Hot take: divers in the Gulf are still using the wrong grease on their Kirby Morgan hatches

Skyler Gibson · 2026-03-16T22:55:03.958864+00:00

I've seen at least three different crews in the last month packing their hatches with standard silicone grease, which can swell the O-rings over time. You need a specific non-reactive grease like Tribolube 71-75, especially in warm water. Anyone else run into this or have a better brand they trust?

kai_west5mo ago

That's a solid point about silicone grease swelling O-rings. We had the same issue on a project in the Gulf last year and switched to Tribolube. It solved the problem and we've stuck with it since.

8

alexw745mo ago

Reminds me of a charter where the crew greased everything with Vaseline, even the galley door hinges. Kai_west, you ever see someone try to fix a squeaky hatch with cooking spray?

6

shah.olivia5mo ago

Our team in Port Fourchon had a hatch seal fail last season for that exact reason. The wrong grease made the O-ring swell up and split. We only use Tribolube now.

1