Polysulfide or polyether?

[pinayreefer]

During the last deluge I noticed drips coming from fittings penetrating the deck (shrouds and a block) so obviously I've got sealant failure around the fittings. There's a plate around the shrouds. Will simply removing that and digging out the old bedding compound and replacing it do the trick?
The block will have to be removed and rebedded I'm assuming. So which material will be the best for these and presumably all the other shrouds also?
Its a fiberglass boat (Allied Princess)
Thanks in advance!

[MARC2012]

I use 5200 myself but many people use butyl tape.The screws are VERY small for the plate.I remove one stay at a time,marking the adjustment with painters tape.marc

[LookingForCruiser]

Unscrew the plate, get out all the old sealant (sanding away what you can as well, new sealant against remnants of old sealant can leak), and squish in butyl tape. Push the plate back down, screw it down, scrape off all the butyl tape that squishes out after you tighten down.

The butyl tape doesn't cure - it always remains gooey, so it doesn't dry and crack. It's great stuff, but works best when you are through-bolting hardware (as it is hard to compress otherwise), and oils/gas can dissolve it, so don't use it anywhere below the waterline.

Same deal with your leaky block - pull it off, butyl tape, and replace. If you countersink the bolt-holes a bit, it gives the butyl tape a place to fill in.

You can check out Mainesail's primer on the stuff here:

Bedding Deck Hardware With Bed-It Butyl Tape

[MARC2012]

The only block I can think of is inside the boat & glassed to the hull.Unless rotted do not mess with it.Assumeing the princess is like the seawind.There is an allied group on yahoo.marc

[pinayreefer]

Thanks for the link on using butyl tape. now to find some (someone told me that they got it at Home Depot but unless it is labelled as butyl I won't mess with it) for the ahhh... MARC2012, it's a "Pulley on a spring", not sure of the proper name since it seems amenable to that type sealant, but I might end up using polysulfide under the shrouds. I just would hate to have to chisel 5200 out of the slot the shroud plate slips into later when the chain plates need inspecting. Maybe Maine Sail in the above link prejudiced me to 5200 when he called it "Satan's Glue"!
Thanks so much Guys.

[LookingForCruiser]

I'm pretty sure they don't have butyl tape at Home Depot, unless they added it very recently. Don't confuse it with tubes of butyl caulk, which is not the same thing at all.

And "block" was the right term, I think MARC2012 thought you were talking about blocks of wood or something...

[pinayreefer]

Originally Posted by LookingForCruiser

I'm pretty sure they don't have butyl tape at Home Depot, unless they added it very recently. Don't confuse it with tubes of butyl caulk, which is not the same thing at all.

And "block" was the right term, I think MARC2012 thought you were talking about blocks of wood or something...

If you knew what I was talking about from my description "pulley on a spring" you are one fine sailor. Are you available as a mentor?!
The material at HD as described to me sounded like it might be butyl, but you are likely right. I'd be shocked if it was available there, but if it's labeled as butyl tape and looks right when I go there, I'll buy it! But if they direct me to the plumbing section it's probably not butyl.

[tap]

Pully + spring + deck, I think you're talking about what's called a stand-up block on a pad-eye. The spring keeps the pully part upright, right?

[pinayreefer]

Right! Base and fasteners which would require bedding
Which might be different from the sealant needed for a shroud, a slot in the deck thorugh which a (chain?)plate runs with a plate (held on by tiny screws) over that to cover the hole in the deck and protect the bedding compound?

[junkrig]

Maine Sail sells the perfect butyl tape on his site. Camper trailer companies sell a lesser form for bedding windows and the like.