I am about to install the "new to me" Bravo Transom Assemblies and looking for guidance on what the preferred sealer is for this job. I thought about 3M 5200 and then thought HELL NO that's too severe. Any suggestions?

3M 4200. Stays flexible, good for underwater use on tight fittings and you can remove it later if needed.

5200 would literally rip the fiberglass off if you ever had to remove again.

What are you sealing exactly? The "foam" insert is technicallyall you need.

I also used 4200 I believe on the bolts....

Thanks...thats the answer I needed.

A long time ago an old mechanic told me to use grease. Over the last 20 years I have done 3 bravo plates and never had a leak. Always easy to remove if necessary.

Didn't use any sealer on mine, just put them on. Didn't see anything from the Merc installation manual recommending any type of sealer. Assuming you will be using the new large seal, that should be all that's needed.

i have taken more than a few boats apart they never had any sealer on the transom assembly just merc rubber gasket i must admit i have seen the start of transom rot not sure if it was leaky bolts or the gasket

Just an FYI, this stuff is supposed to work well for removing 5200.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...4804&langId=-1

our transom assembly started to leak so we used some 3M sealer. technically the large gasket on the housing should be all that is needed to seal in the transom. in our situation, i think the salt water ate through the aluminum and started leaking though the back side of the gasket.