Before you plunk down $20 for a tube of 3M 5200, you’ll want to read our report on adhesive sealant’s in the August issue of Practical Sailor, now available online at www.practical-sailor.com.
This is the second test we’ve conducted in recent years in which the ever-popular marine adhesive has turned in less-than-stellar test results. Yes, it’s still a great adhesive sealant for above and below the waterline, but our tests point to some equally good, if not better, options.
Also in the August issue is our review of the J/95, the first centerboarder from J/Boats. I had a chance to test sail the boat outside Naples, Fla., last month, and it was exceptionally cool to be sneaking up right to the beach as the afternoon thunder squalls rolled in. The boat draws just 3 feet, 6 inches with its centerboard up, opening up all kinds of possibilities in our shallow home waters of Sarasota, Fla.
From my first impressions, the J/95 has incorporated the advantages of a centerboarder while avoiding—through the judicious use of modern materials and sensible engineering—the problems that have come to be associated with the older centerboarders. All of this comes at a price, of course ($185,000 or thereabouts), but, thankfully, it still doesn’t cost a dime to dream.
The J/95 and another fun-looking shoal-draft boat, the Rodger Martin-designed Presto, will be making the rounds at fall boat shows. If you’re a shoalwater sailboat aficionado and have the chance to hop a ride on either, take it.
Also in this month’s issue:
AIS Gets Ocean Tested Near Dardanelles Strait
The latest marine navigator’s tool gets a serious workout near Turkey’s busy shipping channels.
The Great Stickup: PS Tests Marine Adhesives, Caulks, and Sealants
Bench tests determine which product is best for different marine applications.
Fast Flow Pump: The Name Says It All
Engine-driven pump has an impressive flow rate, but will it work as an emergency bilge pump?
Yamaha Updates Its Portable Outboards with New F4 and F6
The updated portable engines have pros and cons over their predecessors.
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I have long thought that 5200 was a poor product around a sailboat. As we all know, it is the very devil to remove, but worse still, after just a year or two, when used as a bedding compound on an offshore boat, it starts to leak. We have had much better results from plain old poly-sulfide (boatlife).
This is the second test in which 5200 has not lived up to expectations in some of the adhesion/sealing tests. The other was back in 2005.