Damaged sponson tips in crash... Best way to repair it?

[dmitry100]

Hey guys,

So I ended up installing my new savox and didn't expect it to eat up my receiver battery so quickly.
Anyways the servo suddenly started glitching like crazy and my shocker ended up slamming into the lake's concrete border/edge at like around ~30mph from a small throttle blimp.

Here's the damage:
Photo-Aug-07-1-04-31-PM.jpg Photo Aug 07, 1 03 57 PM.jpg Photo Aug 07, 1 02 22 PM.jpg Photo-Aug-07,-1-02-19-PM.jpg

What do you guys think would be the best way to repair this?

I was thinking to mix some ZPoxy + epoxy balloons + fiberglass milling and fill up the entire tip there to where the cracks start.
Should I lay a bit of glass there as well or would it be a better chemical bond without it?

And would the zpoxy finishing resin be clear enough to use for the initial bonding of the cracks, etc? Should I mix it with FG miling for extra strength also there?

The entire frontend was filled with Great Stuff so I was thinking to remove it and replacing it with 2 part Marine foam instead... for good reason... (I'd post pictures of why but it might scare some of you )

[flraptor07]

Let me guess, the Great Stuff was still gooey in the middle....am I right?

[dmitry100]

Yea, and snakes coming out of hull:

Photo-Aug-05,-10-42-32-PM.jpg

[flraptor07]

Yea, and snakes coming out of hull:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]135383[/ATTACH]

I knew it

[tlandauer]

Yea, and snakes coming out of hull:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]135383[/ATTACH]

Looks the foot I stuff in my mouth all the time.

[tlandauer]

Sorry for the miss hap, hope you can fix it, good luck!

[dmitry100]

You guys think I should just fill up those tips with Zpoxy + Balloons (to keep weight down) and then just sand down any scratches and extra epoxy?

Don't tell me you guys were mostly interested in looking at the feet that are growing out of my hull

[CornelP]

After removing the foam, tack the pieces in place with CA them cover all the cracks in masking tape. On the inside, apply some glass to fix all the pieces (I would do 2-3 layers with a lighter cloth).
You can then add some epoxy with balloons at the very tip, if you want. On the outside, sand, make some putty with epoxy and graphite powder (to keep it black), sand again and apply a layer of finishing resin (you can sand/buff this layer to a shine).

[dmitry100]

CornelP: CA is this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Planes...3D201197461199

Is it a better glue to use that CA glue to seal the pieces together instead of using the zpoxy finishing resin since it comes in clear color? or is it not strong enough for a seal...

[tlandauer]

After you figure out a way to amputate the foot , as CornelP suggested, you can use CA ( the one you linked is fine, there are thick, medium, and thin, you don't want thick, medium is better as it is not INSTANT like within a second)to tack the pieces, in this case I am not sure they are pieces as more of a ''peel" of the upper halve of the hull. Your challenge is to POSITION them and figure out how to hold it in place. He suggested masking tape which is an excellent idea.
The idea to use CA rather than Finishing epoxy is that it cures quicker and thus easier for you to see the results, however, because of the quick curing, you need to make sure the halves are positioned 100% correctly----you don't get a second chance ! Another advantage is that the CA is thin and it will go into the cracks. In your case, however, since it is already open, this is not so much of a consideration. CA cured is usually very strong on FG hulls, I have repaired damages on FG hulls, can't give you any account on CF hulls though.
My concern is that in order to be able to get inside and reinforce, you really have to remove all the ''Great Stuff" inside the tips, also I don't know if the residuals will prevent a CORRECT CURING of the epoxy, use balloons like said.
make sure you use Acetone to clean. Use glove ( kitchen) to protect as i have been told skin exposure to acetone is not great. I feel acetone does a better job at this than de-natured alcohol, but I may be wrong on this.
Be careful: the CA has a nasty habit of running, you need to tape the hull to protect and also have acetone ready in case your fingers get stuck!

[dmitry100]

tlandauer: Where can I buy carbon fiber millings? currently I use epoxy black pigment but I find that its a bit too shiny at times.
I do have FG milling though. Graphite is just as good as CF though since its lightweight and adds strength I assume?

[tlandauer]

tlandauer: Where can I buy carbon fiber millings? currently I use epoxy black pigment but I find that its a bit too shiny at times.
I do have FG milling though. Graphite is just as good as CF though since its lightweight and adds strength I assume?

Dmitry , my repairs are all on FG hulls, sorry that I won't be able to point you to the right place. I am sure others have a better idea.
If you plan to fill your tips with epoxy mixed with "something ", then it should be FG baloon. Milling mix is heavy. Towerhobbies has it under Great Planes brand, in fact may be OSE has it too, I am on my phone at work, wi fi is not good, can't give you a link, sorry.

Sent from my D6708 using Tapatalk

[dmitry100]

Ah ok, thanks man.

I was only asking about CF millings cuz I wanted to use it for mounts, etc.

Any ideas at what % I should be mixing the balloons at? too much would prob be too brittle I'd imagine.

[Fella1340]

Sorry to see your boat all smacked up. I dont envy the job of cleaning all that great stuff out. Once you've got the repair on the inside done as suggested with multiple layers of Cf in fiberglass. If you can get the outside all fitted back together half decent you can use finishing epoxy, putting down multiple layers, sanding in between layers of course. Keep building up the areas as needed until it's sanded and pished to blend with the rest of the boat. The black pigment could be used in moderation, just to cover the crack lines. You'd be amazed at how excellent the result can be. Good luck.

[ray schrauwen]

FYI- ZPoxy cures to a yellow brown color. I would clean out the foam a little and wait until you are sure it's stopped growing. I use MAS or West Systems epoxy because it's stronger imo.

Chopped fibers for structure and micro balloons for shaping.

My Cheetah repair thread I just updated for your reference: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...d=1#post637338