F25 GUN MOUNT REPAIR

[markmuk]

The white plastic inside the spinnaker gun mount of my just-acquired F25 was broken up and it was really tough to get the pole to slide through. I removed the mount, knocked out what was left of the 1/8" thick plastic and epoxied some similar-thickness, synthetic carpeting in it's place. After a generous application of "Liquid Rollers" (a spray used to lubricate boat trailer bunks that I happened to have on my garage shelf ) to the "carpet bushing", the pole now slides through easilly (without any rattles).

Now it's time to put it all back together on the boat, rig it up and sail!

[RussNelson]

How did that work for you?

I'm 3D printing a new sleeve.

PXL_20240118_222424758.MP-smaller.png (971.14 KiB) Viewed 275 times

[johncd3141]

What filament material are you using?

[iansan5653]

Oh interesting - 3D printed PETG could work well, though I'd be worried about the increased friction of the full tube. Though maybe it's better since it distributes loads better? How will you secure it in the gun mount?

I personally used UHMW strips (https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/7701T91). It was pretty easy to cut them to the length of the tube, drilled and countersunk 1/4" holes, and used nylon bolts to secure them (https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/92929A222 and https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/94922A325). Not the cheapest solution though once you factor in shipping. $18 for those nylon cap nuts is absurd, but I guess McMaster never claimed to be affordable.

3 years in though and it's still working perfectly.