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I had to rebuild the jet pump on a 1992 boston whaler rage.

I noticed a putty like substance on the hardware I removed directly from the hull, I assume it is used to waterproof the bolt holes in the hull.

Can someone please confirm what this substance is?

Thanks

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  • Pictures will help. – race fever May 12 '16 at 19:35
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Its bedding compound, there are many kinds on the market and which kind works best depends from the kind of hardware.

Some are strong adhesives, consider them pretty much permanent, will work well on things that are put in place once and rarely or never removed, 3M 5200 is a polyurethane adhesive of this kind. Many hate it but it has its uses. It cures hard, tire rubber like.

Some others will adhere and seal any space between the hardware and the structure its attached to but the adhesion is not strong, these are designed so that the hardware can be removed for maintenance or repairs while still performing all the duties of a bedding compound.

A common one is Dolfinite, which is a class of its own, old tech.

Polysulfide bedding compounds are often used but they attack some plastics.

These are just some, there are many others, the brands are many too, everyone seems to have their own line that goes from adhesives to sealants and everything in between. (And of course there are the homemade formulas)

To re-fit you could even check out butyl tape (not the plain hardware store stuff as its quality is not the best), it needs to squeeze out when you fix the hardware, this stays pliable forever, it will seal even if there's some movement.

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Probably Marine Sealant, eg. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Marine-Adhesive-Sealant-5200?N=5510818+3293241623&rt=rud - Available at any DIY store.

enter image description here

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  • Correct, 3M 5200, I use it on fiberglass sailboats when refitting thru hull's, all though I don't like the fast cure. – Moab May 12 '16 at 20:12
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    Thats an adhesive not bedding. 5200 is nasty, it will literally delaminate fiberglass pulling it up together with the hardware when removing it. Although its great if you need a really strong adhesive, it has its uses but not for bedding hardware that gets removed more than once. OP says putty like substance, 5200 has the consistency of a car tire once cured. – Erik vanDoren May 13 '16 at 2:51

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