Vetus POLY3026 Utilisation page 2

Fitting the VETUS Vinyl Rubbing Strakes
Preparation
As both the under-profile and
insert of the rubbing strakes
have often been rolled up for a
long period and the material
hardens somewhat after extru-
sion, it is difficult to work with
straight from the roll.
However, this can be resolved
quite easily.
Saw the required length plus a
bit extra from the under-profile
and heat it to a temperature of
60 to 70 degrees C (140 to 160
degrees F) in order to straighten
the profile.
Immerse the profile in hot water
for about 20 minutes. Take it out
and immediately straighten all
bends to obtain a straight pro-
file (wear gloves when doing
this).
Or, you can use a hot-air paint
stripper. Heat about a metre at a
time and then straighten it.
Work along the whole length in
this way.
Even after cooling, the under-
profile will remain flexible for
some time, and thus easier to
work with.
Fitting the Rubbing Strake
Now fit the under-profile to the
ship.
Use bolts or screws for this,
about 20 to 30 cm. between
centres.
To prevent the strake sagging
between the screws or bolts,
take one of the following meas-
ures:
• Apply a sealant between the
ship's hulls and the profile
(e.g. silicon sealant).
• Fit a 2 mm (
minium strip that fits in the
groove of the under-profile.
For bends, heat the under-pro-
file up again with the hot air
paint stripper and bend the
strake round the bend without
stretching.
The minimum bend radius for
large profiles is 30 mm (1
and for smaller profiles 20 mm
( 3 ⁄ ").
4
Continue in this way around the
ship, and cut the strake to the
right length only when complet-
ed.
Vinyl rubbing strakes
1 ⁄ ") thick alu-
16
1 ⁄ "),
4
Fitting the Insert
Again, heat the insert strip to
about 60 to 70 degrees C (140
to 160 degrees F) by immersing
in hot water as described for the
under-profile. Or heat it bit-by-
bit with a hot-air paint stripper
as you fit it along the under pro-
file. Stagger joints in under-pro-
file and insert by at least 1 metre
(3 ft).
It is easiest to work the insert
when it is warm. Press the insert
together and slide it into the
under profile.
NEVER cut the ends of the
insert to size immediately after
fitting. During assembly, the
insert will always stretch and will
recover slowly after fitting.
So allow the ends to protrude at
least 20 cm (8") and trim to size
only after 3 or 4 days.
Glue the ends of the insert
together with PVC glue to
ensure that the joint will not
open.
Glue the ends of the under-pro-
file together for the same rea-
son.
PVC Rubbing Strakes never
leave black
stripes behind on other ships
or objects.
Fitting the End Plates
For HARO, TRAP and POLY
type strakes:
Saw the strake at right-angles
and slide in the end plate and
screw it down with the last
screw on the under-profile.
ENGLISH
or coloured
6.0801
2