noon caulk question

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sasquash

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Apr 9, 2018
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Hey,
I just bought my first rv, a 28 foot class c Minne Winnie. It's kinda older and needs some caulking repair. Is there a reason nobody uses marine grade sealers? Spacificly 3m 5200 and 4200. I've used them on boats professionally and we would put it on through hull fittings and forget about it. We had one greenhorn put the 5200 on a potable water hatch cover and we literally had to weld a bit of chain onto the cover and use a crane to pop it off. Is there a reason everybody uses the stuff that dies in 2 years?
 
As a Sailor myself, If I had a need that would be my preference as well since I want no leaks also. 

I suspect that the response for an RV will be that and RV flexes so much going down the road RV caulk is designed for that.

But then Sailboats flex too.  It will be interesting to hear others opinions.  I personally love 3M 5200.
 
I used 4200UV  on my previous coach. I chose it due to its UV resistance and elasticity. I had the coach for another 4 years and never had to recaulk..  Maybe many folks don't want to pay the $20 per tube.

Correction.  It was 3m marine 4000UV  I used.
 
Probably all the answers so far have at least some truth.  RV sealants are chosen for high degree of flexibility/stretchability and a wide temperature tolerance.  I think, though, that they last a lot more than two years. The reason for an annual seam & sealant inspection is that seams can open up, not that the sealant dies of old age. A reasonably well built RV will go many years without replacing or touching up seams, but trusting all of them is not a wise thing.

3m 4200 & 5200 are great products that I've used myself on watercraft. Whether they are more or less flexible & stretchable than something like Dicor lap sealant or Geocel Proflex RV, I'll leave for you to research. However, the strong adhesive characteristic makes me think they have much less stretch and the mediocore construction integrity of many RVs may demand more.

Another 3M product that seems to work well on RV seams is the 3M Body Seam Seal line, e.g. Flexiclear, Dynatran, etc.
 

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