Tandem Island seat removal

I had my 2014 TI on the beach for three weeks. Now, at home, I've been unable to unlock and remove the seats. I've sprayed WD40 overnight and I'll try again tomorrow. Any more pressure on the seat tabs and I'm afraid I'll break them.

Has anyone solved this ?

thanx,
bill

If you're talking about the tabs that anchor the seat bottom to the kayak, then soaking with water should work. The tabs are plastic and wd40 isn't going to dissolve salt crystals - I'm assuming that's what would cause this.

If you're talking about the straps that attach the seat back to the kayak, try unscrewing that tabs from the kayak first, but I'm not sure how these would get frozen...

_________________
-Chris

I don't recommend spraying WD 40 on plastic, it attacks the plastic and destroys it. It's likely dried sand, mud, salt that is jamming the thing in. If you can get a vice grip on the bottom of the fitting (not the tabs) you might have better luck. I would spray with a water nozzle forcefully as you wiggle the blade back and forth until the dried debry gets washed out. Once out forcefully spray water into the hole to wash away any remaining sand and grit. The plastic they use is water loving/self lubricating plastic. Never use any oils or greases on that type of plastic (Acetal).
It's probably a good idea to remove the seats and wash everything out (ie... Sand) often. We live in Florida and if we don't remove the seats and rinse and dry them they get moldy inside and on the underside. Once you get Icky black mold in the padding inside you can't get rid of it. Also the seats shouldn't be left in the sun, the UV light destroys the fabric quickly, especially your sail which is Dacron and should always be stored out of sunlight (in the black sail bag (preferably clean and dry ( ie...black mold)
Even the hull itself UV sunlight will destroy over time (especially here in Florida where it's always very sunny).
Hope this helps
FE

Instead of WD40 on the plastic parts, I use Silicone spray.

The features I like are that it doesn't attack plastic, it dries quickly and doesn't attract sand, mud, dirt, etc., and it actually bonds to the surface.

I've been told that Silicone (unlike WD40 that washes off) must be mechanically removed.

BTW, the Silicone spray also helps pop-up sprinkler heads that stick in the up position.

The spray is relatively low cost, and avaiable at Lowes or HOme Depot, often found on the electrical isle.

After you get the parts lossened, out, and cleaned of any debris; try it.