Posted: 08 October 2009 at 1:04am | IP Logged

I've painted the deck of our Starwind 19 and it's almost time to reinstall the deck hardware.  I'm not a big fan of silicone caulk as it is messy and hard to remove if I decide to repaint again.  I have used gasget material in the past with much success, but the material available locally doesn't have UV protection and the outside quickly deteriorates.  I've located silicone sheet material, but it only comes in red and wouldn't look right peeking out from under the hardware.   I've been toying with the idea of using small "O" rings around each bolt instead.   "O" rings would be under the hardware and in theory, not exposed to the sun.  I have found "O" rings made of silicone, red of course, and this would help with the UV problem. 

Has anyone tried this with any success?

Posted: 13 October 2009 at 9:33pm | IP Logged

Do you want it to last 5 years, or 10 years of 30 years?

I built a garage while living in Oregon in a house that set me back $6,500. A friend helped me build the garage. When I insisted on the absolute best materials for the garage he said I was crazy... I didn't believe him and went with the best.

We moved out of the house 6 months later and I revisited the place 15 years later and it had been leveled to make parking for the City Garage.

The 'lifetime' method is to overdrill the holes and fill with epoxy, then redrill to the correct size. Then bed with 5200 and snug the fittings...after a week or so when the 5200 has cured, tighten them the rest of the way.

If you're a fanatic do it the 'lifetime' way. If the area has no core it really doesn't matter. Bottom line = do it however it makes you feel good.