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Forums > Windsurfing General

Zips are always broken

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Created by Carantoc > 9 months ago, 26 Jul 2010
Carantoc
WA, 6941 posts
26 Jul 2010 10:58AM
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I have got 6 sail bags with zips.

3 are broken. All due to salt seizing them I think. All less than 2 years old.

I bet if I counted all the other zips on my gear 50% would be bust.

How do you keep zips working and free of salt and sand ?, other than washing them everytime you go out, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a bag in which to throw a salty, sandy sail.

I use chain lube on them every so often but it only seems to delay the inevitable

choco
SA, 4080 posts
26 Jul 2010 1:47PM
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It appears Antoine's zip on his clew is broken? ....but that doesn't slow him down.

lungs
QLD, 492 posts
26 Jul 2010 2:50PM
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i have the same problem, even had to cut down the side of the zipper with a knife on one bag to get the sail out, problem solved by finding an old sail bag with the draw string and plastc push locky thingy, doesn't look as good but no zipps on it

swoosh
QLD, 1927 posts
26 Jul 2010 3:07PM
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put your sails in the bag luff first, and stand the sails up in your shed luff down, so the salt water doesn't pool and dry up over the zips?

mineral1
WA, 4564 posts
26 Jul 2010 1:08PM
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WD40

nosinkanow
NSW, 441 posts
26 Jul 2010 3:56PM
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Wax stick on the teeth or silicone spray on the zip slide when new or newish to keem 'em free moving. Avoid WD40, use Lanox (Lanolin based) it's kinder to more plastics, more sticky therefore waterproof longer. Unfortunately it seems that zips used in bags aren't the best quality and corrode, if they use wetsuit zippers (YKK) they'd outlast the sail and bag and costs not much more per unit. With the price of sails nowadays you'd think they can afford to use the better quality zips for the overall top quality image they want to depict.

knigit
WA, 319 posts
26 Jul 2010 6:27PM
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mineral1 said...

WD40


Does the trick. Even if it's 3 times the price of the competition's products it's always first choice. The other stuff just doesn't smell right. WD40 = instant happy childhood memories for me.

Now that I think about it.. so does airfix glue and petrol. Maybe we just needed better ventilation in the shed, and my happy memories are chemically enhanced.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
26 Jul 2010 6:34PM
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I would avoid the CRC and wd type stuff as the oils ,solvents etc will get into the sail material. With all our landsailing gear, which gets used on pure, wet salt , we spray silicon lube onto it BEFORE we get it wet or salty. its the only thing that works long term on zips. If they get really dirty I wash with frsh water, blow dry then straight on with the silicon spray. make sure you use the little tube to get it right into the zip.

sboardcrazy
NSW, 8072 posts
26 Jul 2010 10:06PM
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I was warned by a sailmaker to use silicone spray but never got around to finding any..The board bag he was telling me to spray is great but a new sail/gear bag has one of the zips stuffed..the funny thing is its the one zip Ive never used! So once they get the salty /seized affliction can they be revived with the silicone or is it too late?
Also where do you buy it..Bunnings or a more specialised store..?

busterwa
3777 posts
26 Jul 2010 10:06PM
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hey i have a sail and gear bag its like 2 metres in lenghth is there anywhere where i can take it to get a new zip.. id give it to my oldes( namely oldies (mum) but id feel bad as i already drop of my washing and nick all there food.)

pepe47
WA, 1381 posts
27 Jul 2010 12:19AM
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Think I'd probably go for the wax stick, any forms of lubricant that leave a slick on the zipper are going to attract the very thing you're trying to remove, dust, salt, sand etc. I don't know whether I agree with standing sails upright on thier luff pocket either, which of course in my case is where the zipper usually ends up, letting all the water drain and pool around the zip. Then when it dries....

Probably over the top but when I wash my sails I also wash the sail bag as well.

nosinkanow
NSW, 441 posts
27 Jul 2010 3:16AM
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sboardcrazy said...

I was warned by a sailmaker to use silicone spray but never got around to finding any..The board bag he was telling me to spray is great but a new sail/gear bag has one of the zips stuffed..the funny thing is its the one zip Ive never used! So once they get the salty /seized affliction can they be revived with the silicone or is it too late?
Also where do you buy it..Bunnings or a more specialised store..?


You can recover some, many not. If the crusting has seized the slide you can try pouring hot water on the slider hoping it will dissolve some of the salt. Leave immersed for stubborn ones but be prepared to be dissapointed if it's this bad. Using pliers grab the slider and try to move it back and forth. Sometimes it requires a swift pull in the "closing" direction, most of the time the slider will fall apart coz it was cheap in the first place. Biggest risk it will shear the teeth off the zip and it's all now cactus.

You can get silicone spray from lots of places, Bunnings should have them and auto accessory shops like SuperCheap and others. It has lots of other uses apart from lubricating, spray it on shoes and tent flys for more water****ing etc.. However if you want a good lubricant Lanox is the ants pants.

WD40 *was* the thing to use, it was invented way back in the early 50s, still has some uses at home but for more mundane chores like fixing squeaky door hinges and removing paper stickers. There are better products out there nowadays that are not petroleum based and does not dry out or wash off easily. I used to use WD40 for decades then learnt about Inox but since then now use Lanox (same company) exclusively for everything, it has better outdoor and in particular marine usage. Very good stuff.

nosinkanow
NSW, 441 posts
27 Jul 2010 3:36AM
Thumbs Up

busterwa said...

hey i have a sail and gear bag its like 2 metres in lenghth is there anywhere where i can take it to get a new zip.. id give it to my oldes( namely oldies (mum) but id feel bad as i already drop of my washing and nick all there food.)


Find a local upholsterer or trimmer (auto or marine). Best still, buy an entry level sewing machine and learn to use it and impress your mum! Very easy to use and they come in handy for future repairs and projects of many things for years and years.

Zips and slides can be bought from Spotlight but don't expect them to be any better than what's already fitted to sail bags. Find the "endless" type and buy the matching ends (slide and lock). If you are in a big city track down industrial zip suppliers, that's if they'll sell you single units. Or remove the entire zip from a worn out wetsuit and transplant that over, it'll be a little shorter but will do the job and last forever.

pierrec45
NSW, 2005 posts
27 Jul 2010 6:25AM
Thumbs Up

I have got millage out of the following trick: I never zip all the way up or down.
Leave an inch. This way, I can screw around both ways. The zip is freer this way and I find lasts longer.

ka43
NSW, 3081 posts
27 Jul 2010 9:01AM
Thumbs Up

Whitworths or a good ship chandlery will have Mclube Sailkote in a can. Is silicon based and works great, just keep remembering to apply.
Board bags are the same. I have Dakine, Creatures of Leisure etc (all seize up or snap) and the only one that is still working great is the zips in the Flying Objects bag. Its 4-5 years old and the zips still glide like day one.

Windxtasy
WA, 4015 posts
27 Jul 2010 9:37AM
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pepe47 said...


Probably over the top but when I wash my sails I also wash the sail bag as well.




Me too and I haven't had a problem with the zips.

sboardcrazy
NSW, 8072 posts
27 Jul 2010 5:17PM
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mineral1 said...

WD40


Classic dog shot!

Krisiz1
WA, 331 posts
27 Jul 2010 6:04PM
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I have always thought that by leaving the sailbag open it helps dry the sail out, particulaly as they get put in my van wet and stay there.

busterwa
3777 posts
27 Jul 2010 7:06PM
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How long does velcro last in salt water etc?

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
27 Jul 2010 8:32PM
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silicon spray is so common now, they sell it in woolies, no need to get the overpriced "special" products

Carantoc
WA, 6941 posts
27 Jul 2010 9:07PM
Thumbs Up

pepe47 said...



Probably over the top but when I wash my sails I also wash the sail bag as well.




What ?

When do you wash your sails ?

I consider going for a sail a perfectly adequate wash for myself, let alone washing my sails afterwards.

By the way -how do you keep sand out of the bed, mine is like sleeping on 100 grit wet and dry



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"Zips are always broken" started by Carantoc