ok, in anticipation of the avalanche of teenage responses to the mere mention of the word "lube," i request that those concerned start a humour thread on the topic, cos right here i actually want to know about taking care of my gear (no, not that gear, my kites, please).

with all the talk of pulley failure and maintenance issues lately i've decided to do some homework. my kites have pulleys, and if i ever have enough dough to get new kites i'll seriously consider the no-pulley option, but for now, i want to make these ones perform and last as well as possible.

having read about sailkote, both on seabreeze and their own hype, i thought i'd check it out, but after phoning a few chandlers on my side of melbourne i found none who stock it and a few who said, "use the dupont teflon/wax spray, just as good and cheaper." sucker that i am i bought a tin of the stuff. it seems like bike lube in an aerosol.

the sailkote crew say it forms a dry film that won't rub off on clothes etc. the dupont teflon stuff does rub off. its a soft waxy stuff that looks like it would attract dirt and sand, even though it claims "self-cleaning technology."

so the question is, for those who've used sailkote, does it set up drier than teflon/wax/silicone sprays, or is it just hype on a product that is essentially the same?

if it is better, where to get it in melbourne?

cheers, brendan

bennie said...

, but fist impressions r good.

lubricants and fist impressions...and we're still not allowed any humour on this post?!

i always wunderd what the ronston factry next to my school made
now i no

Get a can of silcone spray, works well on chicken loops, pulleys etc. but you need to re-apply it every now and then

lotofwind said...

Wannabe said...

i use a few different types for different things on skiffs.
anything metal on metal should be something along the lines of WD40, INOX or CRC.
with plastic parts, the silicons are much better, however i find you do get what you pay for. the $10 cans work well, however they wash off very very quickly. the ronstan sail smart (or whatever it is) it pretty good. by far the best it McLube, more expensive yes... however no matter how much water goes through it, it stays lubricated and smooth :), and dries faster than the others as well

McLube "giggle"on your McPullie"giggle"and McNuggets.


Will give the McLube ago,
How much for a can?
And I guess I can get it from any chandlery?
Cheers

not too sure on the price, but should be able to get it from a good chandlery that stocks harken gear

cabstar said...

i always wunderd what the ronston factry next to my school made
now i no

Ronstan = best boat bits you can get I reckon, especially blocks (pullies). To see that they have made a specialised kite block shows that they keep their technology relevant to the market. The fact that they make a dedicated bridle block means that there is a clear market for decent equipment. Given that my Naish bar has Ronstan blocks on the ends of it, I will not be surprised to see the next season of Naish bridled kites come out with Ronstan kite blocks in the bridle. I don't know who else will be using them.

My sister has done some business networking stuff with the MD of Ronstan. Two guys called Ron and Stan started it up. How Aussie is that.

lotofwind said...

Thanx Wannabe,
now all Ive gotta do is try not to laugh when I walk in and ask for some McLube

Especially if you order it at a drive through

Wannabe said...

lostinlondon said...

cabstar said...

i always wunderd what the ronston factry next to my school made
now i no

Ronstan = best boat bits you can get I reckon, especially blocks (pullies). To see that they have made a specialised kite block shows that they keep their technology relevant to the market. The fact that they make a dedicated bridle block means that there is a clear market for decent equipment. Given that my Naish bar has Ronstan blocks on the ends of it, I will not be surprised to see the next season of Naish bridled kites come out with Ronstan kite blocks in the bridle. I don't know who else will be using them.

My sister has done some business networking stuff with the MD of Ronstan. Two guys called Ron and Stan started it up. How Aussie is that.

Ronstan gear isn't that fantastic, Harken is much better, and the bits that 'Riley' make are slightly better but their range is very limited.
These "specialised kite blocks" are actually the EXACT ones i've been using on skiffs for quite a few years, sorry but they arent specialised kite blocks.

Oh and yeah, i've had some dealings with Alister Murray (ronstan md) too, i sail against him quite often. he is often given a hard time about the gear they sell, especially their ratchet blocks and starting timers

Isn't AM the guy the heads the party during Mets?

As far as lube goes in sailing applications it's hard to go past McLube/Sailkot, best stuff you gan get imo.