Wiper blade bliss for my R-27/OB

[baz]

Subject: Wiper blade bliss for my R-27/OB

Much has been said/discussed about the stock wiper blade's doing a bad/pathetic job. This has been no exception on my new R-27/OB model.... and have suffered with this wiper issue on my two previous RT boats. On my R-27/OB the stock blades would/will sweep just about 1/3 of the blade's length and provide just a peek-a-boo clear windshield during mist, and rain. It was tiresome dealing with this in my PNW area.

Today I decided to resolve these issue once and for all.

I went out and purchased a pair of 14" Trico Force 25-140 blades that accept a blade connection. They were perfect and I installed them in a jiffy and aligned them correctly. I then sprayed water (tons of it) onto the windshield That has RAIN X applied while operating the two wipers..... I was welcomed with WIPER BLISS. 100% of the wiper blade's 14" swept area was clearing the water off nicely. These blades are curved such that they hug and press up against the windshield curvatures which vary from being vertically straight up and down at the mid point position and at their extreme positions need a fair amount of curvature for the gorgeous wrap around windshield.

RT should take note about this obvious improvement for their stock wiper blades.

Job well done IMO.... just saying. For $30 this was a good investment. 😀

[EDIT]
Correction
I actually use a Crystal Fusion application rather than RAIN-X - https://www.cftproducts.com.

 

[knotflying]

Let us know how they work out after six months of salt water use and the Rainex has worn off. So far my alternatives have not faired well after a while.

 

[baz]

Mike:

Yes, you are quite right about how well a wiper blade change from stock survives after a period of dealing with temperatures and salt water.

I actually use a Crystal Fusion application rather than RAIN-X - https://www.cftproducts.com. I use this same product for my auto as well. This product does not require the constant/frequent re-application that RAIN-X requires. It has worked well for my auto over the years with the PNW area's weather conditions which do include some salt as I live close to the waters.

The issue with the stock wiper blades is not related to the blade's material but to the fact the blades bend very little and consequently do not conform to the windshield's varying curvatures as the blades makes their sweep. The new Trico blades I've installed correct this aspect and do a good job across their complete sweeping action.

 

[Barry Cohen]

Indeed, this has been a thread that effects many RT owners.

I have a 2011 R-27. Proud to say it was the first R-27 on the East Coast. If you recall, most, if not all RT's come with a set of Sunbrella covers. Unfortunately, the windshield cover is designed to fit on the outside. In order for it to fit properly, you have to pull the wiper blades away from the windshield and slide the cover up under the blades. After many times doing this, it really did a job on the blades and arms. I'm sure the design intention was to block out the sun and protect the glass. I would have preferred that it was designed to block out the heat of the sun and be cut so it could be mounted on the inside. I have since installed some additional snaps to do just that. The line up is not perfect, but good enough. It makes a big difference on heat load inside the cabin and hence the AC is a bit more efficient.

Broken plastic pivot point caps, corrosion and stressed wiper arm springs forced me to purchase new ROCA arms and blades. It took a detailed message from Mike Rizzo (thanks Mike!!) to figure out how to get the seized arms off without damaging the pivot points. I bought a Dremel tool and cut the old arms off and mounted the arms (with lots of "anti-seize") this past weekend. They work great. I will let you know how long the happiness lasts.