Hi All,
My wife just bought an old Sotar with the old style Halkey Roberts long stem valves, and no valve caps. I have reverse engineered the caps, and am having some made for her boat. The more pieces I order, the better the rate. Would anyone buy these if I had them available? If I order 100, I could sell them for $25/piece, or 5 for $100. I know this is steep, but this pricing would barely cover my cost. I am not making the whole valve, literally just the cap and gasket in the cap. Would anyone be interested, or should I just make a few for my wife's boat?
Thanks,
Tim
I would be interested in 2 if they work, keep us posted. Mine is 1 1/8 inch from rubber gasket to the end although it may not matter if it's just the cap but how do they stay on?
I would be interested in 2 if they work, keep us posted. Mine is 1 1/8 inch from rubber gasket to the end although it may not matter if it's just the cap but how do they stay on?
Hi jporter, they look very similar to the stock caps, and I included pictures in one of my posts. They use the same features as the original caps to engage and hold the cap.
Tim
I got my prototype back, and most of the geometry worked well, though I did make a few changes and hope to have an improved proto next week. Once the design is locked down, I will likely have these available for sale. Check out the pics, and let me know if you would be interested.
The prototype I made is in white, gray is original shown for comparison. I would likely make the caps in gray with black seals.
Thanks,
Tim
Seems like an even better candidate for a silicone mold and some cast resin compound. Much cheaper, stronger, faster and easier to make a bunch of. You could do them out of a harder silicone too.
If you are serious about making a bunch of these, I could probably hook you up with a friend that does manufacturing in Vietnam and has a lot of experience with plastic and silicone injection molded parts. If you can show them a prototype they can crank em out pretty quick. Tooling would be the spendiest part, but once that is done I bet the parts would be less then 10 cents each.
Probably only worth it if lots and lots of people wanted them though.
Since they don't make them any more seems like there would be a group of boaters that have been doing without or have been thinking about switching out the hole valve to a C7 as maybe a repair came up. Finding that group may be a challenge?
I am down in Brazil and the rafting company I work for has two old Sotar's that I think have this valve type. I always get the shorter one and the longer cap confused. They have been out of service for two years due to major thwart and floor repairs needed. From memory they are from around the mid to late 90's? Maybe Sotar would even buy them if the mold came out good to service those customers they for sure can access and contact?
I am tinkering with maybe buying either the 12.5 or 12ft they have here. 80% of the raft is in great shape still. Then bringing back the floor or thwart to have it factory repaired. I was thinking to replace the entire valve part but if there was a good cap would not be needed.
If the company down here was going to repair they would want the valve cap option but when they would buy I have no idea. The Sotar's have been set aside the last couple years so they don't seem to motivated to get them going again.
What other rafts had that valve type? My friend bought that Sotar model and sent it to Sotar to update all the valves and get it generally serviced. I am sure he would of loved to just buy caps.
Hi all,
The second iteration works well. I am about to do a run of these caps. These will be made out of PVC, not the original acetyl. This material is strong, but slightly more brittle. These will be susceptible to breakage just like the originals, there is a reason that they changed the whole valve design. PVC appears to be the only way I can make these even remotely cost-effective right now. On less my supplier finds that they can come down on price after running a couple of test parts, it looks like I will need to sell these at $25 ea, or 5/$100. I know it is steep for valve caps, but this literally will cover costs. I will post a drawing with dimensions so that you know exactly what to expect. My wife wants hers to be lime green, so they will likely all be lime green or white (white has best UV resistance). Once I have the color locked down and pricing back, I will let you all know. I imagine I can do custom colors in 10 lots or larger orders only.
Happy floating!
Tim
Hi TLaf,
I do not know what manufacturers used these valves other than SOTAR, thought I am sure several did during that time frame. I don't know the time frame either, just know that our new boat needed caps or new valves, and I don't want to pay someone to cut up my boat to put in new valves, I would rather make new caps. If you or your company decides to get these boats going again, then get in touch. Until then, have fun on the river!
Tim
I have changed several valves by just replacing the top of the valve and reusing the half inside the tube. The bottom part is identical on the old and new style.
I have changed several valves by just replacing the top of the valve and reusing the half inside the tube. The bottom part is identical on the old and new style.
Hi Nate,
I was under the impression that the inside half was different, requiring major tube work to replace valves. That is not the case? I thought there was a depth issue which led to underengagement of the threaded portion if you tried to use the inner of the old and the outer of the new. That said, I have never had them in my hand side by side. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks!
Tim
All I know is I've done it in a pinch and back at home and never had any problems. All the parts that wear out are on the top half. I'd rather have a new valve and cap than just the cap.
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Finally got an order placed after finding a more reasonably priced supplier. I should have 25 of these caps ready for sale early next week. They will be PLA not ABS, and they will be lime green. If you want any, I can sell them for $10/piece, or 6 for $50. Actual shipping charges will be extra, or they could be obtained in Golden. I could do custom or other colors, but there would be a surcharge on less I need to reorder anyway. I have not done any real durability testing yet, so I can not guarantee quality until I actually get these fit on my wife's boat and take a few trips, so there is a little bit of a gamble on your part. PM me if you want to place an order. Hope you are all well!
Tim
Hi all,
I now have some of these caps ready for sale if you need them. As I have stated, they are printed PLA, not the original molded acetal. That said, I have used them on the river, and they are far superior to naked valves, and I believe will serve you well for years if you treat them gently when out of the valves. If you are interested, I am selling them for $10 a piece or 6 for $50. buyer pays shipping or pick up in Golden. Current color is lime green, other colors available for a surcharge, or when I need to make more. If you plan to pick up locally, give a heads up so that i can be sure to have them available. PM me if you want any or have any questions. Otherwise, it is time to let the thread die.
Thanks, and have a wonderful time on the river!
Tim
You lost me at lime green. I ended up milling one out of steel and painting it. If you could do a HDPE version there is a real need for that. I couldn't find a big enough block in town and thought wood will break off causing more problems.
Hey Snowjunkie,
I am glad you were able to take care of your needs. My next batch will likely be a different color, maybe even boring old gray, but since my main objective was caps for my wife's new boat, she got her pick of colors.:razz: I can't get them machined for anywhere near the what I am offering them for, or I might go that route. I would be leery of using a steel cap, I would rather have my cap fail before the valve it is installed in! Also for clarification, I am offering these to help out those of us running old boats. I am not trying to start a business here, if I were I would likely go with a silicone molded epoxy or similar part. Fact of the matter is there is not the demand to support it, and I have other projects (and rivers) requiring my time! Regardless, I hope it works very well for you, have a great summer floating!
Tim
If you have more of these, I'd take a few. I'm headed to ID Tuesday and one cap came up missing. I'm in Buena Vista but I'll be around Golden this weekend if that helps. Text 719-486-6670
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