Butyl tape vs. 3M 4200

[Atomic77]

Now that I have the base coat on the Astroliner, I am ready to install hatches and fans, etc. I am trying to decide if I should go with butyl tape or 3M 4200. Curious to know the opinion of you Builders out there. Thanks!

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[aggie79]

Now that I have the base coat on the Astroliner, I am ready to install hatches and fans, etc. I am trying to decide if I should go with butyl tape or 3M 4200. Curious to know the opinion of you Builders out there. Thanks!

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Hi Michael,

I used about a case of 3M 4200 on my build. I know the literature says 5200 is a permanent bond and 4200 has about half of the bond strength of 4200, but I wouldn't want to try to remove anything that was fully bedded in 4200. I did bond the aluminum trim to aluminum sheeting with 4200. For everything else, I did something different. Around my electrical inlet, door latches, battery vent, and miscellaneous hardware, I used latex sealant. For my Fantastic Fan, I used a light bead of 4200 around the opening, then applied the foam gasket supplied with the fan, and then applied another light bead of 4200 on top of the gasket and below the fan. After the 4200 had set, I applied a bead of OSI quad sealant around the perimeter of the fan base. My windows are set in butyl tape. I let the windows setup for a few months and then re-tightened the screws slightly, removed the squeeze out of the butyl tape, and then applied a bead of OSI quad sealant around the perimeter of the windows.

I don't have a good feel for how much "grab" the 4200 has to plastic. If the "grab" is not excessive, I would use 4200 around any plastic hardware.

Take care,
Tom

[Atomic77]

Pretty much what I was thinking. I appreciate your input. For the race boat we use 5200 in a lot of places but we are looking for a bond that will never come loose. Even though we have to end up taking stuff apart usually LOL. I figured the 4200 would be good for places like the fan that could potentially fail and need to be replaced. My windows don't use butyl tape so I'm not too concerned about those. Mainly my hatches, outdoor shower, water fill, etc. Thanks again for the input!

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