FreedomYachts.org

I washed down the boat yesterday. Every time I do a washdown I "goop" the port and hatch gaskets with a thin layer of regular Vaseline. I mention this because yesterday I was contemplating how well this had been working over the years and someone on the board just asked where to find the Bomar replacement gasket.

I can say unequivocally the Vaseline treatment works extraordinarily well. My portlight gaskets never leak and look almost new after six years. I goop them about four times a year. The hatch gaskets also respond well to this treatment and do not dry out nearly as quickly.

The other key to the portlight gasket longevity is not tightening them down too tight. It is really easy to get this right if you replace the old screw down dogs with the new cam dogs available from Beckson. Many have simply replaced to old plastic Becksons (or had SS installed from the factory) but I've got these Becksons down to a science so I hate to rip them out even though I do covet those nice SS ports.

There is nothing like being dry as bone in the boat with a foot of green water over the deck! Well, OK, I might be exaggerating just a little bit.

Mike

Vaseline is a petroleum based product. Petroleum based products & rubber are not a good mix. (This is why they tell you not to use Vaseline or mineral oil with condoms... the results may be quicker and more expensive, but the concept is the same).

Little by little, you're destroying your gaskets by gooping with Vaseline. The proof of that is in the "black" that you see in the "goop" when you open the hatch or port, particularly if it seems to have "migrated" into the non-glass portlight itself.

It's just like having a freshly waxed hull...you don't see the oxidized gel coat running down the scuppers because you're "washing wax" rather than scrubbing off gel coat. If you're "seeing black", then it's because there's rubber IN it.

There are other products which will accomplish the same thing...silicone grease for example. More expensive, but not that expensive...and you don't have to use it every time you wash down the boat or open a hatch.

Oops, well, all I can say is in practice the gaskets have been happy for 6 years now, very flexible, never leak and seem brand new. They look as good as the new replacement gaskets gathering dust under my settee. I bought spares when I was going through gaskets every couple of years.

Having said that, I'll check out the silicone grease.