We take the guesswork out of boat & gear buying

Volume 27 • Number 5 • March 2001

Tommy Tape is Tops

Used for mast boots, turnbuckles, hose leaks and wrapping electrical wire, self-amalgamating tape is a chemical marvel.

 

The seven varieties of self-amalgamating tape collected for this test come packaged thusly. A non-marine item, the Tommy Tape, second from the right, won Best Buy honors.

It’s called elastomeric self-bonding or self-amalgamating tape.

Elastomeric means that it resembles rubber.

Self-bonding means that it sticks to itself, but it’s an incomplete description. It’s not really very sticky to the touch.

Amalgamating—meaning that it merges into a single body—is the best term to describe a tape that morphs into a solid glob.

Tommy Tape® is manufactured from a specially formulated silicone rubber compound and:

• has a self-bonding/non-adhesive characteristic that fuses to itself within 24 hours, leaving no mastic residue if removed.

• is capable of resisting temperatures of -65° to +500° Fahrenheit and can be applied in various "extreme temperature" applications.

• has 300% elongation, stretches to form fit virtually any odd shape, and will not crack or unravel during expansion or contraction.

• is not only salt-water resistant, but can actually be applied underwater.

• has a dielectric strength of up to 400 VPM, making it an excellent insulator.