Sealing Folkboat keel seem?

[niander]

Hi i need to Seal my Folkboat keel seem

can i use Sikaflex 291 for this job?

cheers

[seanseamour]

Hi i need to Seal my Folkboat keel seem

can i use Sikaflex 291 for this job?

cheers

The best product to use is distributed by International and called Tät. It is a bituminous based sealant for use below the waterline your only drawback is that it is only officially sold in the four Scandinavian countries. That said, if you talk to your regional sales management (don't talk to corporate, as it is only labeled in the four languages their product liability policy says "we don't sell it here) you will likely run into someone who knows where they always keep a small stock for professional. We just resealed our keel, it took 11 300ml tubes to do it. Cheers

[Larks]

I'd advise against using sikaflex, but if you do want to use this sort of product, Larry Pardy's "details of classic boat construction" suggests using 3M 5200 over cotton caulking.

[wizbang 13]

Keel seam. Is that a gasket between the ballast and wood keel , (which is not a seam) , or a garbd' seam ?

[skaraborgcraft]

im surprised anyone outside of Scandinavia has heard of tat,and i have no idea why it isnt sold elswhere in Europe,its good stuff. A good alternative would be a polysulphide,but as Wizz asked,are you talking about bedding your keel or the garboard plank? I have used polysulphide on my own Nordic Folkboat below the waterline with no issues. Cheers

[niander]

Its just for general sealing not bedding the keel
but why is silkaflex no good it says its ok below the waterline?
What about this polysulphide is that just the stuff on fleebay or is it special for underwater?

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...EELSEEM031.jpg

[niander]

Nice i bother put on a pic and it kills the thread!

[wizbang 13]

"General sealing" does not say anything. For "general sealing" , shellac comes to mind.
And your pic does not show anything anyone can understand.
You didn't kill the thread, people will talk about Folkboats until it stops raining in Seattle, but we need more info.
bruce

[niander]

AH ok then there are 2 grooves
at the bottom is the keel
then above that is a length of wood about 2" high all the length of keel
then above that the hull starts
the grooves just need filling with something to seal the joint
does that explain it ok?

[jackster]

niander,

Tough to tell for sure from your picture, as bruce says.
I assume this is a 25 foot or so clinker built wooden boat and those are plank/keel- keel/keelson seems?
If so, they appear to be VERY wide. Did you make them wider when you reefed the seams? Is there /how is the caulking cotton?
Some plank and caulking repair may be needed first.

Sikaflex 291 is an adhesive and next to impossible to remove/repair without damaging the plank edge.
A traditional seam compound like Petit or Interlux is better in an older traditional boat. IMHO.

It appears these seams are... 1- plank to keel joints...caulked joints...in which case they need to be caulked with cotton and payed with compound, after narrowing the joint with a wooden spline glued (epoxy) to one surface ONLY leaving a caulking bevel, and caulked and payed and...
2- Deadwood joints, in which case a wooden spline can be glued in (again, epoxy).
My 2 cents worth from this (west) side of the "pond"

[niander]

Thanks you seem to have got it
cheers
from the east side of the rather large ! "pond"