| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy (Jeffr) Rating: N/A |
I know exactly what to do. These slides are on lots of S2's. You can not get replacements but they are easy to make. Both slides on my 6.9 were cracked and brittle. I looked at lots of different materials and I can say with certainty that Starboard from King Plastics is the best choice. It is a UV stable polymer that is used for lots of things in the boating industry. It comes in several of sizes and colors, including black. The material is tough but not brittle. It can be machined with wood working tools. You will want 3/4" stock in 4' lenghts. Unfortunately the distributors sell some small sizes but nothing that long (except a 1/2 sheet). The stuff is expensive if you buy a lot of it. A half sheet could cost several hundered. I called around and found a local boat yard that was willing to rip me off a piece and sold it to me for $30. I found a couple places that would cut custom sizes and ship it, I don't remember who they were, try to find it locally. The 9.1 I am buying needs replacements too! I wish I could have seen into the future. I would have made a dozen rails!. Like most table saw projects, making 12 is the same as making 2. I used my table saw, router table and drill press. You could do it all with a table saw and a hand drill. Use your existing guides as patterns. Another tip, buy a cheap blade for your saw. I ruined a good blade cutting this stuff. Also, if you have a dust collector keep an eye on it. The shaving from this stuff create a lot of volume fast. If I wasn't expecting to be swamped with new boat projects, I would offer to make some for you. Realisticly, who knows when I will get around to replacing my own. If you haven't replaced them by then I'll make you a pair at the same time. |
