Classifieds

The Repair (from Eric McNett) :

In the early Spring of 2008 I remember reading on one of the yahoo groups about a collision between two surfskis resulting in major damage to one of the skis . In rough seas , the bow of one ski came under the other one and tore a gaping , ragged hole into Mike McDonoughs` brand new Huki S1X. Luckily Mike was near shore when this happened and didn`t have an extended swim in the icy water.

After hearing of this accident , I offered to fix the ski . Having attended a clinic in composite boat repair at Outrigger Connection in Kailua , Oahu by Karel and Milan Tresnak , I knew I could make this Huki like new again.

Mike McDonough gave me the go ahead to proceed with the repairs and instructed me to precisely match the hull contour as though the boat were never damaged. Clearly Mike wanted his boat back , not just in repaired condition but , in excellent racing shape.

I`m going to give away all my secrets here so that everyone will be able to do thier own repairs at home when this kind of thing happens to you. After bringing the ski to my repair facility in Topsham , Maine, I realized that the ski wasn`t really all that bad off . It had a big hole but the hull was still straight .

Step 1. The first step was to clean up the damaged area so , I took an electric jig saw and cut out the ragged pieces of torn composite material .

Step 2 was to make a composite sandwich of foam and glass which exactly matched the shape of the hull in the damaged area. To do this I coverered the hull with plastic cling wrap adjacent to the damaged area . On top of the plastic , 2 layers of glass followed by one layer of 1/4 inch foam were bonded . After laying this up on the hull , I taped it down so as to make the layup take on the shape of the hull. When the epoxy cured the resulting piece had just the shape I needed to cover the hole in the boat . The piece was trimmed and fitted to match the hole and bonded into the boat . I needed to have some outward pressure on this layup so , duct tape and canoe paddles were used to pull the patch outward as the epoxy cured.

Step 3 was to grind down any rough edges around the new patch and prep the surface for a layer of epoxy mixed with micro balloons (tiny light weight hollow glass spheres). I mixed a batch of West System epoxy with just the right consistency of balloons mixed in , (looked sort of like red pancake batter). This was troweled onto the boat with a plastic spreader in a smooth even layer and covered with peel ply to keep it from running down the sides of the ski.

Step 4 was more grinding and sanding to prep the surface for step 5.

Step 5 was the application of a very thin layer of bondo to totally remove any low spots .

Step 6, more sanding and sanding and sanding. with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper.

Step 7 was a new coat of gel coat to make the boat ready for the water and more sanding with 1500 wet / dry and then polishing.

The repair looked good enough to me to go back to Mike . No distortion of shape nor any gain in weight.

It was very satisfying to me to get a thank you and well done from Mike after he took the boat out for its` first ride on the ocean since the accident.

	Surfski Repair



	The Damage (from Mike McDonough) : I collided with another surf ski while riding waves off Nahant and ended up with an 18” long tear through my new S1-X’s hull. I was just getting comfortable in the boat after moving up from a 19” ski a couple of months earlier, and the extent of the damage had me doubting if the boat was repairable. The X was fast and stable with a nice feel I couldn’t find in the other 17” boats I had tried. I questioned how such an extensive repair beneath the seat and footwells could match the boat’s forward-to-aft and vertical contours while keeping near the original weight and balance. Would the hull list to one side or a give a weird sensation in heavy chop? How could a large patch hold up to the rigors of frequent paddling? After consulting with local paddlers and surfers with solid repair experience, it appeared the X needed a prohibitively expensive repair just to get into second-rate condition. Several weeks later, Eric McNett, who had seen my boat’s photos on NESS, called me from Maine and offered to fix the damage for a reasonable price. Although Eric had a good reputation for this kind of work, I put off a decision, feeling that I’d only throw good money after bad to get a boat I didn’t want to paddle or couldn’t sell. After several weeks of indecision, I figured that Eric’s offer was worth a try and I delivered the boat to him after the Essex race. He was excited and optimistic about taking on this tricky project. Eric finished the job in early July and although Huki’s yellow gel coat had not yet arrived, I wanted to spend time in the X before the Blackburn so I asked him to cover the repair with white gel coat. We agreed that he would apply the yellow as soon as I could leave the boat with him for several days. I drove home from Maine and immediately set off from my local beach in steep 2’ chop from a squall that rolled offshore minutes earlier. To my surprise, the boat felt exactly as it had before the wreck. I was catching rides and angling across wave faces and the boat felt solid and comfortable. Downwind, upwind and through the current and slop off Dread Ledge, the X felt just as it should have. Since then, my first impression of the X’s performance hasn’t changed and the repair has proven to be sound through the Blackburn, Jamestown and L2L races, as well as a summer of Tuesday night league races. Eric McNett did a bang-up job returning the X to like-new condition for a good price, and it was a pleasure to do business with such a nice guy. Regards, Mike

	The Repair (from Eric McNett) : In the early Spring of 2008 I remember reading on one of the yahoo groups about a collision between two surfskis resulting in major damage to one of the skis . In rough seas , the bow of one ski came under the other one and tore a gaping , ragged hole into Mike McDonoughs` brand new Huki S1X. Luckily Mike was near shore when this happened and didn`t have an extended swim in the icy water. After hearing of this accident , I offered to fix the ski . Having attended a clinic in composite boat repair at Outrigger Connection in Kailua , Oahu by Karel and Milan Tresnak , I knew I could make this Huki like new again. Mike McDonough gave me the go ahead to proceed with the repairs and instructed me to precisely match the hull contour as though the boat were never damaged. Clearly Mike wanted his boat back , not just in repaired condition but , in excellent racing shape. I`m going to give away all my secrets here so that everyone will be able to do thier own repairs at home when this kind of thing happens to you. After bringing the ski to my repair facility in Topsham , Maine, I realized that the ski wasn`t really all that bad off . It had a big hole but the hull was still straight . Step 1. The first step was to clean up the damaged area so , I took an electric jig saw and cut out the ragged pieces of torn composite material . Step 2 was to make a composite sandwich of foam and glass which exactly matched the shape of the hull in the damaged area. To do this I coverered the hull with plastic cling wrap adjacent to the damaged area . On top of the plastic , 2 layers of glass followed by one layer of 1/4 inch foam were bonded . After laying this up on the hull , I taped it down so as to make the layup take on the shape of the hull. When the epoxy cured the resulting piece had just the shape I needed to cover the hole in the boat . The piece was trimmed and fitted to match the hole and bonded into the boat . I needed to have some outward pressure on this layup so , duct tape and canoe paddles were used to pull the patch outward as the epoxy cured. Step 3 was to grind down any rough edges around the new patch and prep the surface for a layer of epoxy mixed with micro balloons (tiny light weight hollow glass spheres). I mixed a batch of West System epoxy with just the right consistency of balloons mixed in , (looked sort of like red pancake batter). This was troweled onto the boat with a plastic spreader in a smooth even layer and covered with peel ply to keep it from running down the sides of the ski. Step 4 was more grinding and sanding to prep the surface for step 5. Step 5 was the application of a very thin layer of bondo to totally remove any low spots . Step 6, more sanding and sanding and sanding. with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. Step 7 was a new coat of gel coat to make the boat ready for the water and more sanding with 1500 wet / dry and then polishing. The repair looked good enough to me to go back to Mike . No distortion of shape nor any gain in weight. It was very satisfying to me to get a thank you and well done from Mike after he took the boat out for its` first ride on the ocean since the accident.