caulking wake plate

[TitanTn]

I actually was able to pull my boat out of the basement this weekend and get some work done on the transom. The PO had caulked the gap between the wake plate and the transom. Worst caulk job I've ever seen. It took me almost 2 hours to get it all cleaned off. My question is, does it really need to be caulked? I don't see that it needs to be. I would understand that the bolts for the plates should be installed with 5200, but caulking the plate to the transom seems to accomplish nothing. Maybe I'm missing something.

Also, I'm about to mount my swim platform brackets back on. I need to seal the bolts with something, but since I'd like to remove the brackets every winter for boat storage, I'm thinking that 5200 is not the best option. Any other suggestions?

[jzelt]

I suggest 4200 on platform bolts.

I am guessing the PO thought it would prevent water from getting in. I see no benefit to caulking around the wake plate mount.

[Hagman]

If your are planning on pulling the platform every year . I would think about replacing the old brackets with slide on brackets.
My 86 comp came with the trim tab calked form the factory .

[TitanTn]

I would think about replacing the old brackets with slide on brackets.

I would love to, but I don't know where to find them.

[csuggs]

Titan. Use the 4200 on areas where you may have to remove bolts, etc in the future. Use 5200 for a permanent installation. Both are good underwater.

I also installed the slide-in brackets on my swim platform because the boat would not go all the way in my garage with the platform on. I got mine from Jim, but I think that they are available from dealers as well. Be sure to measure the angle of your transom when ordering so you get the correct bracket.

[sybrmike]

My wakeplate was attached with 27 screws and 5200 from the factory. There's no need to caulk the edges of the wakeplate, but the 5200 seals up the holes and probably adds some strength since the fasteners could be placed in tension.

If you keep the fixed brackets, definitely use 4200 if removing annually. I'd consider removable brackets in your case. I had the old style removables, but one was broke & the others were badly worn so I got a new set from Viper. Yet to install, but note that they do have a different bolt pattern, so you'll have to fill the old and drill new holes.

[TitanTn]

Oh geez. I should have nailed this decision down prior to me redesigning how the existing brackets are mounted. I've added some additional support to the inside of the transom and ran bolts from the inside out. This will allow me to just remove the nuts to drop off the brackets and will also allow me to really crank down on the nuts without fear of spinning the nut that was originally on the inside. I could change all of this, but I'll have to take out the tank again. This may become "phase 2" of this project. I'm going to get a little enjoyment out of the boat before I tear into it again.