Craig What we do at the factory is after drilling a hole in the cored area we mix a little dab of 5 minute epoxy on a small piece of cardboard. (use a popcicle stick). Then we use a Q-tip to lather the epoxy into the hole. After about 20 minutes you can run the drill thru again. I don't know if it helps. The balsa core does seem to soak it up. It sure makes us feel better :-)
Then bed with boatlife caulk as you would normally and tighen properly. In about 15 years the caulking will in some cases have shrunk and cracked. Consider re-bedding before any water damage can occur. Later Bob Honshells wrote: > Jeff, I'm absolutely inspired by this alternative viewpoint, because, > besides my fiberglass repair and maintenance man in West Michigan, the best > in the business, I've never heard anyone else express it. My repairman also > pooh-poohs the wisdom that holes for cored deck fittings should be routed > out and epoxied: His point being that a poorly bedded fitting will allow > moisture to get to the core, whether the epoxy is there or not. I > appreciate your point that the manufacturer does not instruct the user to > allow the bedding to dry. Both the alternative view on bedding and the > alternative view on the use of epoxy, if scientifically sound, could be > liberating, because they require fewer steps. My experience with epoxy has > been that it takes an alchemist to properly mix and apply the stuff. I'd > like to see Practical Sailor (magazine) tests using both methods for each > process. --Craig > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jeff Grudin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2002 9:33 AM > Subject: M_Boats: Teak Bedding > > > This is an interesting topic. A friend and I always have this > discussion and we don't have an answer. > > I feel that leaving the bedding to set up and then tighten can lead to > some problems. But as are the reasons given for doing this, mine are > also just conjecture. > > My thought is that you only want the bedding compound to fill the small > spaces that are left after tightening the bolts, any more would be > excess. The water tight seal is formed as a result of the bond between > the bedding compound and the items being bedded, and the filling of > these small spaces. I don't think the water tight seal is solely the > result of the bedding compound working as a gasket. If it were, > wouldn't we be better off using a rubber gasket? It would certainly be > easier and less messy. > > The bedding compound "never hardens" leaving a soft gasket between the > items being bedded. If allowed to dry first then tightened, you will > never get the items tightened as tight and motionless as without the > bedding compound. The excess would lead to more motion in the joint > which would have a tendency to break the bond between the compound and > items being bedded and lead to leakage faster. > > The directions on the tube don't say to do let dry and then tighten, It > would seem that if it were a better technique, the manufacturer would > recommend it. > > Does any one have an authoritative answer? > > ___ > > 73 de AC6KW <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Jeff Grudin, DVM Web Add: http://www.grudin.net > > Ocean Animal Clinic / Cat Clinic of Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz, California > Montgomery 23 Hull #072 Norcal QRP * QRP-L * ARS * AR Qrp > > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.333 / Virus Database: 187 - Release Date: 3/8/2002 > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
