Sealant System

After testing and comparing many of the top Marine Boat Sealants, we have found… 

the BEST BOAT SEALANT                               

Not only have we found the best boat sealer for leaky aluminum boats, we have found the best “system” for protecting your hull, as well as your rivets and seams, from leaking again.

Over the many years of communicating with the thousands of sport fishermen and outdoorsmen (from all over the world) about their boats, one of the most common questions we are asked is “What is the best sealant for leaky riveted aluminum boats?!”.  For a while, based on some testing and loads of customer feedback, we recommended 5200 by 3M.  Recently, we decided to purchase most of the top brands to test again, this time more elaborately, and find once and for all, what works the best.  

Image of 3M 5200vfast cure adhesive sealant, Coat-it epoxy sealer, j-B weld marine adhesive, GOOP marine adhesive sealant, and other marine sealants, in a pile, after being tested for efficacy.

This is what we found,… (just to state – we have no special deal with any of these brands – none.  We purchase their products retail, like everybody else).

After testing various well known Marine Sealants, we found many outright failures.  Some had poor adhesion to aluminum.  Some took too long to cure (some take a week to cure).  Some become too hard and brittle, and vulnerable to cracking and chipping.  Some were too weak and elastic.

So after much testing, it came down to two finalists: 3M 5200 (Fast Cure) and “GOOP” Marine.  Both exhibit the right balance of tough and elastic.  But we ultimately chose GOOP as the run-away winner over 5200 for these reasons,…  GOOP exhibits superior adhesion strength to aluminum.  GOOP levels out better (easier to apply), and is just much less expensive than 5200.  5200 is almost 3X as expensive, and GOOP works better.

Furthermore, GOOP cures fast, is reusable (with some, like 5200, the entire tube hardens within 24 hours of initial use and the very expensive tube has to be thrown away). GOOP exhibits a perfect viscosity for seeping into, and sealing up, leaky rivets and seams.  Higher viscosity sealants, like 5200, have trouble penetrating smaller seams, pinholes and getting under the rivets, and is difficult to level out. GOOP penetrates and seals very well.  And lastly, we know Wearlon Wetlander coatings get great adhesion to GOOP.  So when overcoating the GOOP sealant with a Wetlander coating, there will be no worries of the coating lifting and flaking off those sealed spots, like can often happen with other potentially incompatible paints and sealants. 

The Best Boat Sealant System

…for protecting your boat bottom from leaks moving forward, and making your current leaks, loose rivets, and breaches that much more secure, use the system of GOOP sealant and Wearlon Floor Coat.

Image of Wearlon Floor Coat non-skid floor paint for aluminum boats, with a tube of rivet sealant, Amazing Goop Marine in a 10 oz. tube.

Sealants protect the breach, but what protects the sealants? Sealants can be jarred loose again…Use this GOOP marine sealant in conjunction with our tough Floor Paint to create a double-protected waterproof seal on your boat, that will also help prevent seam breaches and loosening rivets.  Our Sealant Protection System includes (for a typical size jon boat) a quart of our Wearlon Floor Coat and a 10 0z. Tube of Marine GOOP.  (See Products and Pricing page for all quantity sizes).  By GOOPing the suspect rivets and seams, and then overcoating with our Floor Coat, you can expect long-lasting protection against leaky, weeping rivets and seams. 

By also applying our super-slick Wetlander Bottom coating to the hull bottom of your boat, you will create the optimal protection: a tough, flexible, and long-lasting sandwich of durable defense, while optimizing the performance Wetlander bottom coatings give you.

Keep in mind, we also offer a Topside Paint (for everything else), …including in inner and outer walls.  The topside paint is Wearlon-based, which means it is both protective and easy to clean. 

*Note:  The Amazing GOOP Marine Sealant is only available bundled with the Wearlon Floor Coat.  

*Note:  For info on just our Topside and Floor Coat, call Scott Hogan @ (518) 469-3612

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