Especially when jumping, riding waves or crossing white water, the foil has a lot to do and is exposed to strong vibrations. These stresses can cause the screws to loosen slightly and the foil to start wobbling back and forth. This is detrimental to the material in the long term, impairs performance and, on top of that, it is annoying to have to go to the beach again and again.
One solution that is not (!) recommended would be to tighten the screws particularly tightly - because even grandma knew: "After tight comes loose!" You should also not wait until the screws are corroded and can no longer be loosened, as this also increases the risk of the screws breaking off at some point. If this has happened to you, check out our article " What to do if screws are torn off? ".
Secure foil screws - with Loctite!
The easiest way to secure screws against vibrations is "Loctite". The manufacturer Loctite offers various adhesives and sealants for threads to secure them against vibration loads; some of these adhesives are even approved for drinking water and are therefore biologically harmless. There are different strength levels, but apart from that, you should only use Loctite on the foil for the connection between the baseplate and the mast, as in most cases this connection is never or only rarely loosened.
Loctite should not (!) be used for connections that need to be loosened regularly, e.g. mast/fuselage or fuselage/wing.
Teflon tape for sash and fuselage
Teflon tape or thread-sealing tape has proven its worth for the mast/fuselage connection. We have already reported on this elsewhere, e.g. in the article " Grease the foil screws ".
However, the Teflon tape can also help to prevent shaking and should be wrapped tightly and in a maximum of 3 layers around the dry screw. It is not necessary to wrap the entire screw, but only the point where the threads of the mast and fuselage meet. When screwing in the screws, make sure that the tape is "pulled" into the thread. If the tape pushes up when screwing in, you will have to try again with fewer layers. As the tape does not stick on its own, you should not wrap it in the wind to avoid tantrums. As a rule, the tape lasts for several sessions despite the screws being screwed in and out, and can be easily removed and reapplied again and again. The Teflon tape works wonders against corrosion and loosening of the screws during vibrations.
So if you or your wing partners have a screw loose in the future, you now know what to do... 😉
