Sail Coatings

[thinwater]

If used on a laminate sail, which will likely be repaired using adhesives rather than stitching at some point in the future, would the coating ruin the bond? I think yes. And since Sailcote (and probably the DuPont product) won't easily scrub off or remove with solvent, this sounds like a polyester only trick, for me, at least.

Does tape still stick well enough to hold tell tales?

 

[Sailboat.Sequoyah]

The telltales are doing fine, but they were there before. I doubt new tape would stick well but haven't tried it. That would include repair tape, I'm sure. Things not sticking to the surface is one of the benefits of this. Everything has its downside, though. You makes yer choices 'n takes yer poison.

Stitching is unaffected, of course. The carrier for the PTFE is alcohol. Any adhesive readily soluble in that would be affected, but in my case if it happened at all it was to a negligible degree. The edges of the patches are as secure as before. The alcohol vaporizes off in a matter of seconds on a decently warm afternoon, so there wouldn't be much in any case.

I don't feel comfortable addressing the effects on sails made of materials other than the woven polyester, of which mine is. I'd not think alcohol would attack those plastics, but perhaps someone else could speak to that.

 

[dlochner]

The carrier for the PTFE is alcohol.

Which Dupont product are you using? Did you check the SDS to see what solvents are used?

When I checked the SDS for SailKote, ethyl alcohol was only one of the organic solvents listed. http://www.harken.com/uploadedFiles...L1-ML2_Sailkote-Domestic-Aerosol_MSDS_Eng.PDF

In these matters of chemistry, I value the opinions of chemists and chemical engineers.

 

[uncledom]

The admiral works for Diakin America which is the company from which McLube buys their PTFE. It is not a cleaner per se but does help shed dirt it seems as anyone who has sprayed it on a dirty track will tell you. Racers, and I mean the big boys, buy it in large drums. They layout the sails and rub it on with a broom. It makes the sail water proof for a while, till it wears off. If you dip your spinnaker it comes up dry. They also used it on the hull until McLube made Hull Kote which is awesome also.