posted May 11, 2001 12:56 PM            

When I bought the boat the strips were peeling off, and generally looked rather sloppily applied. I removed the strips, cleaned off the old adhesive and sailed the boat all last season. It worked okay except when really flying on plane. At speed water fills up the centreboard trunk even spills into the cockpit.

I am getting ready for this season and I want to resolve this problem before I put the boat in the water. What material should I use, what adhesive, is there a better way?

posted May 12, 2001 12:41 AM            

During a recent order for Code 40's to a sailing school we had to cover the slot for the same reason (most private Code 40's don't require this outfitting). We used sail material (5.0oz) in lieu of rubber which could foul up when the board was retracted and also expanded and shrunk depending on the temperature which could lead to cracking and loss of function. The sail material was held in place with 3M 5200 marine adhesive and aluminum strips screwed into the hull. The aluminum was about 1/4" in width and was rounded (bullnosed) to better matcht he hull shape. Batten material secured in the same method will work as well provided you are not dragging the boat onto a drydock like some schools do.

Regretfully we are not able to sell you these pieces are we are hardpressed to get them from our supliers at the current time. Any sail maker should be able to provide you with the material, just try to get the 5.0oz material and have the sailmaker X stich it to provide some extra "body and resistance" to the water.

Hope this helps some. Rubber is still a fine method to use given it is properly applied, try using waterproofglue or 3m 5200. Ensure you rough up the fibreglass before application.

Happy sailing,

CL WEB CUSTOMER SERVICE

[This message has been edited by CL Staff (edited May 12, 2001).]