The Boat Galley & Sil-Glyde

The Boat Galley Facebook and website are easily THE most useful resources for keeping out 16-foot travel trailer in tip top shape while make THE most efficient use of  every cubic inch of space. The Boat Galley is designed for and used primarily by recreational sailors who typically are full timers on their boat. However, so much of Carolyn Shearlock's incredible advice applies directly to the situations we face in our travel trail.  It's uncanny, actually.

https://www.facebook.com/TheBoatGalley/

https://theboatgalley.com/

We read every single Facebook posts and website article that Carolyn puts up, even if at first the post and article might not seem applicable.  We often glean insights "between the lines," so to speak.  We've lost count of the number of products we've bought because Carolyn recommended them.  We trust her advice 10,000%.

Our latest purchase based on The Boat Galley recommendation is Sil-Glyde, a silicone lubricant carried at all NAPA stores.  The local NAPA price (including tax) was less than $7.  Short comments are below each photo.  Here is Carolyn's commentary on why we needed Sil-Glyde.

https://theboatgalley.com/maintaining-gaskets-and-weatherstripping/

The Sil-Glyde was actually hard to find in our big, new NAPA store in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  I had to ask a salesm twice and then finally get him to show where it was located in the sprawling store.  Based on Carolyn's advice, I figured I would try several methods of applying the gooey stuff.

Here's our 16-foot 1988 travel trailer.  As you might expect, there are seals and gaskets galore.  We've been worried about all those seals and gaskets but really didn't know what to do to extend their service life.  Voila!  Enter Sil-Glyde!

The primary gasket that has worried us is the seal on the refrigerator door. If that seal failed, it would be a huge mess and a giant hassle finding a replacement for a 29-year-old trailer fridge.  We used our fingers for the large exterior surface of the seal and then a small brush to work the Sil-Glyde into the small crevices on either side of the center portion.

The brush worked much better than our fingers for the all the other seals.  Each window has two seals.  The oven has seals and there are two sets of seals for the entry door.  The brush made quick work of those seals.  All-in-all, we used less than half of the small tube of Sil-Glyde to coat every seal in or on the trailer.  We let the lubricant sit on the seals for a few hours and then wiped off the excess with a microfiber cloth.  We will continue to check for errant excess Sil-Glyde.

In the meantime, it's Great Peace of Mind to have treated all of these vital little seals, especially the critical one on the fridge.  THANK YOU, Carolyn!