Kevlar isn't carbon. Now I know.

Those type of patches are usually used to protect paint angainst scuffs from brake hoses, around ignitions to protect from key scratches, that type of thing....Force 4 have definately got it wrong.
 
I've seen composite type patched used successfully where ropes don't pass too acutely over boat surfaces, but where there's a spot abrasion it has to be stainless plate, rod or bar.
 
macd said:
The yellow and black patch looks like carbon/kevlar hybrid, so you're stuffed either way.

I don't know why it should be so, but some materials which are very wear-resistant as solids seem to lose that quality when spun into tiny fibres and set in resin. Like your rubbing patch. But also like glass, perhaps...that very hard stuff you also sometimes encounter in resin?

We use proprietory stainless steel rubbing strakes where lines attack the edge of our coaming. Tough stuff. Wears hardly at all.
Click to expand...


Basically the resin wears through pretty quickly exposing the individual fibres which the rope or whatever is then rubbing against. Once you get to that situation you've got a single tiny strand of carbon or Kevlar being pulled about which quickly breaks. If you have a solid block then the rope has to slowly wear away a solid surface pretty much at a molecular level.
 
Dan
there are special wear patches covered in a thin stainless steel with adhesive back that are made specifically for wear strips . (I know a chap who sells them but only see him 2-3 times a year) perhaps if you google them you may find them. They are sold for cruisers over edges by winches etc so would do your job ok
As an aside I have never sailed an Osprey but on my Phantom the boat is lots more stable if one eases the kicking strap when going down wind. I find it no longer a case of trying to remember because I will end up swimming if I forget.
However, the leach should never be allowed to get in front of the mast so there is a limit to how much to ease off.
 
Thank you gentlemen. I think the description of tiny individual fibres being rapidly broken down by a stiff rope like a saw, explains exactly why a fabric-based pad can't work in this application, regardless of the relative toughness of the fibre.

Thanks Daydream, I've been alert from the start to the fact that until I as a clot began singlehanding the Osprey, there was no evidence of this wear-problem having occurred before...so it's purely down to my bad technique.

I'll try to remember that the vang being over-tight (or too slack) downwind isn't great for performance either. :encouragement:
 
Dan don't bother with any self adhesive stainless pads they won't stick to the tight radius that you have.

When they come unstuck you end up with a razor. I managed to slice down to my bone on a knuckle without noticing until I saw the blood in the scuppers
Use stainless keel band tapered and screwed down. You can tape it in place first to establish best position. Link to follow tried editing post but doesn't work on mobile!
 
Thanks TSB, the keelband idea is particularly good since I need to get more, anyway...my tedious keelband saga isn't over, because I seem to have used non-bronze screws last time - nasty corroded mess along the keel-line...

...but that is a different, long and doze-inducing story. Catch up with the latest chapter here on the forum soon. :(
 
savageseadog said:
I've seen composite type patched used successfully where ropes don't pass too acutely over boat surfaces, but where there's a spot abrasion it has to be stainless plate, rod or bar.
Click to expand...

A lot of dinghy fittings like cam cleat jaws are made with carbon reinforced plastic, or Kevlar reinforced plastic, and seem to last very well.
 
Yes, that looks like good stuff...I wonder if it's tougher than the brass I've used previously? Ooops, I'm slipping into keelband mode here.

Interesting that two years ago I had to search hard for the brass strips to defend the boat's undersides...

...now it's available from Classic Marine, Norfolk Marine, even Force 4. P'raps the stockists read the forum. :rolleyes:
 
Have you looked at Chafe tape . I bought some from Allspars. It seems to do the job and resist abrasion. The link is here

My only complaint is that it goes a bit yellow after a couple of years in the Med's sun.

TudorSailor
 
I've looked at chafe tape, but I slightly doubt it can be any tougher than the GRP edging which the taut vang wore through with ease.

Really, I think a strip of that keel-band metal will be the answer...it's not unlike the stainless steel strake which was originally suggested back in November, except that that was £8 for a narrow piece 8 inches long. The brass or stainless keel band strips are much cheaper and £25 worth will defend the cockpit edge as well as the hull. :)
 
dancrane said:
I've looked at chafe tape, but I slightly doubt it can be any tougher than the GRP edging which the taut vang wore through with ease.
Click to expand...

I bought some chafe tape to protect the gelcoat at the back of the cockpit where I pull in the traveller lines. The lines run from on the other side of the cockpit (I have a centre cockpit). I had some light grooves from the lines. Since applying the chafe tape it has not worn through. However the friction only occurs when pulling on the lines so not continually as may be the case in your setup

For my situation, the tape has performed well

TS
 
As predicted, Force 4 took gave me a refund for the kevlar strips and expressed surprise that they were so unsuitable for the purpose intended.

I mentioned the persuasive point that it's the fibrous form these pads take, which makes them vulnerable to the abrasion of a rubbing rope. I daresay they are good at resisting less hot impacts.

PS thanks for the chafe tape idea...but now that I've got a new keel-band to fit, I'll be using sections of the old one to protect the deck edge.
 
Indeed they're Kevlar wear patches - as used on my mainsail to resist the effect of running with swept spreaders.Mine have, however all been one colour and lasted about 7-8 years on the last main.
Sounds as though Force 4, as well as the OP, don't know how they're used.
 
P'raps we're not talking about the same item Mr Reed...

...the things I bought in ignorance (or was mis-sold) are fairly thick heavy stuff...not something I'd want deforming my mainsail.
 
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