On Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 7:40:59 PM UTC-7, Papa3 wrote:
If you ever tow the glider in the rain, I'd think twice about losing the tailgate gasket. I took mine off at one point intending to fix it and forgot about it. Towing back from a contest in the rain I ended up with dirty water on the wingtips and rudder. IIRC, I found a garage door weatherstrip that worked well.

I second the McMaster Carr recommendation.


P3

Here's the update: I replaced the old rubber with the garage door weatherstrip. Your idea is fantastic! It far exceeds OEM. When closing the tail gate I have to use my fingers to gently force the gasket in for full closure which I look at as a good thing because IT IS SEALED!

As for the Tee handles on the hatch and tail gate, I went ahead and converted to English (from metric) with a couple of Tee handles from a local trailer and RV dealer. They work great.

After I finish polishing all the aluminum I am going to refinish the fiber glass top. I'm seriously thinking of using a paint rather than gel coat.

Thanks for the help.