Repair help.

[holjen77]

I pulled the rear left rear ride plate bolt insert on my 2015 tigercraft viper. Took it out today and she was taking on water like crazy. Its pretty tight back there. Whats the proper way to fix this. Washer and nut on inside of hull and cover with 3m 5200? Cant really complain the skis been out 3-4 days a week and i have never been gentle with it. Anyone with experiance in this area?

 

[Vumad]

We repaired a x2 by putting a washer between 2 nuts and epoxying that in. We cut the head off the bolt so we coukd slide glass over it,msnd waxed the bolt so it coukd be rrmoved.

 

[holjen77]

Washer between two nuts, thats a good idea. Its way two tight back there to use glass though i think.

 

[Vumad]

Washer between two nuts, thats a good idea. Its way two tight back there to use glass though i think.

It was mostly held in with a putty made of cabosil with a little bit of shredded fiber. We just covered the putty with a layer of 10z cloth to help increase the surface area of the bonding. The putty alone isn't that strong to hold in an insert. Remember, the insert you had was ripped out through a few layers of glass. A little putty sticking to the inside sides of the hole wont be all that strong.

 

[holjen77]

What about a large stainless fender washer first, then nut/washer/nut. I can barely get my arm back there. Ski lives a rough life. Not like ocean riding, but always in the air.

 

[Vumad]

We repaired the X2 from the outside. Do you have access to the inside? I don't know how your ski is built. If you can get to it from the inside, then you can do anything you like really. We did the washer and 2 nuts because that's what fit in the hole.

Just wax the bolt you use and the ride plate (but not the new hardware, ie the nuts and washer). Bolt the other 3 bolts in place. Use the 4th waxed bolt to hold your hardware in place lined up with the rideplate hole. Put whatever it is you decide to use in place and secure it with the materials you choose to use. Let it fully cure. Then remove the bolt and ride place.

When we did it, we used a bolt about 2" long, zinc (stainless nuts and washer), cut the head off to make it a stud to layup glass over it from the outside. Let cure, used vice grips to unscrew the "stud", then put a real bolt in it.

If you can access from the inside, then similar process, but you don't need to make it into a "stud" because you wont be trying to get the weave over the bolt, and you can use larger washers than the hole size.

 

[jonolove]

Try six ten by west systems epoxy it works great

 

[holjen77]

I have access to the inside, but its very tight. Probably have to use a caulking gun to get anything back there. I think i will try the washers/nuts thing. Thanks.

 

[Vumad]

I have access to the inside, but its very tight. Probably have to use a caulking gun to get anything back there. I think i will try the washers/nuts thing. Thanks.

Okay, then instead do this... repair it the same way we did, except*...

Get a 2" or longer bolt, can be zinc.
2 nuts, a *fender washer, additional hardware as you see fit, must all be stainless (you may need to grind a side of the fender washer for the pump tunner)
Cut the head off long bolt, Wax this bolt
Clean the nuts and washers with Acetone
Clean the hull with acetone
On the non-cut end, put on a nut, the fender washer, another nut
Lightly tightened, make sure you can remove the bolt without any tools on the hardware
Wax the ride plate

*Feed a guide wire through the hole into the engine compartment
Pull the stud end through the hole
Use your glues to secure it in place (I'd use epoxy with cabosil, but use what you please)
--- Nuts and washer need to be throughly covered so they wont spin, reinforce w/ glass if possible
Put a single layer of 10oz or lighter cloth over the stud
Use the remaining 3 inserts to tighten down the rideplate to the hull, compressing the glass and ensure the stud is in the right place and square
Add additional material as you see fit inside
Allow to fully cure

Remove the ride plate
remove the stud with vice grips


Remember, you are going to need to hold the new insert in place. ours pushed against the foam inside. You could clean up the thread on the cut bolt so you can add a nut from that end. Then tighten the extra bolt against the ride plate since you will have a fender washer to keep it from pulling through the hull.

 

[holjen77]

Ok. Got this done. Once i pulled out the 50 pieces of pink insulation i assume is for flotation, i realized that tigercraft uses square brass threaded blocks and uses epoxy to hold them in. When the ride plate bolt fell out, the brass block came loose and poped out. It was laying in there and the old epoxy had a perfect square hole to put it back in. Tightened ride plate bolt back up and used a layer of 3M 5200 to cover it up and keep it in place/sealed. Four hours later its good as new.