We have nylon zippers on a weblon top of our 46'er, they are now seven years
old god bless them.
The shop that made them was Lippincott Marine in St. Petersburg, FL, great
shop.
They gave me can of silicone spray for the zippers, its still on the boat and
there is still some left.
Needless to say I have replaced some zippers over the years and even the two
"unzips" forward.
But I believe that spraying them with fresh water, to clear the debris helps
quite a bit.
As they get tough to move, spraying with a can of silicone was our answer.
And as the zippers started to show wear, and at time loose teeth, we pulled
down the top and did the required maintenance. We had a new 6' zipper installed
for $75. cash last year.
Of course we took the work to the shop and waited, but it was done that day
and for cheep.
Snaps. I was foolish enough to do maintenance to the snaps. Just a dab of
wd40 to the inside of them all.
Big mistake, what was once secure, now want to fly in the wind. They just
don't want to hold at high speeds.
Patching the Leaks in the top.
We used "sail tape" on the topsides on to reinforce the heavy sewing where
leaks occur.
It held for four year and is still going strong. We have tried MANY sealant
for tents to stop the small drips. The final solution we found was clear
silicone pushed through from the inside. It makes a small mushroom like rivet on the
outside and stays in place for years. It also doesn't yellow and once on
can't be easily seen.
Captain James Clausen
MV Summer School
"At sea a fellow comes out.
Salt water is like wine, in that respect."
Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
We have nylon zippers on a weblon top of our 46'er, they are now seven years
old god bless them.
The shop that made them was Lippincott Marine in St. Petersburg, FL, great
shop.
They gave me can of silicone spray for the zippers, its still on the boat and
there is still some left.
Needless to say I have replaced some zippers over the years and even the two
"unzips" forward.
But I believe that spraying them with fresh water, to clear the debris helps
quite a bit.
As they get tough to move, spraying with a can of silicone was our answer.
And as the zippers started to show wear, and at time loose teeth, we pulled
down the top and did the required maintenance. We had a new 6' zipper installed
for $75. cash last year.
Of course we took the work to the shop and waited, but it was done that day
and for cheep.
Snaps. I was foolish enough to do maintenance to the snaps. Just a dab of
wd40 to the inside of them all.
Big mistake, what was once secure, now want to fly in the wind. They just
don't want to hold at high speeds.
Patching the Leaks in the top.
We used "sail tape" on the topsides on to reinforce the heavy sewing where
leaks occur.
It held for four year and is still going strong. We have tried MANY sealant
for tents to stop the small drips. The final solution we found was clear
silicone pushed through from the inside. It makes a small mushroom like rivet on the
outside and stays in place for years. It also doesn't yellow and once on
can't be easily seen.
Captain James Clausen
MV Summer School
"At sea a fellow comes out.
Salt water is like wine, in that respect."
- Herman Melville
**************************************
Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
