Description
Slot Strip
Slot strip is a specially formulated laminate of ployester film and Dacron sailcloth.
A flexible strip for sealing the centreboard or daggerboard slot on dinghies, catamarans and sailboards. It has also found use as transom flaps and as rudder fairings on cruisers.
A new formulation made from a laminate of sailcloth and polyester film resulting in a good spring characteristics with high tear resistance.
Best fitted by gluing. Good results obtained with readily available impact adhesive.
Adhesive:
Dunlop Thixofix is satisfactory with GRP or wooden hulls painted with two part polyurethane. For plastic sailboards it is advisable to test the adhesion on your board.With ordinary paint the paint film will lift and a covering sheet (keel band) pinned down is necessary
Recommended method of fixing:
- Cut strip to required length, approximately 5″ (125mm) longer than slot, and round off both ends
- Raise C/B and mark limits of slot required. Allow about 1″ (25m)clearance each end
- Lay strip on boat, cloth side to the hull, with equal overlap each side a slot, pull taut and hold in place with cellotape at both ends. If the strip does not lay quite straight, do not force it for this may cause it to wrinkle when cut.
- Draw a line around the strip with pencil/chinagraph or felt tip pen and transfer the limit marks for c/b (2) to strip.
- Remove strip, turn it over and pin to a board with a drawing pin at each end.
- To help adhesion the area of the hull to be glued should be lightly sanded.
- Apply glue to hull and strip covering the entire area of both beyond and ends of the slot. Do not glue the entire width of the sides for this would cause a sharp bend in the strip when the c/b is lowered resulting in a permanent kink.Leave about 3/8″(10mm)either side of the slot.Make sure the glue is as smooth as possible and that the areas are fully covered.
- Allow the glue to get touch dry and then remove the strip from the board,locate one end on the hull while holding the other end well clear. Smooth down gradually with one hand while keeping tensions on the strip with the other.
- With a piece of wood approcimately 1″ x 1″ (25mm x 25mm) with end rounded burnish the glued areas down HARD.Work from one end at a slight angle away from the centre line. Small ridges may appear but will work out if you keep at it. The burnishing is most important for if any part is not well stuck water can attack the glue.
- With a straight edge and sharp stanley knife cut down the middle of the strip to the marked limits. The cut edge of the strip may be rather sharp, but can be smoothed off with fine ‘wet and dry’ paper. It is not necessary to make a hole at each end of the cut.
- Clean off excess glue by rolling with the fingertips and sanding.On a wooden boat the sanded areas and edge of the strip can be painted over for extra protection and finish.
- The strip is very durable and will not tear and, in normal use, the time that it is bent by the centreboard is so comparatively short that it will retain it’s flatness.However,be careful not to let the centreboard droop when the boat is ashore or a permanent kink may appear
