Fatlip skirt repair options?
Wed Nov 05, 2014 2:12 pm
My now over 10yr old Fatlip skirt is starting to come apart on the seams around the deck. not totally torn but obviously heading that way. My drytop gasket tore last week so i repaired it w Aquaseal....and have some left.
Obvious question, will applying that on the tearing area help or just be a waste of effort?
Cheers,
Don
Obvious question, will applying that on the tearing area help or just be a waste of effort?
Cheers,
Don
Re: Fatlip skirt repair options?
Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:27 pm
Something that works amazingly well for sprayskirts is black gasket maker from an auto parts store. It sometimes goes by the name RTV or Silicone gasket maker.
The color determines how pliable it is. Of what I have used black works best. Blue is a little more flexible but it doesn't seem to adhere as well or be as tough. Even the black is very pliable though. When dried it feels similar to silicone caulk but it is much tougher.
I greatly prefer this material to Aquaseal. Aquaseal dries into a much more rigid state and is not as good at bending around a curve or laying flush against something that needs a seal. Aquaseal also seems to turn yellow and get brittle with extended uv exposure in my experience.
On the fat lip look for small holes on the top about a half an inch from the edge of the cockpit rim. There are frequently very small holes in this area that are not visually apparent due to the fabric coating still being intact. I think a lot of times these are due to a paddle shaft hitting the top of the cockpit rim.
While you are patching your big holes just go around it very slowly while it is in your hands and you will probably find some pinhead sized holes that you didn't know were there.
The color determines how pliable it is. Of what I have used black works best. Blue is a little more flexible but it doesn't seem to adhere as well or be as tough. Even the black is very pliable though. When dried it feels similar to silicone caulk but it is much tougher.
I greatly prefer this material to Aquaseal. Aquaseal dries into a much more rigid state and is not as good at bending around a curve or laying flush against something that needs a seal. Aquaseal also seems to turn yellow and get brittle with extended uv exposure in my experience.
On the fat lip look for small holes on the top about a half an inch from the edge of the cockpit rim. There are frequently very small holes in this area that are not visually apparent due to the fabric coating still being intact. I think a lot of times these are due to a paddle shaft hitting the top of the cockpit rim.
While you are patching your big holes just go around it very slowly while it is in your hands and you will probably find some pinhead sized holes that you didn't know were there.
Re: Fatlip skirt repair options?
Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:56 am
regarding skirts being in storage for a long time...can the rand actually become weaker just from being stored? my fatlip that was stored for 7 years seems looser than it used to. it didn't seem like this could happen on its own, but i figured i'd ask anyhow
Re: Fatlip skirt repair options?
Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:04 pm
Seems like they shrink a bit in my experience or perhaps it just seems that way because they are stiffer after sitting around for a while. Dipping it in water to loosen it up is something I usually find myself doing early in the season but not later in the season.
Don't know about your rim seeming looser but you can fix any looseness in the waist with a winter regimen of 12oz. curls
Don't know about your rim seeming looser but you can fix any looseness in the waist with a winter regimen of 12oz. curls