Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:02 pm

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:25 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
Going over my newly purchased Wave today, I found some damage to the Comp-tip. My guess is that this happened during transportation while the mast was sitting in the cradle. There was white paint all over this area that I cleaned off. I assume the paint rubbed off of the cradle.

I'm wondering how bad this is. Am I screwed? I set the Comp-tip on saw horses and sat on it, and could not notice any flex in this area. It is soft in a small area where it was crushed. This area is about the size of my thumb, and I can push it in a little with my thumb. There are also hairline cracks around the area.


Image


Image


Image


Could I sail this and keep an eye on it, or am I going to have to buy a new Comp-tip?

Jim


Last edited by Hammbone on Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:50 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:30 pm 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15021
Location: Oceanside, California
It looks significant, but it is fiberglass, so can be repaired. Where along the length is this spot?

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:32 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
It's about 3 feet down from the top.

Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:54 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
Looks pretty bad to me. I wouldn't sail it in it's current condition. Soft spots and dents in solid composite laminate are sure signs there is fiber damage and delamination. I don't know about your saw horse/sit on the mast test, but I bet if you hoisted the sail, rotated the damage to the windward side, and sheeted in hard you'd hear some crunching.

sm


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:58 pm 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15021
Location: Oceanside, California
Higher up is certainly better.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 3:04 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
How is something like this repaired? Is it just like any other fiberglass repair?

Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:03 pm 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15021
Location: Oceanside, California
Pretty much. Grind away black putty material make an internal patch and cap with an external patch. Putty and paint.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Comp-tip damage
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:49 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
Now I've found damage near the bottom of the aluminum mast. There's a crack about 10" long:

Image


I assume this can be welded? Does anyone know what type of aluminum this is, so I can tell the welder?

Thanks, Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:35 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Wed May 28, 2003 1:12 pm
Posts: 1464
The aluminum is T60-61

That crack is caused by water being trapped inside the extrusion. The mast has been left up in winter and froze, then it expands and winds up cracking. Repair, not sure - might need a lower extrusion.

_________________
Jacques Bernier
http://www.hobie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/HobieCatCompany


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:44 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
I bought this boat from a guy that said he never sailed it and had it just sitting outside in MN for the last 3 years (I don't know the history before that), so water freezing in the mast makes sense as the cause of this.

Not sure what you mean by "lower extrusion". Do you mean the lower mast section?

Thanks, Jim


Last edited by Hammbone on Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:54 pm 
Offline
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15021
Location: Oceanside, California
Yes, the lower mast... it's an aluminum extrusion.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:55 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
So can this be welded, or not?

Thanks, Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:39 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
I took my mast to a guy that I've had weld aluminum for me in the past. He's an older guy with a lifetime of experience welding things.
He said that extrusions like this are tempered, and the trick to welding them is not to get them too hot because they will loose their temper and strength. He said he could get it done for me though, and he did. He welded it up a few inches at a time, letting it cool after each 2" to 3" segment.
Here's the result:

Image

Image

I will prime and paint it, and I'm good to go!

Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:47 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
By the way, if anyone's wondering, I decided to buy a new Comp-tip. There's just no way to access and patch the inside of the Comp-tip.
I could put a patch on the outside, but I see a lot of cracks in it, and I believe these cracks would just keep spreading over time, even with a patch over the top of them.
It might last another year or two with an external patch, but my opinion is that it would fail eventually, so I opted for a new one.

Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:48 am 
Offline
Site Rank - Captain

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:30 pm
Posts: 62
Location: Loveland, CO
My buddy just found some cracks in his comp-tip. They are thin surface cracks, about 6" long, right around the tang on the comp-tip on his Wave.
We are wondering if the comp-tip has a gel coat type finish on it, and these are maybe just cracks in the gel coat finish, so they're not structural; or is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks, Jim


Last edited by Hammbone on Thu May 07, 2015 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group