My sink is un-movable!

How come I needed all these tools to simply remove my aft sink? Because apparently if the sink comes out, the boat sinks! I have never seen so much 5200 on anything as this installation. Amid much cursing my wife was able to hear "I'll kill you with my sawzall!" Well, that got her attention knowing I was supposed to just be changing the faucet. ha ha

And I meant kill the nut that was holding the faucet in place. I literally had to saw it off as the PO didn't think he needed to bond the hot water tank to the boat and there is corrosion on most of the HW fittings.

Greetings,
Mr. Jb. 5200? This? Remove 3M 5200
or this?

5200 for a sink? Is it a structural sink?

There's a lot of workers, boaters, and even yards out there that have a fetish for 5200. I caught my painter using the stuff for a cap-rail joint against the glass house wall (known for flexing on a Manatee), and he said it was because he could use the stuff one week, seal the tube, and use it again next week. May be true, but the joint was cracked in two months, requiring resealing. When I asked another worker about doing stanchion bases, he told me the yard uses 5200 for all hardware.

We're enjoying a time when some really good products are becoming some very good solutions for old boat problems, but understanding the plus and minus features of the various products is the biggest element of bringing about the solution.

Jbear. My sympathies. We just finished remodeling the galley. The sink was glued down as was the tile black-splash with 5200. When we removed the tiles, the Formica came with it.

5200 = Satan's glue!

After all ... we are the nation of the duct tape solution good for everything on land. Why not use 5200 for everything on water ... just to keep it consistent with the tradition and making it suitable for new demanding environment ... not!

I have not tried it yet, but recently when touring the Groco manufacturing plant, an engineer advised me to heat the inside of a thru-hull (not the mushroom face), and the heat would loosen 5200 enough to make it move.
He said even water that is boiling is hot enough - when in place for a minute or two.

Thanks for the ideas and sympathy! The real PITA is that all I wanted to do was put on a new faucet the wife bought. Ended up tearing everything apart. Oh well, after 44 years it probably needed to be repaired anyway... Oddly enough, replacing the toilets was much easier. I bought the Dometic Orbit 360 which lets you spin the bowl to adjust different mounting spaces. Worked great. Yeah, the Seattle Boat Show cost me a few bucks!

- Heat resistance - Due to the decreased value in bond strength at elevated temperatures, we do not recommend use of this product above 190°F (88°C).​

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http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSufSevTsZxtU48_eoYtvevUqevTSevTSevTSeSSSSSS--​

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I hate deck leaks so I bed all my deck hardware in 5200. I've only needed to remove one piece of hardware and it was easy. Like HenryD said, you just warm it up and the 5200 releases from the metal. Then you use a solvent as in RTF's link to remove it from the fiberglass. Easy Peesy.

Greetings,
Mr. HC. Um solvent? With 5200 I prefer the other option. As Mr. Larry said "Satan's glue". Right up there with RTV silicone.

Butyl rubber (the good stuff) has become my go to for all sealing above the waterline where there is a mechanical fastener. I bet the PO used whatever he/she had on hand - here, 5200. Probably didn't have plumer's putty (we do on our boat, but then again we have way too many tools and supplies on board).

Before I knew better, I used 5200 on a few deck fittings. Never make that mistake again. It is not allowed on my boats. If I were building a new new boat and had to do a deck to hull joint, probably go the 5200 route, but I can't see using it for anything else.

Wow ....the myth lives on.....
Learn to work with it and it's not satan's glue....

How can anyone tell if the product someone else used is 5200? It all looks pretty much the same once it's been applied.

And as for opening a tube of 5200, sealing it and using it a week later, that has not been my experience. It cures in the tube. I believe it warns of this on the tube. Folks have suggested refrigerating or freezing an opened tube so it will last longer but I haven't had the chance to try this.

Carolena said:

Before I knew better, I used 5200 on a few deck fittings. Never make that mistake again. It is not allowed on my boats.

Click to expand...

Mine either, I use Sikaflex 291 for sealing vs 5200. Available from Fisheries Supply and other marine outlets.

5200 is for FOREVER, things like hull deck joints.

It is not for most items that need re bedding every decade or so, which is most of the boat hardware.

5200 place is in construction , not sealing a thru hull that will need to be inspected during bottom painting.

Dolphinite , for the low hassle life.
Dolphinite Bedding Compound - JamestownDistributors.com‎

www.jamestowndistributors.com/Dolfinite‎
4.4 rating for jamestowndistributors.com
Dolfinite bedding compounds for bedding fittings & hardware
Dolfinite Mahogany Quart - Dolfinite Natural Gray Pt - Dolfinite White Pint

WesK said:

How can anyone tell if the product someone else used is 5200? It all looks pretty much the same once it's been applied.

And as for opening a tube of 5200, sealing it and using it a week later, that has not been my experience. It cures in the tube. I believe it warns of this on the tube. Folks have suggested refrigerating or freezing an opened tube so it will last longer but I haven't had the chance to try this.

Click to expand...

+1


I hate that aspect of 5200. Over and over again I've used a whole tube of 5200 for a little dab of the stuff. One can cut open an old tube (not too old) and scoop out some good soft 5200.
I have kept a small tube of brown LifeCaulk available as a substitute at times. Especially for teak. They say it's formulated for teak but I mostly like the blending brown color.

dhmeissner,
Sika-flex? Yes I do as well but over the last few years I've come to use Dolphinite when not much (or no) adhesion is needed. But Sika-Flex is inferior to 5200 for many things. But I use more SikaFlex than anything else. As far as take-appart-ability goes Dolphinite is the total opposite of 5200. Dolphinite would have been perfect for Jbear's sink.

I love 5200 but it does go bad in the tube pretty quick once open. It also has a pretty short shelf life unopened, less than two years.
I like to keep one of the little 1 oz. tubes aboard for small jobs. I don't feel too bad when I use what I need and toss the rest.

I have used De Bond maybe similar to the Un hesive FTR mentioned above. It worked pretty well I squirted it on and worked into the 5200 in the joint (a hatch I had to remove had been caulked with 5200) I worked the DeBond in with the tip of a sharp knife, working it deeper as the 5200 softened. It took a while but I got the hatch off without damage. The "bird" finger of my middle finger didn't fare as well when I got a bit aggressive with the knife, a slip, and had to make a side trip to the emergency room for 5 stitches accross the knuckle. Lucky for me it was a Sunday afternoon, a Saints game was on TV so the ER was deserted and I got fast service!

WesK, the difference between 5200 and say 4200 is the amount of swear words I say before I get the pieces separated!

I've seen those small tubes HopCar but it is in my memory that they cost about as much as the big cartridge. And I'm not keen on lay'in a "bead" w those tooth paste tubes.

Thanks for the heads up though. Should get a couple of them anyway. Just my luck to get the micro job 75% done and finish the tube and need to get more.

Hi Eric, At my favorite marine store the 1 oz. tube sells for $6.49, the 3 oz. tube sells for $10.79 and the 10 oz. carts sell for $9.80 in white and $14.95 in the other colors.
The little 1 oz. tubes are only available in white.

manyboats said:

+1


dhmeissner,
Sika-flex? Yes I do as well but over the last few years I've come to use Dolphinite when not much (or no) adhesion is needed. But Sika-Flex is inferior to 5200 for many things. But I use more SikaFlex than anything else. As far as take-appart-ability goes Dolphinite is the total opposite of 5200. Dolphinite would have been perfect for Jbear's sink.

Click to expand...

I've only used Dolphinite on wood boats. Is it effective on fiberglass as well? I suppose it could be. As far as I know 5200 is glue. Sika-flex is better for sealing as it stays flexible.

dhmeissner,
Probably works BETTER on FG as it's basically non-porous and wood would (in dry weather) tend to pull the oil out of the Dolfhinite and dry it up. I took a cleat off the bow of my boat and the sealer was in good condition .. pliable.

We used paint on wood boats and it works at least as well on FG boats.

YES 5200 says on the tube "ADHESIVE" and it should say super adhesive.

In SE Alaska weather SikaFlex lasts 4 or 5 years on our boat when used on teak. Much longer w teak out of the picture.

My favorite line on 5200.
"It's so messy if you order some over the phone it'll get in your hair!"
from one of these boating forums years ago

I think there's some on my keyboard now.

HopCar said:

Hi Eric, At my favorite marine store the 1 oz. tube sells for $6.49, the 3 oz. tube sells for $10.79 and the 10 oz. carts sell for $9.80 in white and $14.95 in the other colors.
The little 1 oz. tubes are only available in white.

Click to expand...

Obviously, your favorite marine store is not West Marine.

Why would anybody glue in a sink?

Xsbank said:

Why would anybody glue in a sink?

Click to expand...

Caulking in a sink is common practice. It keeps it from moving and keeps water from leaking between the sink and the counter it's installed in.

Using a high strength adhesive caulk would be a mistake.

Wesk, I'd tell you the name of my favorite marine store but forum rules prevent it.

Real men aren't afraid to use 5200.
That should stir it up some!