For the class photo, here are the 23 caulks and sealants. Because they are prominent in the marine field, the largest number of samples are from 3M, Sikaflex, and BoatLife, The rest are primarily hardware-store varieties, some from prominent companies like Elmer's Products, Inc., GE, RPM Inc., and West Marine. Some come in tubes, some in cartridges, along with a squeeze bottle and a couple of pressurized cans. Although Practical Sailor started out thinking the tubes would be the easiest to work with, after several hours a preference emerged. Because they make it easier to control both the quantity and shape of the caulk that emerges, we prefer the cartridges, even though these require a caulking gun (and a good one is worth the money).

In olden days, landlubbers used tons of putty to caulk and seal. The putty was made of whiting (calcium carbonate) and boiled linseed oil. Substitute red or white lead for the whiting, throw in a little hair (any old kind) and you had something called "lute" for pipe fittings. Lute can mean a musical instrument that looks like a bulbous guitar, something valuable, or, as used here, pipe-joint packing.

Sailors always scorned the putty that was used ashore, mostly because it's not very substantial. It dries out and cracks, even when carefully painted.…