this

Gary & Bill, Thanks for the information! I wondered how an RTV (or even 5200) would work. Would you wait until it set to tighten clamps? If you do you could leave channels in the RTV that the band

I know there is much more expertise here than mine, but I wanted to share that using an RTV to affix hose-to-pipe didn't work so well on my boat. This is unrelated to the freshwater, but I can see