Out of the box thinking that worked

[John Smith]

When I was young we acquired a National One Design, batten seem constructed daysailer.

Rather than traditional caulking, my dad got a roll of neoprene tubing. He stretched it slightly as he placed it in the seams.

Boat never leaked, as the neoprene filled the seam weather wood was dry or had had time to swell.

[johngsandusky]

Interesting.

[bwd]

Hmmm. Cool.

Can you give any idea of:
-supplier and grade of neoprene tubing
-how many years it lasted without failing (still going?)
-environmental conditions (min/max temps, humidity, fresh or salt water, storage arrangements, etc.)

Conceptually it does sound interesting...

[Canoeyawl]

Might be OK for Seam batten construction, but I can't imagine it would give much rigidity to the hull.

[John Smith]

Hmmm. Cool.

Can you give any idea of:
-supplier and grade of neoprene tubing
-how many years it lasted without failing (still going?)
-environmental conditions (min/max temps, humidity, fresh or salt water, storage arrangements, etc.)

Conceptually it does sound interesting...

This was a LOT of years ago. I was maybe 16. I'm now 64. All I can tell you is we owned the boat for several years afterwards, and it never leaked.

[floatingkiwi]

They just don't make rubber like they used to.