Hi
The vertical section/mast of my IQ foil has become stuck in my Starboard Foil 147. It's a deep tuttle box. Two questions: 1) How do I get it out and 2) how do I stop it happening again? Thanks!
Both screws removed?
Board foil up, step on bottom of board just in front of finbox, rock the foil front to back and lift at the same time.
Did it loosen?
I don't believe in leaving both screws in 7+ threads and tapping the heads with a rubber mallet ot LIGHTLY with a hammer, but I've seen that done.
Last resort...go sailing with both screws just loosened ONE turn. Foiling rocks the boxhead and should loosen.
There's a bit of play when I rock it back and forth, but it's impossible to get out. It's been getting stickier the past few outings and I can't figure out why. I rinse everything after every sail. I'd be worried that I'd damage the thread in the vertical if I tap the screws with a hammer.
I don't like the hammer idea, but I've seen it done by almost pro level sailors.
If you got play, squirter water in gap, step on bottom, and continue rocking forward and back, pulling upward at the same time.
How hard was it to install? Takes as much to remove.
Oh, do you have experience with tuttle box fins?
Lots of times, they need sanding on the sides to slip on and off with SOME friction, but not much...
I've no experience with sanding them really. Is there a technique to sanding them? I seem to recall someone mentioned once mentioned about rubbing chalk on the head of the fin to see where it's catching. What kind of grit should I use?
80 grit on a flat block, sides only, check it after 20 strokes
Did you get it out?
Before you sand it, try it in again with some lube. I use lanolin grease.
That is assuming you got it out yet.
80grit is quite aggressive so go easy on any sanding if you use it. If the head went in the box all the way without breaking anything it probably only needs a fraction taken off.
I would lube with water.
Light, circular sanding strokes.
Should be easy wiggle push in fit.
spray WD40 into the box around the stuck head (board bottom facing up), let sit overnight, then wiggle loose in am. Next, lightly lube head with silicone grease before inserting, do that for a while until it comes out easily, then stop lubing it.
Coconut oil is good for when you put it back in. When you get it out you will need to lightly sand the head as Leed said. Use a sanding block too.
There may be some carbon grit / dust in your box which is binding the 2 parts together...similar to when your 2 part mast decides to bond itself together.
When I wiggle my mast in the out of the board, there's a bit of water + carbon that comes out.
it sounds as though the faces of the Tuttle head are just too tight in the box.
Thanks all. Heading out for another session today. Bringing the mallet and some WD40.
Select to expand quotedohertpk said..
WD40 and lots of cursing got the job done.
good to hear, now keep 'er lubed
Sanding until tight, then McLube Sailkote spray is miraculous, head slides out where before it need a sharp jolt
Select to expand quoteRuddeBos said..
Would recommend mclube, rather than wd40
Or Dupont Teflon non stick dry film lubricant.
Select to expand quotePeter Hands said..
Sanding until tight, then McLube Sailkote spray is miraculous, head slides out where before it need a sharp jolt
From what I can see, McLube is PTFE, an environmentally harmful long-lived chemical. Silicone grease is not environmentally harmful as far as I know. You are putting it in the water that fish live in, sooner or later you are going to be eating PTFE!
Try to take it out before you disattach the fuselage. So use the fus to apply more pull power. That helps a lot.
You can use non-hydrogenated Coconut Oil for almost anything you could use WD-40 for. It's available in grocery stores in spray-cans - intended for cooking but very useful for applications like these. Pretty good natural lubricant for all kinds of things and neither smelly nor harmful.
