Caulk around intake grate bolts?

[JDFester]

Crawling under the boat this weekend, I noticed that one of these things in not like the others ... though it is likely to be soon.

Question is, does this caulk actually matter, and if so, what type would I replace it with?

Thank you!!!

 

[swatski]

Crawling under the boat this weekend, I noticed that one of these things in not like the others ... though it is likely to be soon.

Question is, does this caulk actually matter, and if so, what type would I replace it with?

Thank you!!!

View attachment 90960

It won’t hurt anything to put sealant on it, in my experience 100% silicone works well and holds pretty good there, and is easy to work with. Inside the tunnel though need something stronger, 3M 5200, or even Bondo or Marine Tex.
This is a negative pressure area around the intake and the concern here is for any air from the bilge to be sucked into the intake tunnel, causing cavitation. I don’t think it is likely to have a leak around those bolts, but any gap that can leak air is bad in and around the intake tunnel.

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