Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealant

[vidsdinerie]

Hope to get some advice. I am in the process of restoring a 1975 Starcraft 14 (all the wood was rotten). There are some very minor leaks in the seams and I plan on sealing with Gluvit. The problem is there is a factory (I assume as it was under the paint) sealant that is very difficult to remove and in general well adhered. I would like to know if I could apply Gluvit over top of this sealant where it is well adhered. On some seams you can see where is it cracked and I have included some photos. There is also a significant amount of the sealant in the corners of the transom. The material is much harder than a silicone but not hard like an epoxy. It is dark brown in color - basically the same color as the 3M 847 sealant used on outboards to seal gearcase.

I have mostly removed the paint from the areas and will get the what is remaining when I sand just the areas.


Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Streetgang]

Re: Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealan

Here is an option to consider:

If you can easily flip your boat over, Gflex is a West Systems epoxy designed to seal seams and loose rivets,.

It is easy to use, especially if you can flip your boat.

Gflex is not necessarily a cover up everything you see product so if you can do a leak test beforehand that helps, but my and others experience is you can actually see / test rivets to see if worth replacing or sealing

just an option to consider....I liked the idea this keeps the water out instead of when it is already inside the seams and looking for a way in

others here love gluvit

more pics always help everyone

 

[Watermann]

Re: Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealan

My Chief has the very same goop on the seams and keel. I haven't dealt with the issue yet but my plans were to wire wheel the areas, wipe them down and then apply gluvit over the top since there is really no way to remove it from the seams. It looks like they were a bit more liberal with the stuff on your boat that they were on mine.

 

[pauloman]

Re: Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealan

use aluthane on the entire boat with a few coats over the seams. Aluthane is an aluminum filled moisture cured urethane (MCU) - metallic paint. It is very thin and will find its way into the leaks (maybe a few coats need). The aluminum finish will make it look like a brand new aluminum boat. if you want a different color consider it as a primer under enamel.

google aluthane to see various vendor and user posts.


Paul Oman - MS. MBA
A.K.A. “Professor E. Poxy”
Internet Epoxy Confederation (IEC) Homepage
epoxies since 1994
Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers) -- SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings)

 

[emerald_coast_tooner]

Re: Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealan

use aluthane on the entire boat with a few coats over the seams. Aluthane is an aluminum filled moisture cured urethane (MCU) - metallic paint. It is very thin and will find its way into the leaks (maybe a few coats need). The aluminum finish will make it look like a brand new aluminum boat. if you want a different color consider it as a primer under enamel.

google aluthane to see various vendor and user posts.


Paul Oman - MS. MBA
A.K.A. ?Professor E. Poxy?
Internet Epoxy Confederation (IEC) Homepage
epoxies since 1994
Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers) -- SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings)

How would aluthane work on pontoon welds, pin holes and pits

 

[vidsdinerie]

Re: Help with sealing seams in 14' Aluminum starcraft with Gluvit over factory sealan

Thanks for the input.