Silicone Sealer Question ( cleaning? )

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spuddy64

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Hi

I bought a used 2012 Freedom and am getting it rigged and cleaned for the coming fishing season. In the seams on the tops of the gunnels, around the floor hatches and around the end of the body side molding there is clear silicone that has gotten very dirty. First, is it supposed to even be there? and second, how is the best way to clean it. The rest of the boat looks very nice but the sealer is dirty and nasty looking. if you need a pic let me know and i will post one or two.

Thanks in advance

Mike
 
I don't know one way or the other for sure, but my guess would be that Grady would at least use color-matched silicone. It could be that a previous owner used silicone from Home Depot, which won't stand up to the marine environment. You could try cleaning with any cleaner that has bleach in it (or just use a light solution of bleach). If it's not working, just remove it and reseal the areas you want sealed with a marine sealant such as BoatLife, Bostik or 3M.

If Grady does indeed use a color matched sealant, and you want things to be "perfect", then you will likely have to get the sealant through a dealer to get the custom color.
 
agree, GW is color matched. the after market product is GE silicone II almond (i already called GW on that one).

i use starbrite deck cleaner, which cleans the caulking nicely. orange blast on others, which also cleans nicely. i would be sparing with anything caustic.

good luck, ron
 
That's nice (surprising!) to hear they use such a commonly available sealant. Although I still prefer the BoatLife products (we use it at the marina I work at) since they actually cure in the presence of water. But, you won't get the custom colors (or at least not in small quantities, I think).
 
DennisG01 said:
That's nice (surprising!) to hear they use such a commonly available sealant. Although I still prefer the BoatLife products (we use it at the marina I work at) since they actually cure in the presence of water. But, you won't get the custom colors (or at least not in small quantities, I think).
Click to expand...

they actually use an oem product. it's GE series 1600 or 1700 or something like that. they said the silicone II is the retail type version. ron
 
I did some work on my boat 2 seasons ago and used the almond ge product and it is still in fine shape. I will from time to time give the deck of my boat a scrubbing with the Works or Worx toilet cleaner. That stuff removes light iron stains plus the mildew on the deck silicone seals. I do not suggest it for daily or weekly cleaning though. It gets fish blood stains out quite well too.
 
X3 on the GE silicone II Almond. Have been using it now for several years and it his doing great. Color is perfect. Easy to use and flows nicely. Better than most other caulks I have used. Tape up, caulk, smooth out and remove tape. Done.
 
When I bought my Freedom, it was two years old and the gunnels had the same black "gunk" in the silicone seams. I recaulked the seams with new almond colored sealant. If you don't clean it often, the gunk will reappear whether the sealant is clear or almond color.
 
If you use the GE general purpose silicone, get the bathroom sealant. It has a mildecide which will slow the growth of mildew. That said, once silicone sealant 'grows' mildew, you can bleach it out but it will come back fairly quickly depending of course on temp and hunidity
 
GE SCS1700 Almond Sanitary Silicone Sealant is what you want to use. Commercial/construction grade.
 
Interesting. Didn't know GE made a grade higher for mildew, but says it applies as a paste. Not sure what that means. If hard to apply, the finished result will not look as good as the smooth silicone I have been using, but maybe they are all considered as paste...dunno.

I have been using the GE II Kitchen and Bath Almond for several years now. No mildew and still looks new. I find it applies very smooth....more so than many other caulks I have used in the past which allows for a really nice looking seal.
Cleanup is never an issue and nothing seems to stick to it.

Link for your convenience to see the type I have been applying.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-II-9-8-oz ... /100071829

I have had to remove it a few times on some floor panels to do some work and then re-apply it. Cleanup is normal silicone removal, but not that hard. Just scrape off heavy layers with a razor blade, then rub off thin layers left. Also, I found you can touch up over the existing caulk with no adhesion issue, so cleanup is just so you can apply a smooth layer. It sticks to itself well.
 
I've used the GE II Almond color from Lowes or Home Depot in the past with no issues. The color matches fine and no issues with mildew. Just make sure you tape on both sides of the joint to be caulked. It really makes for a neater seam with a lot less cleanup.
 
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