Sliding the tubes back on (what lubricant?)

[Binty_Bexter]

I have just re-glued the 'rope-bolts' back on to my Zodiac 650 Pro tubes which detached in several places due to age.

My question is - what type of lubricant have people found most effective to help slide the tubes back on to the hull with minimal tugging?

I have previously used dish washing-up liquid (Fairy, Joy, etc) diluted and full strength in copious quantities but these have helped very little both in removing the tubes and previously replacing them.

Has anyone tried smearing the rope bolt with Vaseline or can you recommend another product which works? Any thoughts, ideas and direct experiences appreciated. Thanks.

Peter.

[jyasaki]

Caveat: I've never done it, but I would think you'd want to avoid anything greasy - it would collect dust and dirt, and not sure having oils in contact with the fabric would be all that great long term.

I'd go with soapy water if at all possible.

jky

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Binty_Bexter

Has anyone tried smearing the rope bolt with Vaseline or can you recommend another product which works? Any thoughts, ideas and direct experiences appreciated. Thanks.

Hypalon is pretty resistant to most chemicals, but its going to end up stuck in the "channel" and therefore in permanent contact, so I wouldn't want to use vaseline. Fairy liquid is probably ok - but it is a bit sticky...

There are some lubricants which are, ahem, specially formulated for use with delicate rubbers. I believe they are water soluble too - so should wash off at least as easily as fairy.

[Binty_Bexter]

Originally Posted by Poly

There are some lubricants which are, ahem, specially formulated for use with delicate rubbers. I believe they are water soluble too - so should wash off at least as easily as fairy.

Something like 'KY' I think you are thinking? I did consider that product too and I guess it would also help to keep the tubes from going soft!!

Good point about Vaseline, thanks.

Any other suggestions out there?

(PS. My tubes are PVC)

[Bigtalljv]

Isn't wire pulling lubricant water soluble? For pulling electrical wire through conduit.

Or this should do it. http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natura.../dp/B005MR3IVO

Make sure to read the reviews. Also make sure you are not eating or drinking when you do read them.

Jason

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Binty_Bexter

Something like 'KY' I think you are thinking? I did consider that product too and I guess it would also help to keep the tubes from going soft!!

(PS. My tubes are PVC)

I'd like to see the reaction at the chemists when you ask for a case of KY to "lube my 6.5m tube"!!!!

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by beamishken

I'd like to see the reaction at the chemists when you ask for a case of KY to "lube my 6.5m tube"!!!!

And that you require 5 litres!

You could also try TFR, that stuff is fairly slippy. Plenty hot water and get some people to help. You could even hook up a ratchet strap and haul the tubes on if it plays hardball. Once they're on just rinse the whole lot down.

[Binty_Bexter]

Thanks for all the great ideas, guys. I'll look into the wire pulling lube. Hadn't thought of that one! I think I'll give the KY and TFR options the slip.

[cgoing]

Your best bet is to use Dishsoap. Once installed it will wash away and not attract dirt, grit, and other crud into the track area. Since it dissolves, don't be afraid to use copious amounts to make the job easier.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bigtalljv

Isn't wire pulling lubricant water soluble? For pulling electrical wire through conduit.

Or this should do it. http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natura.../dp/B005MR3IVO

Make sure to read the reviews. Also make sure you are not eating or drinking when you do read them.

Jason

Is it kosher? A:
No. It is used for porking.
Blowfish answered on October 23, 2013

PMSL

[Phil M]

I re-fitted mine a few weeks ago. A spray bottle of very soapy water did the job. I think we used 1 part cheap car shampoo in about 4 parts water and spray liberally. Make sure you have somebody to guide the tube into the channel as it can snag easily.

Phil M

[office888]

Dawn dish soap in a garden sprayer with water and water based wire pulling lubricant.

It is wise to clean, buff, and wax the fiberglass before the install. A lot of the friction is caused by the tube material against the fiberglass, not so much the bolt rope.

[Binty_Bexter]

Originally Posted by office888

Dawn dish soap in a garden sprayer with water and water based wire pulling lubricant.

It is wise to clean, buff, and wax the fiberglass before the install. A lot of the friction is caused by the tube material against the fiberglass, not so much the bolt rope.

Amongst all the other great suggestions, I like this one too. I will wax the fibreglass first as recommended. Hadn't thought of that.

With all this talk of various 'lubricants' going on, it occurred to me that regular cheap cooking oil (cheap and easily obtainable) may work. Slather it on and then, when the tubes are in place, give the grooves and tubes a good spray down with dish soap/detergent to emulsify the oil and rinse??
Any reasons why that won't work?

[office888]

Originally Posted by Binty_Bexter

Amongst all the other great suggestions, I like this one too. I will wax the fibreglass first as recommended. Hadn't thought of that.

With all this talk of various 'lubricants' going on, it occurred to me that regular cheap cooking oil (cheap and easily obtainable) may work. Slather it on and then, when the tubes are in place, give the grooves and tubes a good spray down with dish soap/detergent to emulsify the oil and rinse??
Any reasons why that won't work?

Dishsoap diluted with water works fine, and is utilized by Zodiac North America. You can find a video on youtube from their factory.

Oils may attack and degrade PVC, as well as leave a nasty film.

The official service manual recommends soap or 303 aerospace protectant (at the $30/bottle that stuff costs though, no thank you!).

[Binty_Bexter]

Richard,
I've had the tubes off twice before and used dish soap both times. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't work as well as I had hoped. It involved serious effort to remove and re-attach the tubes. As the boat and I am on a Bahamian out-island, with limited resources, the 303 you mention would, unfortunately, not be an option.

[office888]

Originally Posted by Binty_Bexter

Richard,
I've had the tubes off twice before and used dish soap both times. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't work as well as I had hoped. It involved serious effort to remove and re-attach the tubes. As the boat and I am on a Bahamian out-island, with limited resources, the 303 you mention would, unfortunately, not be an option.

Do you have an assistant?

It really takes two people minimum...one to guide the bolt-rope in to the track and prevent kinking (If it kinks, the bolt can jam, or gouge a sharp fiberglass edge in to the bolt rope) and one person to pull. Grab the tubeset as close to the bolt rope as you can when pulling it on.

For boats over 5 meters, I recommend a 3 people...one to guide, two to pull.

Also, you want to have the boat on a trailer, hooked up to a vehicle so that way the yanking energy is transferred to the tubeset and not to the trailer wheels.

You may want to wash the inside of the track as well. If there is fouling present, hit the inside of the track with some bottom cleaner.

[Binty_Bexter]

Richard,
I do have one assistant but have not had a third person before. Good advice, which I shall follow. It is on a trailer but I did not hitch it up to my pick-up previously. I did chock the wheels, however, to prevent movement and also dropped the trailer tongue onto the ground (retracting the jockey wheel) to present the grooves as near to horizontal as possible.
The truck-bed would provide a perfect platform to lay the tubes onto for pulling into the hull grooves.

Thanks again for the tips.

[Phil M]

Originally Posted by office888

Do you have an assistant?

It really takes two people minimum...one to guide the bolt-rope in to the track and prevent kinking (If it kinks, the bolt can jam, or gouge a sharp fiberglass edge in to the bolt rope) and one person to pull. Grab the tubeset as close to the bolt rope as you can when pulling it on.

For boats over 5 meters, I recommend a 3 people...one to guide, two to pull.

Also, you want to have the boat on a trailer, hooked up to a vehicle so that way the yanking energy is transferred to the tubeset and not to the trailer wheels.

You may want to wash the inside of the track as well. If there is fouling present, hit the inside of the track with some bottom cleaner.

All good advice. Managing the tube that is not on the boat yet was also a challenge as they are heavy and hard to move. We had the boat on the trailer attached to the pickup and pit the tubes in the back of the truck to feed them in.

As for using oil, there really is no need as soap and water are fine, less of an environmental issue and will leave you with clean tubes. Oil will never fully wash off and could cause slippery tubes and deck. The smell of chips (french fries) on hot sunny days might also be a problem.

Phil M

[Johnny1]

Sorry commented on wrong thread..

[Binty_Bexter]

Can someone please post a link to a youtube video showing the installation process?
I have looked on Google and Youtube myself without success. Thx