My neighbor laughed at my porthole seal job and honestly I needed that

Last weekend I was re-caulking the porthole on my 28-footer in Newport and my dock neighbor walks by and just starts cracking up. He said my bead looked like I was trying to decorate a cake with silicone and that I was using way too much marine sealant. Dude was right though I was squeezing it on thick thinking more is better. He showed me this trick where you tape off both sides of the seam first and then lay down a thin even bead and smooth it with a wet finger. Cost me like 8 bucks for the tape and I ended up using half the tube I normally would. Plus the cabin doesnt smell like vinegar for days now. Has anyone else gotten roasted by an old timer for doing some dumb boat fix?

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noah_barnes4d ago

Dont sleep on the tape trick but heres something nobody talks about... that vinegar smell actually attracts mice in colder months. I redid my hatches last fall and left the cabin aired out good but a couple weeks later I found droppings right near where I had been working. Talked to a marine electrician at the yard and he said the acetic acid smell reminds them of fermenting stuff. Switched to the 3M 5200 on a buddies recommendation. No smell, holds like iron, and the mice stay clear. Just make sure you got acetone to clean up because that stuff is unforgiving once it cures.