Cat trax tire repair :: Catamaran Sailboats at TheBeachcats.com

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Cat trax tire repair

mwworlando

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Apr 24, 2010

Last visit: Nov 21, 2010

Posts: 6
Posted: May 15, 2010 - 09:46 PM

Found an old cat trax under a sea grape at a friends house. Tires were dry rotted and leaking from several holes so I figured out a way to repair them (replacements are $105 each). Drilled a hole on flat surface, filled tire with green slime for ATV tires, and then plugged drill hole with tire plug (kit at Autozone). Worked perfectly as slime filled all holes when I aired them up and spun them. These were older tires and have a needle valve so I couldn't get the green slime in them any other way. Beats spending $210 for new tires.
stephenslingerland

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Apr 13, 2009

Last visit: Jan 26, 2012

Posts: 15
Posted: May 16, 2010 - 02:21 PM

Thanks for the tip! I'll add that to my list of projects for my week off
Wolfman

Rank: Chief

Registered: Jun 24, 2009

Last visit: Jun 15, 2023

Posts: 1555
Posted: May 16, 2010 - 08:04 PM

Just read another option in Cat Sailor magazine. Apparently you can get an inner tube installed at pretty much any tire store for a decent price. Who woulda thunk it. :)

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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mwworlando

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Apr 24, 2010

Last visit: Nov 21, 2010

Posts: 6
Posted: May 16, 2010 - 09:02 PM

The problem is that the older tires are vulcanized to the rim so they don't come off. I went to three different tires stores and the first two told me my idea wouldn't work. The third guy gave me the thumbs up so I went for it. If it failed I had to get new tires anyway. Used the cat trax all weekend in super soft sand and they worked perfectly. The green slime sealed all the dry rot spots, two punctures, and my plugs in the drill holes. Make sure the spin the tires for a while before airing them up to distribute the slime. You'll see small leaks at first when you first load the tire but then the slime fills it and seals it. I used an 11/64 drill bit (same size as plug tool). Best of luck.
Wolfman

Rank: Chief

Registered: Jun 24, 2009

Last visit: Jun 15, 2023

Posts: 1555
Posted: May 16, 2010 - 10:18 PM

Ah, they must have been talking about the newer tires. I guess I will see for my self when my cat trax get here in the mail! Glad you found a solution that worked, and thanks for sharing it!

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Quarath

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jul 06, 2008

Last visit: Jul 19, 2018

Posts: 986
Posted: May 17, 2010 - 02:07 PM

Wish I'd a thought of that a while ago. I picked up and old pair like that for $30 and eventually just broke down and bought new tire/rim combos and endcaps. But I love me now I have em.

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
--
fa1321

Rank: Mate

Registered: Apr 29, 2009

Last visit: Apr 25, 2016

Posts: 191
Posted: May 18, 2010 - 09:51 AM

I just bough a tube at lowes that has slime in it for $20 but when I was airing it up my cheap air compressor burned up. So the tire is in the back of my truck today and I plan on trying to air it up at a gas station today.
fa1321

Rank: Mate

Registered: Apr 29, 2009

Last visit: Apr 25, 2016

Posts: 191
Posted: May 27, 2010 - 01:58 PM

fa1321I just bough a tube at lowes that has slime in it for $20 but when I was airing it up my cheap air compressor burned up. So the tire is in the back of my truck today and I plan on trying to air it up at a gas station today.

Did not work I took it back and got one from tracker supply 22x11/12x8 work like a champ and was $20
captndon7

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jan 05, 2003

Last visit: Jul 14, 2014

Posts: 2
Posted: Jul 13, 2014 - 12:37 PM

I got tired of having a flat cat trax tire for over a year, they get old and cracked.

Inner Tubes cost too much and you have to take the cat trax all apart and take it to tire ware house and pay them to put it in the cat trax tire.

Inner Tubes do not hold air as long as tubeless tires do.

I figured out the best way to fix old cracked tires, it’s also the easiest and cheapest way to do it, you don't have to take the cat trax all apart.

You only need to take the valve stem out and pump in 80 Oz of latex paint and put the valve stem back in and inflate it and your good to go.

80 Oz of latex paint is much better then green slime, its $50.00 and only last 2 years.

The 80 Oz of latex paint once inside the tire fills in the hundreds of cracks from the inside and stays Liquid for an indefinite amount of time.

IF you use your Cat trax for many years on the beach the stainless steel washers will act as pipe cutters and the axle will snap in to two peaces.
To prevent this from happening take out all of the cotter pins and stainless steel washers and use PVC pipe as spacers to keep the Cat trax Wheels where you want them to be, you can drill holes in the spacers if you want them to weigh less.

Edited by captndon7 on Jul 14, 2014 - 11:09 AM.
P.M.

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jan 14, 2004

Last visit: Apr 21, 2024

Posts: 859
Posted: Jul 13, 2014 - 02:05 PM

80 ounces? that's 5 lbs/tire . . .

What color latex??

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Philip
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bacho

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jun 17, 2011

Last visit: Sep 24, 2023

Posts: 783
Posted: Jul 13, 2014 - 08:43 PM

I paid about $12 each for tubes from a tire shop and did not have to take the wheel off the axle to install. It's been over a year and the guy I sold them to commented this very weekend about how impressed he was that they had not lost an ounce of air. If I had taken the wheels with me to the shop, they would have installed them for $15 each total.

If you have an old style tire, do what you have to do. If you have rims, I wouldn't advise filling them with paint.

captndon7I got tired of having a flat cat trax tire for over a year, they get old and cracked.

Inner Tubes cost too much and you have to take the cat trax all apart and take it to tire ware house and pay them to put it in the cat trax tire.

Inner Tubes do not hold air as long as tubeless tires do.

I figured out the best way to fix old cracked tires, it’s also the easiest and cheapest way to do it, you don't have to take the cat trax all apart.

You only need to take the valve stem out and pump in 80 Oz of latex paint and put the valve stem back in and inflate it and your good to go.

80 Oz of latex paint is much better then green slime, its $50.00 and only last 2 years.

The 80 Oz of latex paint once inside the tire fills in the hundreds of cracks from the inside and stays Liquid for an indefinite amount of time.

--
Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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gahamby

Rank: Mate

Registered: Feb 05, 2011

Last visit: Jun 15, 2021

Posts: 575
Posted: Jul 13, 2014 - 08:50 PM

I like Fix a Flat and a needle valve for inflating basket balls.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
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dennisMe

Rank: Mate

Registered: Mar 04, 2010

Last visit: Jan 14, 2018

Posts: 128
Posted: Jul 14, 2014 - 04:47 AM

I think captnDon's idea definitely has the most McGyver value!
In this case I think the latex is a really "cool solution" (pun intended) ;-D

Dennis
cezo823

Rank: Mate

Registered: Aug 22, 2011

Last visit: Oct 10, 2018

Posts: 187
Posted: Jul 14, 2014 - 09:05 AM

I tried this a few months ago with only temporary success. I used tire slime.
I'm hoping that it works out better for you though. I definitely agree that it is worth a try as it is pretty cheap to try out a few things.
I even tried tire plugs which just made the hole bigger, then I tried shoe goo but the hole was too big by that point.
Now I'm thinking about a foam fill.

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Cesar (Cez) S.
Hobie 16 (had a few)
Nacra 5.2 "Hull Yeah"
Vectorworks XJ - A class (not named yet)
West Michigan (Grand Rapids/Holland Area)
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captndon7

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jan 05, 2003

Last visit: Jul 14, 2014

Posts: 2
Posted: Jul 14, 2014 - 11:20 AM

cezo823I tried this a few months ago with only temporary success. I used tire slime.
I'm hoping that it works out better for you though. I definitely agree that it is worth a try as it is pretty cheap to try out a few things.
I even tried tire plugs which just made the hole bigger, then I tried shoe goo but the hole was too big by that point.
Now I'm thinking about a foam fill.

You better use the rite kind of foam great stuff foam will act as a water sponge after 1 year.
cezo823

Rank: Mate

Registered: Aug 22, 2011

Last visit: Oct 10, 2018

Posts: 187
Posted: Jul 14, 2014 - 12:07 PM

Yup, just gonna see what the tire shop charges to do it. I'm told that they can emulate certain psi. So I'll take them the good one and see what they think. Not very optimistic but curious.

NOT doing the Great stuff, I don't think that stuff would do well under compression.

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Cesar (Cez) S.
Hobie 16 (had a few)
Nacra 5.2 "Hull Yeah"
Vectorworks XJ - A class (not named yet)
West Michigan (Grand Rapids/Holland Area)
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