Seven marine adhesives that can fix your boat and save the day

Stuff happens on a boat and having stuff on board to fix it is essential. That is especially true when you’re fixing things that keep water out of a boat, or move water to a livewell or other holding tank.

So the question is: Are there any magic marine adhesive glues available that are super enough to temporarily restore a broken fitting in order to service your boat long enough to save the day?

How We Tested We bought plastic elbow hose fittings with ¾-inch threads on one end and a ½-inch barb on the other. The plastic fittings were for irrigation but made of comparable plastic to marine through-hull fittings for livewells. We broke the barb from each fitting and glued away, using each glue per directions. Except in the case of the instant glues, we used clamps to hold the fitting parts together. Most of these glues are caustic, so we wore latex gloves while using them. We conducted four tests and gave a score for each test to each product according to whether it passed, failed or, as in the watertight test, it landed somewhere in between. High score was 3.

Connectivity We screwed the plastic fitting into a galvanized pipe with a coupler, being careful not to put stress on the glued joint. We fitted the other end of the galvanized pipe with a hose fitting and attached a garden hose with a valve on that fitting. Next, we pushed a length of ½-inch plastic tubing onto the barb to see if it could withstand the pressure and twisting required to seat the hose. For our test, we did not use a clamp — it wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t add anything to the trial. This was a pass or fail test. Pass: 3, Fail: 1.

Watertight With the hose and tubing in place, we tested to see if any leaks were evident. Only two of the tested products leaked at this juncture. Next, we turned off the valve, clamped the tubing to restrict, but not stop, the flow, and turned the valve back on. A passing score of 3 was given for no leakage. A score of 2 was awarded for minimal leakage and a score of 1 was given to leakage we deemed too excessive to be considered serviceable.

Breaking Strength (weighted stress) We hung up to 10 pounds of weights on the barb to see how much it could withstand. 10 pounds: 3, 5 pounds: 2, Fail: 1.

Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Boating Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site.

Copyright © 2022 Boating Magazine. A Bonnier LLC Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.