2003 wedge question

[skisix@38]

HI all,

I was cleaning up the wedge on my '03 RLXi and during the process the two round brass pieces that house the spring loaded pins to hold the wedge in position became loose. Is this something I need to worry about? Those look to be press fit in and now mine are more of a slip fit....

Thanks for any thoughts on the issue.

Greg

[D-GOOSE]

That is normal for my boat. I have taken off the wedge, removed the thumb bolts and removed the brass pin and springs to clean them up.

[skisix@38]

That is normal for my boat. I have taken off the wedge, removed the thumb bolts and removed the brass pin and springs to clean them up.

Ok. You haven't ever noticed any issues with the "press fit" being a "slip fit"? Just out of curiosity, how do you clean the brass arms? Also, have you done antthing with the annodized wedge plate itself?

I notice that the annodize is worn very thin in many areas and was thinking I should do something about that.

Thanks for the reply- I believe we met once many years ago at a WOW up in Nor Cal, maybe 2005 or so...

Greg

[D-GOOSE]

I think we did meet their or at Still Water during a ski clinic.

I have never cleaned that arms or foil and not sure what I would use. I have heard of people replace the foil bolt.

[ecadwell]

I took my wedge apart and rehabbed it this winter. I took the whole thing apart and wire-wheeled all of the parts. The 2 arms are nibral (brass alloy that props are made out of), and the wedge plate and brackets are aluminum. The pins are stainless, as are the bolts and thumb screws. I just left the arms as-is after wire wheeling them, but I powder coated all of the aluminum parts (foil and brackets). When I re-assembled it, I put some blue Loctite on the press-fit ends (slip fit) and new wedge foil screws with blue Loctite.

I posted a thread about it here with pictures if you find that helpful.

The only real risk is the arms rubbing against the bracket making the wedge more difficult to pull up and down.

[skisix@38]

The only real risk is the arms rubbing against the bracket making the wedge more difficult to pull up and down.

Greg- yes, we could have/probably met at Stillwater or the lake that was about 2-3 hrs North of there. I can't remember it's name but there was a WOW going on and a lot of you guys were there. I popped in a grabbed a ski ride and said some hellos but then had to leave.

Thanks- that's great info! The arms rubbing are why I was working on my wedge to begin with. The wedge has been tweaked for years but, now my 11yo son has taken to wakeboarding and the boat is mostly a wakeboard boat now as my ski club has a boat on the lake and I usually use that for slalom.... In other words- I end up fighting the wedge more often and I got tired of it. I love having my son share my love of the lake though- that part is priceless!

One more question though- how do you keep the loctite from weeping into the pins?

Edited May 27, 2011 by skisix@38

[Lance B. Johnson]

I would peen the part that presses in, use this and then use a good clamp to press it together.

"peen" refers to taking a center punch and making a dimple in the section that presses in.

[ecadwell]

One more question though- how do you keep the loctite from weeping into the pins?

Simple. Unbolt the wedge from the bracket and take it to a good work area. Then remove the thumb screws and let the 2 pins and the spring come out of each tube. At this point you should be able to put the loctite on the tube re-press the parts together and clean up any mess. Use a pipe cleaner style wire brush to clean out the inside of the tube if there's any buildup of gunk. It's also a good chance to wire wheel the pins and spring if they're gunky too. Once everything is pressed where you want it and the mess is cleaned up, then re-install the pins, spring and thumb screws. Put some loctite on the thumb screws before you screw them into the pins. You don't want to lose one on the water!

As a side note, don't be afraid to use some force to get everything where you want it. You can even bend the wedge arms slightly to keep them from rubbing on the bracket if pressing it back together doesn't work. I recommend a couple of wood blocks and a trusty hammer. With a little finesse, you'll get that thing moving up and down quite smoothly.