gasket for a switch plate

M

mpl006

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Feb 23, 2013
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I have made a new switch plate for the bow of my boat that holds a few switches and a 12 V receptacle. It is made out of a piece of cold steel from Lowes that I have painted and am wondering if I need to make a gasket of some sort to keep water from getting behind it and if so what should it be made out of? The old plate was made out of wood, or at least it looked like wood, and had no gasket behind it but not sure if it would be worth it to put one on.
 
M

mpl006

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Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
19
Re: gasket for a switch plate

I thought about using silicon. Putting a bead around the perimeter on the back and letting it dry and then screwing it to the boat. That way if I had to removed the plate, I wouldn't have to cut the silicon and reapply. Would this work or do you think I would be wasting my time?
 
spoilsofwar

spoilsofwar

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1,124
Re: gasket for a switch plate

Its my understanding that silicone seals via compression mostly. So, what you're describing would work as long as you tighten down the screws enough that the silicone on the back of the plate is compressed enough to seal against the hull. If this is a fiberglass boat we're talking about, then overtightened screws can result in some nastyness, so be careful.

I would probably use 4200 myself, but I use that for pretty much all sealing purposes on my boat. It would definitely make removal more difficult.
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
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9,838
Re: gasket for a switch plate

honestly you probably don't need any sealant at all... I wouldn't let a bead dry and then put together as you will have a tough time getting it uniform... some peal n stick foam weatherstripping from your local hardware store would work fairly well also and allow you to remove the panel...
Dad's tracker has half a dozen such panels and none of em have any kind of a gasket...
 
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