Marine gasket material? Help!

Hey guys~I need some gasket material for the battery box I'm building. It will end up being the buffer between the box I'm building and the boat's floor/side. I've got the fit about 95% perfect, but want this in place to (hopefully) reduce/minimize buzzing and vibration when the motor is running. The ideal material would be on a roll, 3/8" wide, 1/8" thick, self-adhesive, UV-resistant etc. I'm machining the box with notches on the bottom to allow water to get out.

Anyone have any ideas? Something close? I've found nothing around these parts. Thanks so much for your help,
Rob

I would think you should be able to use vibration dampening pads like that you can get to put under washers and dryers. Airloc makes some that is made of vinyl, cork and fiber. Here's a link to give you an idea of what I'm talking about: https://airloc.com/isolation_and_damping_pads.htm

Now that I think about it a little... why don't you just get you a roll of baseball bat or tennis racket grip tape and layer it on the bottom of your box and cut around the places where you are going to drill holes for water drainage.

what about the truck topper gasket material? cheap, water resistant, has adhesive on it, comes in 2.5" rolls

or are you talking about a gasket material to make the bottom of your battery box out of?

I'll post some photos when I have them, but for the sake of argument, imagine a pc. of 3/8" thick plastic on it's edge, cut to the exact profile of the boat's bench seat. The "gasket" material is to be what goes along the bottom edge OF this pc. so that IT, and not the plastic contacts the boat floor/sides. (hope that makes sense!) Anyhow, a bit of thickness (say, 1/8") would make up for any slight imperfections in the fit, and keep any nasty buzzing/vibration at bay.

Cheers,
Rob

You may be able to use some auto rubber trim pieces if you're just looking to do the edges - that stuff can get expensive though

https://www.trimlok.com/

I believe you are wanting to stop the battery box from chafing against the hull and making noises that will spoke the fishies.Keep an eye out for a cheap rubber mat at the box mart stores and home improvement centers.Also look at dish drainer mats and bath tub mats.

Those rubber pads, that jigsaw puzzle together may be your answer. Just cut it to the size you need.

Good ideas, but not sure how they would stand-up to UV. Also, I'm trying to find rubber and not foam, as it is probably more likely to compress over time. I checked out that trimlok site too BTW, and I would need to buy a roll of 250' to get the 20' I need. Still looking...keep the ideas coming!

Rob

bassboy1 said:

Those rubber pads, that jigsaw puzzle together may be your answer. Just cut it to the size you need.

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that's probably going to be your cheapest and best route... You are talking about the pads you put down on garage flooring right bassboy? You can get those in foam/rubber covering. I really don't think you need to worry too much with UV unless you are going to let it sit in the weather uncovered all the time

I used a closed-cell foam (doesn't hold water) sleeping pad to make strips for my batteries to sit on in the battery tray. You could double-up on the thickness and do what you need probably. Just a thought. :wink:

YamahaC40Guy said:

Good ideas, but not sure how they would stand-up to UV. Also, I'm trying to find rubber and not foam, as it is probably more likely to compress over time. I checked out that trimlok site too BTW, and I would need to buy a roll of 250' to get the 20' I need. Still looking...keep the ideas coming!

Rob

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I gave that link as an example of what is out there. I just ran a search on rubber edge molding and came up with that quickly. I'm sure there are other sources out there that don't require bulk buys if you dig around a bit. :wink:

You might contact trimlock and they may be able to sell (or even give) you a 10' sample or something.

russ010 said:

You are talking about the pads you put down on garage flooring right bassboy?

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I guess that is what they are for. These things.
https://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=260637-53226-0053845&lpage=none

I should have thought about this before - DynaLiner. I used to have this stuff laying around when I was into the deafening bass in cars - but I gave all I had away. You can get it cheaper if you search around the internet. Visit your local audio shop as well, they might have some small pieces laying around and just give it to you.

Thanks for the tips, and the links! I did find exactly what I was looking for this morning, from an industrial hardware place. It's called "Perma Stick Truck Cap Foam Tape" and is similar to some of the company's other products, have a look; https://www.ujr.ca/EN/foam_tapes.htm

Anyhow, it looks like it'll fit the bill. It's a little wider than I need at 7/8", but is black/closed cell/self-adhesive/exterior grade and is a roll 30' long. :wink:

Cheers,
Rob

BTW~the batteries will be sitting on a mat as per the suggestions.

awesome find.. thanks for the link :beer:

YamahaC40Guy said:

Thanks for the tips, and the links! I did find exactly what I was looking for this morning, from an industrial hardware place. It's called "Perma Stick Truck Cap Foam Tape" and is similar to some of the company's other products, have a look; https://www.ujr.ca/EN/foam_tapes.htm

Anyhow, it looks like it'll fit the bill. It's a little wider than I need at 7/8", but is black/closed cell/self-adhesive/exterior grade and is a roll 30' long. :wink:

Cheers,
Rob

BTW~the batteries will be sitting on a mat as per the suggestions.

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If you want to sell about 6 feet of that stuff, let me know. That looks to be the same stuff that is on my ATV load ramps that I haven't been able to find in a store. The stuff that I need is really firm foam. I bought some of the regular camper shell tape and it smashes completely flat with little effort.

I'd be happy to just give you what I don't use, I just don't know how much that will be...or when. Having read your post again, I'm not sure this would be the stuff you're after anyway. I just cut an inch off of it, and I can compress it with my fingers down to about 1/16" thick. I think you're after something a little more dense than this.

Rob

I appreciate the offer.

The stuff that I am after indeed sounds more dense than that. I can only compress it to about 3/16~1/4 with my fingers.

How quickly does it spring back? That would tell me a lot about the properties that you are probably looking for in your use. If it does not spring back quickly, it is probably going to take a set and wear out pretty quickly.