I have used a number of bedding compounds, and silicone seems to be least durable when exposed to sun and air. I finally settled on boatlife life-caulk because it is relatively easy to work with, and I have found it to be unaffected after several years of exposure to saltwater or air. Silicone is fine as a quick rubber substitute in special applications. Tom Jenkins M17 Scintilla -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dick Straubel Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 2:02 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: silicone I have often heard that using silicone to bed deck hardware and ports on fiberglass boats is not a good thing to do. Recently on this site Bob Eeg also made that point. What is the thinking behind that? I know several people who have worked in boat building factories (Compac, Hunter, and Irwin to name just three) who recommend and use silicone for bedding hardware on their own boats. Beckson Ports specifies silicone for bedding their ports. Confused -- looking forward to reading thoughts on this. M-17 Atta Baby _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats