| Hobie Forums http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/ |
|
| mast rotation lube http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=62308 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | walt [ Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | mast rotation lube |
After three seasons of using my TI and lubing the rotating mast bearings with WD40, my mast rotation was becoming so stiff that the sail would not unfurl all the way or fully rotate when I changed tacks. So.. I took the bearing receiver apart, cleaned everything up and inspected the bearings. There was a lot of crud in there but it seems all still in good shape. I also had all four screws of the base section in the tube work loose and may have been rubbing on the bottom of the mast reciever. I have used loctite on those screws in the past but maybe the water that pools in there occasionally degrades the loctite over time. After tightening the screws and with the bearings all clean, the rotation seems all good now. But before I re lube, I am wondering if there is something better than WD40 for lubing the bearing? It took several years of plenty of use before I had a problem so maybe I just have to plan for a yearly or every other year cleaning. But.. maybe some dry lube wont gum up or take longer to gum up.. Anything better than WD40 for lubing the mast rotater bearings on a TI? |
|
| Author: | stringy [ Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
I’ve never lubed the bearings as any lube, even dry, would attract dirt/sand etc. I seem to remember Hobie recommending against it? |
|
| Author: | Tom Kirkman [ Sun Mar 11, 2018 1:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
Keep in mind that WD40 isn't a lubricant. The material the mast base bearings are made from work best when they are simply clean. If you feel you must lube them, you'd want to use some sort of dry lube. There are some out there that claim to have suspended teflon in them which might work OK. You might also look at some of the bicycle chain lubes that tend to dry as a wax. The main thing is not to use anything that is oily or greasy that would attract and hold sand or dirt. |
|
| Author: | tpdavis473 [ Sun Mar 11, 2018 2:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
Since I am cheap, I try to find stuff to use that I already use somewhere else. When I need a lube that has no residue, I use automotive tire dressing. It is mostly silicone lubricant. Another cheap lubricant is parafin wax; but it is harder to apply since it is a solid block. |
|
| Author: | fusioneng [ Wed Mar 14, 2018 3:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
Those white balls are delrin, which is self lubricating, I don’t recommend any lubricant of any kind on the bearings. We just rinse ours off with the hose once in a while to get the sand out, (sand gets in everything down here). Those barings are a consumable item and need to be replaced once in a while if you use your boat alot. FE |
|
| Author: | bluesman [ Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:03 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
What about the water that collects in the mast socket? Do folks just leave it in there? What about salt water? |
|
| Author: | fusioneng [ Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
You should have a Hand operated bilge pump on board For safety anyway (We had a cheap walmart pump we stored in the hull). We pumped the mast well out when we came home and rinsed the boat off with the hose in the driveway, then pulled the trailer into the garage. BTW wd-40 ( and most Petroleum based lubricants) attacks any plastic. Just plain water works best on everything on these boats. FE |
|
| Author: | bluesman [ Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
Sounds easy to do. Is it just a plastic well, where the mast goes or is there anything in there that can corrode? |
|
| Author: | RedKite [ Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
Fairly sure there is a metal pin at the base of the socket, which locates the bottom of the mast. I always flush with fresh water then pump (or siphon) out, & leave to dry before putting away. |
|
| Author: | mcoop57 [ Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:03 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: mast rotation lube |
I’ve had my boat in the water for six days straight with family visiting. The boat is getting used a lot and if I were starting over today I would put a squirt of Dawn in the bottom of the mast base. It would be easy enough to rinse out when the boat gets home. |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|