# Joining the party.



## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

Hi all. Thanks for having us. We are SV Sweet Ruca, a 46' J Boat with the goal to circumnavigate via the capes. 

We also have a website with tracker and youtube channel if one wants to know more about us, but we won't drop a spammy link here.

We hope to learn from others and pass on our knowledge and experience. 

Found this place while searching for the detailed differencences and reviews of Sika 291 vs 3m 4k. Figured we would join while waiting for the epoxy to cure on the deck hardware rebedding project.

Cheers!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

"... via the Capes..." I hope you mean Cape Panama and Cape Suez?

Theres about 7 other capes I only want to see by bus. 

Looking forward to hear what you get up to 


Mark


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## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> "... via the Capes..." I hope you mean Cape Panama and Cape Suez?
> 
> Theres about 7 other capes I only want to see by bus.
> 
> ...


No canals in the plan for us. ;-)


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

SV Sweet Ruca said:


> No canals in the plan for us. ;-)


Do you have a drogue on board? If so please get some video of before and after deployment as you round the cape. Oh and welcome aboard.


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## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

Skipper Jer said:


> Do you have a drogue on board? If so please get some video of before and after deployment as you round the cape. Oh and welcome aboard.


We do have a drogue. If it gets deployed we will surely video it!


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

SV Sweet Ruca said:


> We do have a drogue. If it gets deployed we will surely video it!


If you're not too busy doing something else at the time...


Welcome to SailNet! And, thanks for the pics!









(Question for Mark - What happened to the "This thread is worthless without pics!" smiley?"


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Welcome to SailNet. That sounds like a great adventure. The J-46 is a great boat for that. I always admired the J-46 and in fact thought that I would probably want a J-44 if I was doing a lot of long passages. 

Jeff


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## StarTracker (Dec 26, 2021)

What a nice boat. 3M 4000UV wins for me every time, except for installing plastics like deadlights there Sikaflex 295UV+primer wins, and for mineral glass SikaTack drive wins. 4000UV you can tool using rubbing alcohol on your finger for a factory looking bead, seems to yellow much slower. 4000UV in the aluminum tube with replaceable tips also lasts way longer between projects. 



SV Sweet Ruca said:


> Hi all. Thanks for having us. We are SV Sweet Ruca, a 46' J Boat with the goal to circumnavigate via the capes.
> 
> We also have a website with tracker and youtube channel if one wants to know more about us, but we won't drop a spammy link here.
> 
> ...


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## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

StarTracker said:


> What a nice boat. 3M 4000UV wins for me every time, except for installing plastics like deadlights there Sikaflex 295UV+primer wins, and for mineral glass SikaTack drive wins. 4000UV you can tool using rubbing alcohol on your finger for a factory looking bead, seems to yellow much slower. 4000UV in the aluminum tube with replaceable tips also lasts way longer between projects.


Thanks. 

We ended up trying out butyl tape this time. Seems to be all the rage in the forums. Will see how it goes. It is nice not to deal with an exploding tube of goo though 

Agree 4k is our normal go to, but doesn't seem easy to find in these parts. Good tips on the use!


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## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

Jeff_H said:


> Welcome to SailNet. That sounds like a great adventure. The J-46 is a great boat for that. I always admired the J-46 and in fact thought that I would probably want a J-44 if I was doing a lot of long passages.
> 
> Jeff


Thanks Jeff. This place seems so much more sane than the other "racier" forum.

Your 11.6 is awesome as well. Farr always draws nice and fast lines!


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## StarTracker (Dec 26, 2021)

SV Sweet Ruca said:


> Thanks.
> 
> We ended up trying out butyl tape this time. Seems to be all the rage in the forums. Will see how it goes. It is nice not to deal with an exploding tube of goo though
> 
> Agree 4k is our normal go to, but doesn't seem easy to find in these parts. Good tips on the use!


I have mixed feelings about Butyl tape, the stuff Maine Sail used to sell was very nice, much of what I can get via RV supply etc not so much. I also liked the stuff Meridian used for windshields, it had a sort of O-ring section in the center so it didn't come out under load forever and ever and kept a good sealant thickness, similar to using shims when bonding with sealant goop.
For me between the two the decision comes down to:
1. Will it move enough to cause sealant failure or have other restrictions such as thickness meaining insufficient bead thickness for sealant elasticity to handle movement? Go butyl.
2. Do I care about mess on the surface as it squeezes out? 4000UV. 

Side note, although it is specificed for plastics when I haven't been able to get 4000UV I've used 295UV on deck hardware etc without issue, far far better than 291. I have used it on personal projects below the waterline quite happily. It's similar to 4000UV with paste consistency etc. Never on a customers boat though below waterline, just because it isn't officially rated for it that I could find.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

eherlihy said:


> (Question for Mark - What happened to the "This thread is worthless without pics!" smiley?"


Working on it. Next week with luck.


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## PhilCarlson (Dec 14, 2013)

Welcome aboard @SV Sweet Ruca. I enjoyed your Atlantic crossing vids.


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## SV Sweet Ruca (Dec 28, 2021)

PhilCarlson said:


> Welcome aboard @SV Sweet Ruca. I enjoyed your Atlantic crossing vids.


 Thanks Phil! Glad you are enjoying.


Big rain last night, enough to float the fuel tank in the tender. So far so good for the butyl tape


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## avenka (Jan 5, 2022)

Welcome to the forum !!


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