Comp Tip replacement Hobie 14

I'm about to fit and fasten a replacement comp-tip onto a 1989 hobie 14 I'm repairing and making ready for it's first sail in about 10 years.

I've chosen 'marine-tex' after reading about the desire to keep the bonding agent a hard fastener and not a flexible one. Any thoughts on my choice before I begin? Is one 2 oz. box enough for the entire job?

I've removed the broken tip by cutting the tip short and chiseling out the plug that remained and collapsing it. Then using 80 grit paper and a dowel, the inside of the aluminum mast was sanded smooth to remove any old adhesive. Once that was done, air blasted the dust out and wiped with acetone to clean the surface in prep for the new tip to be inserted.

Does the new comp-tip need filing or sanding normally to fit well?

How far into the lower mast does the comp-tip go? Does the top have to be 'all' the way, or just up to the area where it begins to curve outward about half an inch from totally inserted? Total length appears to be about 6 in.

Is it more important to have adhesive around the seam edge for sealing the masts or the entire area of the inserted comp-tip shaft?

_________________

'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

Personally, I would use West Six-10 adhesive rather than Marine Tex. It is a pre-thickened resin but not as thick as MTex which is more of a paste. The Six-10 is also super easy to dispense since it comes in a caulk style tube that uses a regular caulk gun and with the self-mixing nozzle there is no manual measuring or mixing. Just pull the trigger to dispense.

You will want to definitely do a dry run first to check the fit in the lower mast. You may need to remove some material from the comptip. Before the final install, be sure to scuff the entire contact surface of the comptip with 150 grit sand paper and wipe clean with acetone for a good bond.

The comptip instructions should provide a measurement for the final overall mast length. In general, you want the shoulder of the comptip to seat fully against the end of the aluminum mast section. This will provide the strongest joint. A gap in the joint should be avoided.

Note that when the comptip is inserted, excess epoxy is going to flow out of the joint. You may want to mask off the two mast halves and be prepared with some paper towels to wipe up the excess. It also helps to have a second person assist with installing the tip. You may even want to but the base of the mast against something solid like the concrete foundation of your house so you have something to press against when pushing the tip in. Tapping with a mallet might even be necessary if the fit is snug.

sm

Thanks.

I'll see if I can locate some West systems. That sounds easier to manage by myself.

_________________

'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

Well, not finding 610 in my local area, and being a self imposed time crunch (vacation) I've decided to run with what I've got. Marine-tex it is.

After cleaning out the old mast, I used a palm sander with 80 grit paper to sand down the comp-tip for a snug fit all the way to it's collar. Or at least as close as you can get. All the pieces were wiped down a couple times with acetone to thoroughly clean before final fitting then masked off to aid in clean-up. I used the entire small package as it simplified mixing. Measuring down the mast the amount of distance the tip would go, I then proceeded to coat the inside with a thin film of epoxy and then the comp-tip as well.
I pushed the comp-tip in all the way and wiped away the small amount of squeeze out. Worked like a charm! The epoxy was a good consistency to use as it didn't get runny and make a mess.

Next up is the drilling of the holes for reattachment of the tang rivets.

_________________

'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16