Coaching & Tuning -The Pickard Way
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Slot Gasket -by Ian Pickard
RS200/400 Slot Gasket cutting instructions:75mm wide slot gasket strip
The measurements are a combination of those from the LDC template sheet and my own slot gasket on 1165.
I had difficulty measuring the overall length of mine as the boat was on its trolley! Hence I suggest you cut it to 1340mm long and slit starting 190mm from the front edge and stop the slit 65mm from the back edge, without the cross-slit. You can then cut the last little bit of the slit and the cross slit when you can measure it on your boat.
That part is not as critical as the main part of the slit to performance and longevity as the board is very thin at that point and tends not to snag the gasket anyway.
Some tips from experience are: get the gasket area of the hull totally clean, removing all old adhesive, and key thoroughly with 40 grit sandpaper; use a fresh Stanley knife blade to make the slit; a whipping twine reel makes an ideal template for the forward end of the gasket; do the cutting with both the gasket and a long straight edge fixed to a cutting board (ideally not wood, as the knife follows the grain!); make a light pass with the blade first to make a groove in the gasket before trying to cut all the way through; tape the slit back shut with masking tape immediately after cutting it (and leave on until the glue is cured); sand the back of the gasket material to improve adhesion and clean everything well with acetone just before attaching the gasket.
