How to Seal it Smoothly?

[DDD]

Having a leak around my top/deck window.
Want to put sealant around it.

Whenever I have done it in the past, it is never a smooth placement- looks all bumpy.
I find it difficult to work with- sticks to everything, making it difficult to smoothen.

Any advice?

And what should I use? Permanent or removable sealant?

Thanks! DDD

 

[HUMPH]

To do this correctly, you need to remove it and re-bed it. Anything else is just a band aide.

 

[be_prepared]

To do this correctly, you need to remove it and re-bed it. Anything else is just a band aide.

I agree, and if you are detecting a leak in one, you probably should re-bed all of them. When we had our boat surveyed, we saw evidence of a leak on one hatch near the headliner inside the cabin, which was obvious. Not so obvious was the leak on another bow hatch that wasn't showing anything inside, but was triggering the moisture meter all around the hatch when the surveyor was checking the deck. Of season we pulled all three, and found some early core damage around the hatch on two of them. We decided to dig it out, leave it open to dry for a while, and then fill and epoxy it, and only then seal and re-bed the hatches. Fortunately we had indoor storage and could let the core air out for a while before we filled it in and put the hatches back.

I've heard some folks basically rotate a schedule of re-bedding a portion of their deck hardware every year. Stuff like your windless, cleats, lights, etc... They all eventually start to leak. I haven't gotten to where I schedule something every year yet, but I do tend to look beyond the leak when I find one.

 

[dwna1a]

DDD, listen to the last two posts. Pull it and rebed the windshield as well as all the screws that hold it in place.

 

[dpmulvey]

DDD, listen to the last two posts. Pull it and rebed the windshield as well as all the screws that hold it in place.

And make sure there is no moisture in any of the core material.

 

[2000SR380]

OK, so if you seal water nicely inside, under your window, you create a bad situation. Plus one on doing it right as described in the previous posts! To answer your actual question here are some idea's. 1) Not all silicon sealant is the same and my opinion is you do not want one that dries too fast. 2) Not everyone agrees about the tape because it can leave little edges. I remove the tape right away and make one more pass with a soapy finger. 3) What you need is blue tape, a bowl of water, your finger(preferably in a rubber glove) or a popsicle stick, and a bar of soap. Run your bead, get your finger wet and use the soap to get it soapy, smooth the silicon, remove the tape and repeat.There are a plethora of opinions on whether to use Glass Cleaner, Goof Off, detergent, dish soap/water in a spritzer bottle, bar soap, etc. so some artist interpretation is necessary. There are a bunch of cool tools available, but I will suggest that a popsicle stick is cheep, you already have fingers and they work just as good. The key is the tape will prevent a huge mess, and the soap prevents the problem you describe.
That said, there are three excellent pieces of advise on this thread. Get your soap and bowl and tape and a rubber glove and a popsicle stick and then re-bed the window.