Quick hint: Call the companies and talk to a products engineer, (avoid the sales guys with a passion. They just want to sell something), about what you are doing. These guys are geared towards helping industrial clients reliably meet specific goals. hey actually know the technical capabilities of the product line, and gave you real assistance. Helps to know a little engineer speak, but if you tell them you’re prepping a fiberglass boat for an arctic expedition, you might even get a sponsor, and an assigned engineer to help with your project.
Absolutely. Many manufacturers offer very good technical support. At least to "bigger" professionals, I'm not sure how the support for "smaller" clients is but definitely give it a try.
OK, so I'm this engineer. Trust me, there's nothing worse, than a guy from sales running to me and pushing me the phone to advise some random guy on his project. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not an a****e, but I have a sht tonne of things to do and You telling me about your roofing, yacht or a lunar lander will probably result in me coming home much later. Write an e-mail. I will be happy to reply in a free time (I often respond from home like half privately, no problem with that)
Same here, although I suspect it's because I follow and watch Harry Dwyer and his adventures in Goodwin so YT know I love these kind of boat-related channels!
I absent-mindedly watched ep1 some time ago, then ran into ep3 just a few minutes ago. Eps 4 and 6 showed on the feed when I clicked to watch ep3-- but not ep5. Undeterred, I hoped it would pop on the screen at the end of ep4. It did. So, here I am. You delivered on your adhesives test promise (from ep4), and I gotta say you were quite methodical in your testing (if not entirely "scientific".) I love that you had "A" and "B" test joints for each adhesive, to discount unintended anomalies. Your water-bucket tests at least give you a rough (intuitive) baseline for adhesion of dissimilar materials-- as far as sheering is concerned. Tensile properties may not be a concern in your application. I was involved in designing and building stuff using other people's stuff. We tested lots of products using methodology very similar to yours-- we just needed an intuitive baseline for confidence in our final builds/products. Let the product engineers blather on about calibrated yada-yadas, etc., but you're totally on the right track. Screw 'em!
One of my favourites is TigerSeal or similar acrylic sealant. It’s used to seal car body panel joints. I’ve used it to successfully repair children’s school shoes. Any parent will know that’s one heck of a test. It never sets hard which I think is a bonus.
Good to see you're tackling the difficult questions right now during these trying times ;) Seriously though, really enjoying these videos. Looking forward to helipad install video.
I don't live near the sea, have never been on a damn boat (well I have but we won't let the truth get in the way of a good RU-vid viewer invective) and never intend going on a boat but I can say I've been unable to sleep wondering what marine and adhesive sealant will come out on top. Finally after countless decades of sleeplessness this inconclusive test proves one thing: Insomnia still intact!.. back to brawling with the sheets.
CT1 is my favourite DIY adhesive - used it to hold rebar in holes, hold down and seal the underside of door thresholds and even to hold wooden dowelling in rather crappy cob walls (not load bearing, I hasten to add!). Good to see it did pretty well in your tests.
It's certainly not bad at all. For me it's unlikely to be a go-to, as it doesn't come top in any of the main categories - like a super cheap volume product, or near-unbreakable overlap bonds, or very light removable sealing, or good sanding performance.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals yes the sanding performance is non-existent thanks to the rubbery consistency. I tend to use it where I need a combination sealant and adhesive. I can imagine that for your purposes there would be plenty of drawbacks!
You have genuinely managed to surprise me. 3M 520/5200 and Sikaflex were a revelation to me back in the 70s. Holding thin planks of mahogany stronger than the wood fibres themselves. I later used the 3M when I cobbled motor mounts together for an engine bay mismatch. Brake caliper shims,anything I could think of . I never would have thought of your test setup either. Interesting. Will be following this ,and there I was starting with watching an ex lifeboat. Love RU-vid for that.
I have no idea what you do or what the channel is about, even less to when did this video start.. but I liked it and appreciate the effort of testing all these.
I may be a little late to this video, but they do make marine grade epoxy, usually they are pretty cheap too, it comes in two separate bottles and you mix together however much you need. Plus side is there are accelerants that you can spray on it so it will cure faster without ruining it's integrity. Since it usually comes in gallon jugs it's also pretty cheap, probably quite a bit cheaper then some of the premade adhesives you buy in a tube.
Construction epoxies and these one-part mastics are very different products - really the two consumer epoxies and the caulk in this test were just benchmarks, so people could get a sense.
From a shipyard on the Wet Coast of Canada we use 3M 5200 and Sika Flex both very good products and yes we have sent icebreakers into the Arctic with these products and are the only ones I use myself
I also use 5200 for permanent overlapping bonds. Here it was let down by its bond to steel. My preference for flexible sealant is a Simson over Sikaflex as they handle similarly but the former holds and sands/paints better.
As a marine mechanic I will tell you that when 5200 is used in the correct application it is worthy of its reputation as a permanent non-removable survive an apocalypse adhesive! It's really meant for sealing things to fiberglass or aluminum with a large surface area. Think: through hull fittings, storage covers, hatches, etc.
Much needed test. Worth choosing the one to go with and then calling the company to get free product in return for advertising - though, where you are going, they would have to realy believe in their product to take the risk.
I'm had dozens of marketing and brand R&D partnerships over the years. Some are fantastic. Sometimes it's better just to go and buy a tube of adhesive.....
Not surprised jb weld was first, that some good stuff. It is commonly used as custom gaskets for engines and takes a lot of pressure. I remember someone used it to stick an inside tire patch once.
Great test! It's not related to this video, but it popped into my mind while watching it. Consider adding a lightweight radar arch over the top of the boat, something 2 meters above the current top. You can mount your VHF antenna higher for better range, put a radar up there (there are some new models that are great and cheap), as well as floodlights even higher up - but also CCTV cameras so you can get a full 360 view of what's going on when you are down in the cabin.
I am shocked by the 5200 results. My opinion of 5200 is based on my 30+ years of experience with it and not the marketing. I was surprised to not see Life Caulk in this test. It has been the gold standard for a below the waterline, through-hull sealant where bonding isn’t a factor. I briefly worked for a 100 year old marina that sold about 50 boat/motor combos and rigged a total of about 100 outboards a year. Nobody there had ever even heard of Lifecaulk and they were just using the cheapest silicone caulk. I spent that entire winter replacing rotten transoms on boats they had rigged in years past. I have never seen a rotten transom or leak where I have used Lifecaulk over my long career.
I suspect the 5200's early exit was simply due to a) limited bond strength to metal (I've seen other testers have found this) and possibly b) despite allowing the full bond cure time, insufficient cure. Some people say 5200 needs >8 weeks before being really abused. I still use 5200 as my default 'strongest adhesive' when using fibreglass and other materials. Life Caulk - yes, and there are some others I couldn't source easily, but could add in for latest tests. Distressed that people had been using silicone sealant as a structural adhesive!
Very good work, However I would advise to look at Dekalin , especially, MS-5, it took my weights on two pecies of 50 mm angle Aluminium as a test before I used it to bond 2 x 160 watt solar panel custon frames on to the roof of my motorhome , I did not like the idea of drilling holes in the roof , I have never seen any thing so strong - do have a look Cheers Gary .
Don't forget about residual fumes from the adhesives. You don't want to smell that bad smell that could cause headaches and death over long periods of time. Lots of air quality issuse.
Some products require a primer to bond to certain materials. I work with Sika Powercure professionally and it's a great product, if it's applied correctly. I use it to bond glass or plastic to metal bodywork. If I use the primer, it forms a very strong bond. If I don't use primer it peels straight off and is almost worthless. Your test is very good, I really like your setup. I just noticed in several cases the glue didn't really bond to the screws or fibreglass. If you would do the same test again with primed surfaces, you might be surprised with the results. I use Sika Primer 207, which can be used for several types of materials (not sure about fibreglass, probably ok). If you want more info on this, just give me a shout. I don't work for Sika by the way ;-)
Thanks for the input. Yes, point taken on the primers. I wanted to offer up an even playing field though, and the products I tested (whilst obviously primers are useful for a reason) don't specifically demand priming for glassfibre or ferrous metal bonding. I only used one common Sika products (although the PU40 is made by them too) sealant, and could consider others with/without primer in future. The 5200 really should have done better though.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I've done some light digging on the Sika website. The Sika 268 looks like a very good candidate, it's designed for the rail industry and therefor is very resistant to all kind of influences (including up to -50°). Sika also classifies it as "marine grade". The "Powercure 268" would be my weapon of choice, but to apply this you need the very expensive Powercure gun. It's also available in a "regular" version, but you will have to give it enough time to cure. Maybe do a test with and without a primer for the best bond. If possible try to contact a Sika representative, we have very good experience with their technical support. They will get you the best combination of products for your needs, but only from their own brand of course :-)
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I forgot to mention this tip: if you're planning to do a lot of glue/sealant work, get some Sika cleaning wipes. Or Kimberley Clark Wypall 7775. Both do a great job in getting glue or sealant from your hands, tools and many surfaces. Only when applying primer I wear nitrile gloves, primer cures to fast to remove it with wet wipes. These wipes also work great to clean your hands after greasy jobs (engine work). They are not cheap, but worth every penny.
Just wondering if all the bolt heads were aligned in the same "o'clock" orientation. Otherwise you would have different fulcrum widths and also a sharp point vs flat side at the failure initiation. Brilliant test still!! Definitely worth a GF-GF deep dive on a few chosen. Clever method of bucket with water as incremental weight.
Indeed yes a flat edge downwards, although I think I forgot with the 1099 - and this was only reference adhesive. Thanks re: the water - it wasn't perfect but better than adding metal weights.
I have been looking for something with a LOW level of adhesion and an ability to seal out water. I have large (4ftx5ft) deck panels that I will probably need to open once a year for maintenance and inspection on my boat. So I want the panels stuck and sealed, but I'd like to be able to peel the old stuff off when I open these areas again. This was helpful in determining what I need, even though I am in the US and can't access some of the same brands. Thank you!
It sounds like (as long as the sealant isn't directly in the sun) that a weakish, low modulus silicone exterior sealant is the ticket. It can be easily scraped off, the substrate cleaned and then sealant reapplied. If you have strong winds etc you may want to try something a little stronger.
A little off topic, but I've sworn by PL Premium in the U.S. for a while. It was a recommended adhesive for bonding bottle rockets back when I was in high school, and it is seriously impressive. Of course, I'm not prepping for an Arctic expedition, and it does like some plastics but not others, but I thought I'd mention it as a great choice for anyone looking for a construction adhesive.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Yeah, something like that. I don't believe it's rated for marine use, but it's pretty good stuff overall. I would imagine it's middle of the pack if you exclude the two parts, but realistically that's pure speculation. Just thought I'd mention it as an option for any viewers who might be looking for that sort of thing.
There are marine epoxy products available, in fairly large containers. They are much more expensive. The resins used to make fibreglass hulls are all marine epoxy, be they epoxy, polyester or vinyl-ester resins. Yes, they can be used as a glue, as long as the surface is prepped properly.
Have you thought about repeating the experiment under freezing conditions? Maybe find restaurant or slaughter house that has a walk in freezer that would allow you a little space to see if there is any affect of cold.
That's a very good point. As a design engineer for products that are specced for temperatures in the -40C and below region, finding adhesives with proper specifications are quite hard actually.
I repair my own cross country skis and I've found that some adhesives are terrible in cold weather. I found a roll of adhesive from 3M years ago that is amazing if you have a large, flat contact area - like the heel strip of cross country ski bindings. You should try to talk to people who work up in the arctic about what sorts of adhesives they find work well in the cold.
Hi Heather - yes indeed some do and don't perform as well as their rating suggests. I've used dozens of custom products with all sorts of adhesives in the Arctic over hundreds of days, so have a general reference point to work from.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I'm sure you do. I made this comment before noticing all your writing. I am glad I encountered these videos - this is a fascinating project.
West systems marine epoxy 105, comes thickened in a tube "expensive" or as a two part epoxy system which you have to add a colloidal silica agent "405" I think, but specifically designed for use with GRP hull materials
It's worth calling out that JB Weld does make marine based epoxy products. Look for the MarineWeld and WaterWeld products if you are looking to use them on boats or in/around water, though having used JB Weld extensively in the past for plumbing purposes, I've never seen it have any issues with the water either.
I might be wrong, but aren't the marine products for use and curing whilst wet/damp? I don't think they claim better performance if all are cured in the dry and then got wet?
@@AlexHibbertOriginals As I understand it, their WaterWeld product is the only one that's meant to setup/cure while underwater. Their MarineWeld on the other hand is meant to be mixed like the others and dried as normal which then creates a stronger bond. As an example (according to their documentation) the WaterWeld will fully cure in 1 hour and has a strength of 1300PSI, while the MarineWeld requires 15-24 hours to fully cure and has a strength of 5020PSI.
You should try the loctite adhesive tube, it's expensive but it's good, although when it hardens it's it's flexible at all and on a boat you might want a little bit of flex before stuff just pops off
Don't konw how I ended up here. I was just curious about how you were going to refit this life boat. But howdy from merica. JB weld is the shit..! It works really good. I've never used it permanently but if you need a quick fix to get you going. You can't find much better. Throw a dozen extra packs of it in your repair kit. And you can get yourself out of alot of trouble.😁👍
@@AlexHibbertOriginals My pleasure. I ended up watching all the life boat videos and and found them all really interesting. Keep putting out content I'm excited to see more videos.👍
i have found 5200 dont stick to 304 stainless! and eats away at aluminian, if you warm it just a tad and give it exta day to set up it good!! i feel cost to much
@@AlexHibbertOriginals we the people will work on that with time, just keep it up.. heres an idea though.. a video just compiled of general comment questions like a Q&A.. theres a lot i'd like to ask and im sure most do, but are afraid to be the 300th guy to ask how much the boat was.
I love your witty comments. Your videos could be longer. Also what do you plan to use the adhesive for, holding the insulation? By the looks of your progress, it’s too late for that, you already glued it on! Are you concerned that the boat will roll over in a storm? Is everything going to be secured?
Thanks! Different adhesives for different purposes. I think I've answered in more detail in another comment. For safety at sea, there's an episode planned for much later on that.
Perhaps you should speak to what you plan to accomplish on your Article voyage. Your goals, schedule, and what you want to learn. Is this going to be a one man trip?
thanks for taking the time for doing this test, however I'm wondering if it is properly reflective of tensile strength because you essentially levered the other side of the adhesion point as the bolt became a lever and one side a fulcrum. Stuff like (say) Sikalfex talks about its tensile strength. None the less as it was all done in a similar way it shows their performance relative to each other. Sikaflex 291 seems about as good as regular silicon from your test. Thanks and excellent work
You're quite right that this isn't a lab-standard strength test - tensile or otherwise. It's more a real world test - i.e. how do the adhesives behave bonding FG to steel with a moment applied. By its nature, it'll be multifactorial.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I'm sorry but I don't know for certain what it is made of but I have seen it described as a polypropylene, solvent cured adhesive on the internet.The solvent cured aspect may be problematic on the interior of your vessel and there are warnings about concentrating the vapors to get high, so that may be why it isn't available to you. The Marine version is UV resistant and sticks to almost anything, including fiberglass. It won't bond to whatever the plastic is that is used to construct water and fuel tanks for boats and RVs ( Caravans, to you?) It remains very flexible after curing and I have repaired slits in cheap vinyl inflatables by simply deflating and squirting a ribbon of the stuff the length of the slit, let it self-level and cure and I was always left with a permanent repair. I patch waders and Wellies, I think you call them, and have glued GPS antenae to magnets to stick them on my truck's roof and they stayed attached even at 80 miles per hour in rain, wind and sunshine. I'm rambling but it really is my go to adhesive. Wish you could get your hands on a tube for other uses even if it wouldn't work on your current project.
If you properly degrease and key the surfaces (especially the alu) then to be honest any of the SMP or PU ones would do fine. I'd probably avoid epoxies for that as they grip well, but most have no flex.
people stocked up on toilet paper, pasta and stuff in the UK too, i thought it was just a local thing here in australia during the pandemic, well it's obvious what people every where value the most toilet paper first ?
Excellent job!! U just pissed off alot of people in the industry of adhesives..lol. Y would u think they would be forthcoming about their products🤓 How can we separate ur money from ur pocket. Ya know?? Again gr8 video!! Best of luck on exploring✌🇺🇸👍😉
As some other commenter stated, the trick is to go to an application engineer for the industrial segment of these adhesive manufacturers (or suppliers), they are not measured on their sales volumes, but are there to make sure the customer gets the correct product for their application.
Good info, one suggestion, question: have you considered hazardous vapor abatement? I note Navies of the World have a lot of solutions for air quality in confined spaces.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals You may be working with hazardous vapors need a mask and there is a spray on product you may consider in the initial phase of your work. It is Nansulate made in Naples Florida and available here locally at Granger's.
good to know thank you I have a seahawk 4 and I am trying to work out what is the best glue to attach the Velcro the boat and wood and plastic so you helped give me some good ideas thanks again.
Nylon Velcro can be hard to bond as polyamide is pretty low energy, and it needs to be a flexible adhesive. I've found 1099 to do a good job, even at low temperatures.
I'm planning other types of test, but I don't want to copy the 1:1 ratio waffle marathons that RU-vid can be famous for. Certainly a place for both styles. :)
@@AlexHibbertOriginals My comment had a healthy dose of sarcasm, might fall asleep with a 3 hour video on the topic. Actually enjoyed the short form of the video
You have a nightmare of a job with all different glues and fillers. Only my thought if it is possible could you not use polyester resin and matting to fasten down, as don't know what you are fastening down or was it for just the foam and tape. If so don't read on. Good luck with sorting Alan out,
thanks. good stuff. do you think small inconsistencies in the placement of the string on the bolt, ie how far away from the joint, could alter the turning force..?
@@AlexHibbertOriginals cool beans.. if you do it again you could attach the string to a "cap" that would always end up "fully home" on the bolt.. cheers
Given where the boat will be used would it not be important to test these products at low temperatures? We now know that the material used on the hull of the Titanic failed in part due to the adverse affects of the low temperatures in the north Atlantic. At some point the adhesive will be in direct contact with the very cold skin of the boat.
Yes indeed. Although, this was an introductory straight-forward cleavage test. Many uses for me will be internal and so not experiencing extreme temperatures. You're right though that some have -40deg rating claims, and others don't. I plan to test some products slated for external use in those sorts of temperatures. Good news is that below the waterline, there's a limit to how cold it can get. I've used the 3M 1099 as a fabric adhesive in -45deg, and it held up remarkably well.
I’m surprised with the sikaflex being inferior to bostic, you now have me questioning it. JB Weld is great stuff has to be the strongest on the right application always have it in stock.
Remember this Sika 291 tested is a sealant (with adhesive qualities), not the out and out adhesive, the 292. But yes, the Bostik range is really excellent.
Sika is good, but many sealants/adhesives don't like seawater, degrade quickly in strong sunlight & deteriorate quickly in frosty conditions. I've rebuilt several boats (wood, fiberglass & alloy) & have 'suffered' sealant/adhesive failures!@@AlexHibbertOriginals
@@wile.coyote8466 Yes indeed - this test listed only claimed UV and water resistance, but I haven't verified them. On the list to do. Cold resistance appears better, and I've used nitriles, silicone and PUs down to -40.
Until I've done a retest with 5200 to show it's actually hopeless, despite everyone saying the opposite, I'm still using it for structural fibreglass bonding. I use the X8 Hybrid for cheap and quick unimportant internal bonds. The All Weather Sealant for very low modulus seals where strength means nothing. Gripfill for non-structural interior gap filling and bedding. And for all exterior sealing that needs painting, the Bostik Simsons (I can't tell the difference between the two in the test). None of them are extortionately priced, so price isn't a major factor. That said, I wouldn't just squirt £20 tubes of 5200 on everything, not least because it's a pig to work with.
The point of tests like this are to challenge, and perhaps justify or nullify, the loyalty people have for one brand or another. I could have added in at least one more Sika product, I admit.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals i fully understand the usefulness of conducting these tests. I believe that the nature of boatbuilding jobs that I do have lead to the conclusion that sika branded products are the best . eg teak seaming with their uv deck caulking products and their general adhesives . also their is a primer that is used in conjunction with the sikaflex to adhere metals to other substraites that drastically increses the bonding strenght . im not sure if you did use this or not , just thought id mention it . cheers
@@stubryanfull I'm also convinced a primer would change the test dramatically. I use Sika professionally, and I'm always impressed with the quality. That being said, choosing the right product for a specific job is key. This together with the correct way of applying. I use Sika 271 Powercure mostly. It's a really great product, but without the use of the 207 primer it's almost worthless. We can also count on very good technical support from Sika. This can be necessary since their range of products is so big.
I have been using PinkGrip on my boat, seems to be doing OK so far but she's not moved off her mooring yet so who knowss if it'll last? Also, Not far from you, I'm up on the Blackwater.
Although it's very guilty of opaque marketing, and the cold temp rating isn't too impressive. What's the hardness/flex like once cured? Cheap though - similar pricing to Gripfill.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I've been using it to stick foam insulation to the steel hull, from what i can tell it doesnt seem to have much flex once it's dried although the deck does flex when walked on in several places on my boat and none of it has come unstuck yet. I know it's not rated particulary well but i need a lot and it's cheap and it certainly sticks well enough for what i'm using it for, at least for now. I don't think i'd use it for anything "mission critical" my insulation should be wedged behind panelling anyway once it's all done and I'm not planning any arctic voyages.
I've not tested it, but it appears to be like Evo-Stik's Gripfill, so quite stiff but with very good adhesion. As you say, probably fine for large areas of low movement.