hi all,

help me help my neighbor out...he has an early 80's hobie 16 that the numbers are starting to come off the sail..how does he stick 'em back on??

thanks,
davey

You could buy new numbers or use the spray adhesive you can find in most craft stores (be sure to spray the back of the number only - not the sail. That stuff will attract a lot of dirt).

hey jake,

that spray adhesive you mentioned... do you think it could be used (given enough layers) as a waterproofing agent on my wingtubes inside my hulls?

I use it from time to time on some sign projects (and most recently to re-attach my door skins to my RV side door - loooong story) but I wouldn't rely on it to do anything but be sticky.

I don't exactly follow you though...what are you trying to seal that something like silicone or some of the super 3M products wouldn't take care of? Are you talking about the bottom of the hull socket or between the wing tube and the socket?

no, I'm talking about sealing the wing tube from the inside with some kind of waterproofing agent. Its just that I've only got a 5" hole in the deck to work though, and slapping epoxy could get hairy, and I couldn't be sure of getting coverage on the backside of the tube (the part I can't see from the porthole).

How about a can of ruberized chassis coating found in an automotive section somewhere? (that could get messy inside the hull though)

if you can reach the entire tube from the inside through the porthole, I suggest using a silicone material, like an automotive gasket sealer e.g. "Permatex RTV Blue silicone". Put on rubber or vinyl gloves, squeeze a bunch out onto your hand, and then just "wipe" it all over the tube inside the hulls. It's a lot less drippy than epoxy, it's designed to be waterproof and it's designed to stick to stuff that's slippery & oily. Seems like it could work.
There's also versions designed for bathtub-wall joints, gutters, foundations, etc. They are all designed to produce a watertight, flexible, seal, that sticks to many surfaces. Ideally, when applying, surface is clean, not dusty or oily or wet.