The marine market is seemingly saturated with sealants, making it a hard choice for boaters to navigate uncharted waters. However, reach for a tube (or cartridge!) of any BoatLIFE® sealant and you know you’ve chosen a high-quality boat sealant.
Our Marine Silicone Rubber Sealant, Teak Deck Sealant, and Life Seal® all have one thing in common: they’re all neutral curing. So, what is the importance of neutral curing when choosing a boat sealant?
About Marine Silicone and Silicone Hybrid Sealants
You may have read our blog on Silicone and Silicone Hybrid Sealants to understand why marine grade silicone and silicone hybrid sealants are a great choice when joining two substrates together due to their waterproofing created in the seal, but did you also know that marine-grade silicone and silicone hybrid sealants are also neutral curing? Yep, you read that right! Products like BoatLIFE’s Life Seal®, Marine Silicone Rubber Sealant, and Teak Deck Sealant all offer an acid free, neutral cure. Why is this important? A neutral curing system essentially means that the sealant’s chemical compounds are acid-free.
The Importance of Neutral Curing when Choosing a Boat Sealant
The importance of neutral curing when choosing a boat sealant, especially for precious woods like teak, mahogany, or balsa, is simple. Neutral curing sealants are composed of either oxime or alkoxy silicones, which are both non-corrosive. This means that neutral curing sealants will release only such non-acidic chemicals such as alcohol (from alkoxy silicone) or acetone (from oxime silicone) upon application, whereas acetoxy silicone sealants will release acetic acid while curing. Acetic acid is the same acid found in vinegar and what gives vinegar its distinctive odor. The acid is also corrosive to certain substrates, including some metals (think: copper) and can affect plastics.
Neutral curing sealants, however, have virtually no odor, generally a fast cure time (usually within 24 hours of application), and zero corrosion to substrates once applied as they do not release acetic acid. Therefore, when choosing boat sealants for delicate wood fibers and other precious substrates, look for a neutral cure.
BoatLIFE Sealants
All BoatLIFE marine-grade silicone-based sealants offer neutral curing, so you don’t need to think twice when shopping around. For 65 years our high-quality products have been proudly made in the USA! We offer free ground shipping on orders over $150 within the continental U.S. Protect your watercraft investment with a brand that’s been on the market for 65 years…for the best boat sealants, boat repair, boat cleaning, and boat restoration products, choose BoatLIFE.
