Slippery Strip For RIB Keel?

[jviss]

I'm having trouble pulling my RIB up onto the dinghy dock. Getting old, I guess.

I feel like I can do it, but the keel is just too sticky against the wooden dock.

I heard or saw sometime about a self-adhesive strip of UHMW polyethylene that one could adhere to the "V" of the hull, so as to make is slip and slide much more easily for this operation. I can't find it online. Any ideas?

Thanks,

jv

 

[shemandr]

I don’t that product, but I used to coat the bottom of my hard dink with epoxy filled with a graphite powder - West System 423. It gave pretty good abrasion protection and left a slippery surface.

 

[rgranger]

Is this what you were trying to find?

Highfield RIBS Keel Guard

Highfield's Keel Guard protects Aluminum RIBS against abrasive sand, rocks, concrete ramps and oyster beds; allowing protection for beach landings. Features: Increases the value of your boat by eliminating costly repairs Composite construction en

www.defender.com

 

[jviss]

Is this what you were trying to find?

Highfield RIBS Keel Guard

Highfield's Keel Guard protects Aluminum RIBS against abrasive sand, rocks, concrete ramps and oyster beds; allowing protection for beach landings. Features: Increases the value of your boat by eliminating costly repairs Composite construction en

www.defender.com

Thanks, but no, I don't think that's it.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Sorry, no experience with a strip of material like that, but I have started using a cheap furniture dolly to get my Dyer Dhow up and down the launch ramp. I screwed a couple 2x4 pieces on it to match the hull shape a little better, and tied a line onto it so I can pull it along in synch with the dinghy. Lots easier than just brute forcing it.

 

[jviss]

Sorry, no experience with a strip of material like that, but I have started using a cheap furniture dolly to get my Dyer Dhow up and down the launch ramp. I screwed a couple 2x4 pieces on it to match the hull shape a little better, and tied a line onto it so I can pull it along in synch with the dinghy. Lots easier than just brute forcing it.

Thanks, but that won't work for me.

 

[MikeHoncho]

How about this- https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/kee...VMcLCBB2fCw6hEAQYAiABEgKaWvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[jviss]

How about this- https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/keelshield-keel-guard?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas|Shopping|Smart|Boating|General|NAud|TopPerf|NMT&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI26Wazbmc-QIVMcLCBB2fCw6hEAQYAiABEgKaWvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks, but I don't think. that's it.

 

[MikeHoncho]

I’m afraid you won’t find a UHMW or HDPE that has adhesive strips. Nothing really sticks well to it.

 

[jviss]

I’m afraid you won’t find a UHMW or HDPE that has adhesive strips. Nothing really sticks well to it.

Au contraire! uhmw tape

 

[dmax]

You could make your own using a strip and adhesive from mcmaster-carr:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

They have an epoxy that sticks to polyethylene though it's pricey:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

They say this about their strips of UHMW:
"Strips with an etched texture have one side that’s scuffed to readily accept an adhesive; the other side is smooth."

Or you could mechanically fasten it with recessed screws (though holes in the bottom of the boat, not so good).

 

[DArcy]

You could try slippery tape, it is UHMW

Slippery (Low-Friction) Tape - Lee Valley Tools

www.leevalley.com

 

[jviss]

You could try slippery tape, it is UHMW

Slippery (Low-Friction) Tape - Lee Valley Tools

www.leevalley.com

That's very interesting, thanks! It's only 5 mil thick - I wonder how it will hold up in my application?

 

[MikeHoncho]

I think this is what I was getting at. You don’t see these types a materials bonded in larger masses because the bonding options don’t last or work well with the material. Thin tape doesn’t need much shear strength but increase the material to 1/8 and the bonding materials doesn’t work well. I was making wake gates for wakesurfing boats for a while out of HDPE and wanted to glue them together for speed. Nothing worked other than SS screws.

 

[dmax]

Yeah, I can't see the tape lasting long. It's great for quieting down comapnionway slides though.

 

[scottscotty]

(866) 652-2557 sales@duroglide.com give them a call to see what they recommend

 

[dmax]

Or you could take two strips of UHMW, screw them together to form an "L", round off the square edge and figure out a way to temporarily secure it to the edge of the dinghy dock whenever you need to haul the dinghy up. You could use a polyethylene cutting board for the material (cheap). You might want a lanyard with a float on it so it doesn't sink when it inevitably falls in. Here's a profile of what I mean: