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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Have you guys heard of "Stay Afloat"?

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/19/2012 : 18:12:53

I just got this in email from Sailnet: [url="http://shop.sailnet.com/safety-stay-afloat-c-72_1993.html?campaignid=19092012s10"]Stay Afloat[/url]

It looks like a toilet wax ring that's been thinned down a bit to me. Anyone heard or or used it? Seems pretty handy to have on board in case of a leak.

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/19/2012 : 18:40:44

I keep the little jar aboard. I still have the glassed-in-nipple through-hulls and if one were to break this is the stuff I'll slather around the splinters.

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 06:32:20

Love it! Gotsta get me some. Looks like it would work on even a leaking stuffing box...

Sten

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 08:14:12

Wow! I just looked--WM lists it... They have some "intersting" prices: 8 oz. for $11, 16 oz. for $23!

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johnsonp
Admiral

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USA
606 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 10:36:20

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 I just got this in email from Sailnet: [url="http://shop.sailnet.com/safety-stay-afloat-c-72_1993.html?campaignid=19092012s10"]Stay Afloat[/url]

It looks like a toilet wax ring that's been thinned down a bit to me. Anyone heard or or used it? Seems pretty handy to have on board in case of a leak.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I have 2 bees wax toilet seals in my emergency kit. I think it is the same material.

paulj

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 10:46:29

I'll have to consider this product, but right now I would use one of the 6 plastic bags of sand and pea pebbles that I use for ballast to slow down the water, assuming a hull failure occurred in a location where I could get to it.

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piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 10:53:01

Ditto w/ Dave re popping down to my WM. Its strange we have not heard about this product before. Its a must have on any boat. Thanks for the heads up David.
Steve A

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 11:23:10

I'd be curious to know what the product smells like. If I were to guess I'd bet turpentine to thin the wax a bit so it's easily squishable. Toilet ring wax is harder than what they show, and I found it interesting that the first guy extolling it's virtues in the video never once referred to it by name, it was always "this product" which makes me wonder if they roll their own in their department.

You'd think the accounting wonks at WM would notice that it's cheaper to buy two of the smaller packages than one of the larger.

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 13:05:52

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 I'd be curious to know what the product smells like. If I were to guess I'd bet turpentine to thin the wax a bit so it's easily squishable. Toilet ring wax is harder than what they show, and I found it interesting that the first guy extolling it's virtues in the video never once referred to it by name, it was always "this product" which makes me wonder if they roll their own in their department.

You'd think the accounting wonks at WM would notice that it's cheaper to buy two of the smaller packages than one of the larger.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Wouldn't a slab of butyl rubber plumbers putty do the same thing?

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 13:21:39

Yep, I was thinking the same thing. In the USN we called it "monkey sh$t" & kept slaps of it in our tool boxes for sealing watertight junctions, but it was a gray-ish black, not tan like this is.

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/20/2012 : 15:00:55

From the MSDS: 110F deformation temperature. 150F melting point. SG= 0.88 (floats). Slight petroleum odor and ingestion is not acutely toxic but has laxative properties and may result in abdominal cramps and diarrhea, call a physician.

Also good call on toilet wax, the manufacturer is listed as William H. Harvey Company. But ring wax has a different specific gravity at 0.70

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 06:12:14

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 I'd be curious to know what the product smells like.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Ya, you don't want your boat to smell funny when it's being towed to the travel-lift...

Regarding comparisons to putty, toilet wax, etc., each might be better than nothing, but I suspect this has been formulated, tuned, and tested for the purpose. The demo suggests to me that it spreads more easily and penetrates a void better, with just enough viscosity to resist mild water pressure... (Maybe I should get paid for this!)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 09/21/2012 06:12:45

glen
Captain

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359 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 10:49:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by rrick
 From the MSDS: 110F deformation temperature. 150F melting point. SG= 0.88 (floats). Slight petroleum odor and ingestion is not acutely toxic but has laxative properties and may result in abdominal cramps and diarrhea, call a physician.

Also good call on toilet wax, the manufacturer is listed as William H. Harvey Company. But ring wax has a different specific gravity at 0.70
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Interesting to note that mineral oil was once considered a laxative

. Could be that thay mixed taht with the wax, but for the small price I’ll just pick it up at WM

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1328 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 11:24:21

Awesome... we'll get some... if not for ourselves then for others

Question... what is recommended to remove it from hands, tools or surfaces

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 11:54:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
quote:
Originally posted by delliottg

I'd be curious to know what the product smells like.
Ya, you don't want your boat to smell funny when it's being towed to the travel-lift...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I think you misinterpreted my question. I'd agree, if my boat has Stay Afloat packed into cracks, holes or split seams, I'm not likely to care too much about any associated smells. I'm pretty sure I'd be making some of my own smells in that situation.

What I was curious about was what they used to thin the wax (assuming that's what it is) with. Mineral oil is another good guess. The MSDS doesn't give you a clue what it's made from which is unusual.

I picked up a couple of all-wax toilet rings at my local hardware store yesterday. I may just experiment with one of them to see if I can get the consistency the same as what's shown in the videos. As is, it's pretty stiff, not like what's shown in the video, but I'd bet melting it down and adding some mineral oil or turpentine to thin it and then letting it gel again might provide some interesting results. Plus melting it down so it'd fit into a smaller tub would be handier than the current form. Can you tell I have time on my hands?

Henk, I'd imagine that it may come up with alcohol although alcohol won't touch regular wax, so you may have to use something like turpentine, acetone (almost guaranteed to work), mineral spirits, or worst case, MEK (which I won't touch anymore, even with gloves on).

Edited by - delliottg on 09/21/2012 11:58:26

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 12:11:35

David - A lot of the liquids that you mention are volatile. Even turpentine and mineral spirits will evaporate given enough time.

Given the need for long-term storage in a plastic container, I'd bet anything that they used something totally non-volatile to cut the viscosity. Either that or it's totally solventless and they made it more pliable and tacky by using a lower molecular weight wax, compounding in a second wax or rubber, attached some side groups to a wax molecule, or used a totally different chemical than the toilet ring.

All this becomes a good reason to just buy their product - they've already spent the money to develop and test the product so we don't have to.

As you may be able to tell, I've spent my entire career in the paint, coatings, inks, and adhesives industry.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/21/2012 : 12:49:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">All this becomes a good reason to just buy their product - they've already spent the money to develop and test the product so we don't have to.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Rick, you're probably quite right, they have the resources to do R&D so they can figure out what best to create the admixture from or use a lower viscosity wax. Also agree that the chemicals I've suggested will eventually evaporate with time. A long time if the mixture is kept sealed*.

However, I mix my own finishes for the pens & such that I turn on my lathe, and I've got a multi-wax, turpentine, shellac, alcohol & some other solvents & fixers finish that I mixed up years & years ago that's still easily worked with and only stored in a *cheap Tupperware container. The alcohol is long gone, but the shellac it was originally used to suspend is still in solution with the other solvents. Plus it smells great and looks great on a pen barrel. I like to tinker with stuff like this like I like to tinker with cooking recipes.

I might come up with a workable recipe for the toilet ring wax sealant, I might not, but it won't stop me from trying. Tinkering with stuff is fun, and in the case with this, it's not like I'd be making my situation on the boat worse, I'd never even heard of this type of sealant (for emergency boat repair) before a couple of days ago, and have since read multiple accounts of folks keeping toilet rings in their repair kit onboard. Now I'll have one on board as well, and I'll tinker with the other & see what I can figure out.

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