Replacing Mistral Equipe XR daggerboard gasket

d0uglass

Hi y'all,

I'm sure this has been asked 10,000 times before, but what's the most straightforward way to buy or build a replacement daggerboard gasket for a Mistral Equipe XR 372? The old one had completely rotted off, so I scraped away the residue to start with a clean slate. Looks like it would be an easy job if I could just find a strip of the right kind of rubber and a tube of the right kind of glue.

-James

greyghost · Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Posts: 151

this is were a lot of people buy replacement gaskets.
mine has one from Calema...very pricey tho.

http://calema.com/shop/mistral-centerboard-gasket/

glued with this which seems to work ok. I glued down section by section held down with a 10 # weight to make a tight seal between the gasket and board.

http://www.amazon.com/Stuff-Super-Instant-Glue-Ounces/dp/tech-data/B0006O3TNK

d0uglass · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:11 am Post subject:

Cool. $50 isn't too bad. Looks like I'll have to cut the gasket a little shorter, per Tinho's instructions, since I think my 372 is one of the earlier Equipes.

greyghost · Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Posts: 151

just a forewarning that the gasket it very stiff.
I've only sailed my Equipe twice since I bought it a couple months ago (been on the my other two mainly) but I lubed up the daggerboard with either a silicone lubricant or WD 40 and it was fine on the water. Benefit is that it makes a good seal, no water flying up when under power.

thombiz · Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 799 Location: Corpus Christi

Also, it seems to help the adhesive bond to the gasket better if you roughen up the gasket with sand paper prior to applying the adhesive. The urethane gasket isn't easy to sand so it'll be tough to get it roughened up. The gasket is too stiff in my opinion, so I increased flex by cutting a kerf cuts about half way thru the gasket thickness. I used a table saw to make them and they are located 5/16" either side of the center slit and running end to end. I clamped a piece of wood to my rip fence which just barely let the gasket slide under it and over the saw blade. This kept the depth of the cut constant, end to end. I started by just barely cutting it on the first pass, then carefully making the cut deeper until it looked correct. Worked great.

The cuts should me made on the adhesive side.

RaceboardDude · Joined: 08 Dec 2010 Posts: 86

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Ugly_Bird · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 335

RaceboardDude · Joined: 08 Dec 2010 Posts: 86

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GDK-CAN196 · Joined: 27 Apr 2011 Posts: 2

Thanks to all for the excellent advice - I'm about to start replacement on my Superlight 2 with a WindPower gasket and BSI extra-thick CA.

Given the stiffness of the gasket, I'm amazed the CA glue can take the peeling stress of bending the gasket 90-degrees.

Along with sanding the adhesive side of the new gasket, WindPower recommended cleaning the gasket with Ajax or similar abrasive/chlorine cleaner to remove all traces of mold release or other grease or lubricants.

Anyone else have cleaning suggestions or tried a different solvent - maybe acetone ?

RaceboardDude · Joined: 08 Dec 2010 Posts: 86

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