SJ hull crack

[cs26K]

Hi everyone - noob here, looking for some advice. I bought my first standup ski - a used '04 SJ. After scrubbing off some nastiness on the bottom, I discovered I got hosed - bought me a damaged ski! After getting over my disappointment that it doesn't look like I'll be riding/falling on my face anytime soon, I started looking for how to fix it. I've searched this forum for the past 3 days, and learned a ton. However, the only thread I've found regarding this particular problem is this one:

http://www.x-h2o.com/threads/4928

Only problem is, all it basically says is "yeah, we fixed it" - it doesn't go into any particulars. That said,

1) Should I even need to worry about fixing it right now, or should I go and see if it even leaks (or if I can even manage to ride it)? I know it needs to be fixed sooner or later, but seeing how the crack is behind the bulkhead, I'd have to cut out the tray and defoam to see if it's cracked all the way through, right?

2) Any advice for fixing it once I do tear into it?

3) Any shops/riding groups/folks that know what the hell they're doing in the twin cities area of MN?

Finally, I'd like to thank all of you folks out there sharing your wisdom on x-h2o. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, but I'm glad to have found this epicenter of knowledge.

*cue holding of hands and singing of kumbaya*

 

[norcal ex]

i dont see any problems

 

[GDFL]

do a search. There are several threads discussing what to do. Basically, you're going to grind the crack a bit to clean it up, and then make a proper repair with epoxy resin (not bondo resin). It's an easy fix and not too expensive. Search for cracks and also reinforcement. There should be plenty of reading on both.

 

[rrlc]

That tiny little crack is nothing to worry about. Ride it!

 

[SurferSmurf]

us composites has all the suplies you will need. plus they are very knowledgeable if you have questions on what to buy. other than that your problem does not look to bad. but do the repair, cuz the more you ride and get into this sport you will be making more repairs. and that will be good practice.

 

[cookerq62]

That looks like it is going to be behind the bulkhead. Stop drill the crack and grind a V notch in it. Fill the V with 406 west systems filler and epoxy and put some 17oz biax cloth over it till winter. Come winter time you can pull all the wet foam out and make it pretty. Till then just ride it with the patch. If you don't patch it it will probably get worse.

 

[cambo au]

i just fixed my ski it was a little bigger than yours
to be totally honest if you are only starting out i would not worry obout it my crack was like it is in the pic for almost a year and it only got a little worse recently i am 220lbs 6 ft and land flat from pretty high up so seriously just ride it i would bet it dont get any bigger from now until you sell it

 

[Proformance1]

Yeah that crack never opened up and didn't leak. It was at the bulkhead so over a week we did some mods to the ski, pulled the motor and reinforced, per the normal procedure. We were doing the sides of the ski, so we did the bottom and the firewall at the same time. The repair worked so well that I even bought the ski of of him and have been riding it since. No issues

 

[Idok]

let it be

 

[GSXRchris85]

That looks like it is going to be behind the bulkhead. Stop drill the crack and grind a V notch in it. Fill the V with 406 west systems filler and epoxy and put some 17oz biax cloth over it till winter. Come winter time you can pull all the wet foam out and make it pretty. Till then just ride it with the patch. If you don't patch it it will probably get worse.

+1

its only gonna get worse if ya dont deal with it now

 

[cookerq62]

+1

its only gonna get worse if ya dont deal with it now

Thats what I don't get It's less than $50 in material and probably 2 hours of work for piece of mind that your not going to have to fix an even bigger crack.

 

[cs26K]

First off, thank you everyone for your advice. What I'm getting here sounds something like this - "Yeah, you should just man up and fix it. However, if you don't fix it (at least right away), chances are it won't be a big deal - you're a noob and won't be this guy anytime soon ->:barrel:, so it should be Ok for a bit"

I agree with all that. Most likely, I'm gonna run it this weekend, get nervous about the crack when I start jumping some wakes, and want to slap a patch on in (and obviously reinforce it from the inside this winter). For when I do patch it, I have a new round of questions.

1) I assume that the holes drilled to prevent the crack from spreading should go all the way through the hull? And they get filled in with the epoxy+406 filler?

2) If you look closely, it's really two cracks side by side. I know I need to drill the end of each crack (4 holes total) but do I fix it as two cracks? In other words, do I v-grind each crack so it looks like a "w" or do I treat it as one wide crack, and grind a wider "V"? I can see valid points supporting each side.

3) How deep do I grind - 1/2 way through? 3/4? 87/100?

4) How much do I need to worry about it being smooth? Put another way, after applying filler, biax and epoxy, I imagine that it will be built up thicker than the rest of the hull, resulting in a bulge. Is that OK? I guess I'm trying to avoid a big 'ol gorilla patch on the bottom of the hull - I gotta imagine that it would add a bunch of drag. I haven't come across any threads on fixing cracks (and making it look purty) from the outside yet, so this is a big unknown for me.:dunno:

5) Am I overthinking all of this? :banghead: I just want to get it right!:newbie:

 

[Etheraldreamer]

duct tape.






lol ok maybe not. if it were me i would drill the cracks (yes all the way through) and ground out V's for each crack (about 1/2 through or so doesnt have to be to crazy deep) and fill it with epoxy. let it cure and sand it somewhat smooth. then go ride and forget about it till winter when you can crack her open and refoam/lay a piece of glass behind the crack.

 

[cookerq62]

That patch won't make a noticeable difference. Filling it with just filler won't really do anything. The v or 'W' doesn't have to be deep at all. Make sure you sand the snot out of the area your putting the patch on. Put the glass right on top of the filler without letting it set or sanding it. There is no need to sand it if your putting glass right over it. This way you will also get a better bond. Biax may be overkill. You could probably get away with a layer or two of 6oz and never be able to see it. 5.7 oz carbon would only add about 0.01" per layer. Make sure your surface is wet out first too. If you want a nicer finish on the carbon you an lay some wax paper over it and let it set up like that. This also helps getting a really good wet out and reducing the thickness because there is no roller or brush sucking up the fibers.

 

[cs26K]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

cookerq62, when you say "Make sure your surface is wet out first too," I assume you mean to apply epoxy to both sides of the carbon and make sure it's saturated, correct?

 

[Shadow7874]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

cookerq62, when you say "Make sure your surface is wet out first too," I assume you mean to apply epoxy to both sides of the carbon and make sure it's saturated, correct?

yeah, and it will make it easier to apply as it wont want to pull back off when your wetting it out. Just dont over apply epoxy, aslong as the carbon or glass is saturated your good.

 

[cookerq62]

it just means you paint some epoxy on the hull so you don't get any dry spots where the cloth contacts the hull. You probably won't have to do this as you will probably be spreading the filler on the bottom. Just so long as there is uncured epoxy on the surface your putting the cloth on.

 

[cs26K]

Awesome, thanks a ton for all the help!

 

[surfjunkie]

i have /had a similar crack (actually bigger) that i rode with for a couple years and it never got worse.

and i ride surf exclusively with failed re-entries and all.

i would leave it alone till your bored one day


the newer superjets 02-07 ??? seem more prone to that same crack?

 

[ski4]

i have the same crack on my hull

it's not gotten bigger in 3 years. ride it out this season then repair it in the off season if you feel so inclined