Mounting the Last Resort on the E32-3 Sea Hood

[Christian Williams]

Caulk would be my choice. I only use butyl when there is bolt-force to compress it, as with deck fittings. Just my take.

 

[vanilladuck]

Today, I open my sea hood to see that all is okay, and to re-seal it as the caulking was looking pretty poor. @vanilladuck, I wonder how you chose to seal your sea hood upon reinstallation? Given the many bolts and screws, I think butyl would be a good choice, but then , there is the depressed groove which separates the sea hood from the deck. On mine, the caulking there looked awful, apparently due to lingering water which allowed stuff to grow. Not sure if butyl would prevent that, or maybe it should be topped with LifeCaulk or similar?

I haven't mounted the sea hood back on the boat yet.. I'm finishing a minor rebuild and sealing/varnishing of the teak trim pieces on the companionway sliding hatch.

I think the sea hood was originally bedded with some kind of silicone sealant. I'll probably re-bed with similar or Sikiflex. The gap in the 'pocket' where the sea hood sits is about 3-4mm wide in places. I don't want to allow any moisture to accumulate in that gap.

Now the ceiling is finished and there's no headliner, I can through-bolt all the hardware for the sea hood. Which is great, because I can pot/seal the deck penetrations: https://marinehowto.com/sealing-deck-penetrations-to-prevent-core-rot/

 

[Christian Williams]

Note that spray hoods, mine at least, are not designed waterproof. They're just there to protect and shed water from the opening hatch, and mine has drains to let out any water that does happen to get in. The hold-down screws mustn't leak, but otherwise caulk is a sort of technicality.

Also, for what it's worth, my model has no hidden stops. The hatch just travels open until wood hits wood. I suppose that might pinch fingers, but never has so far.