Broken Epic V10 Ultra

A couple of weeks ago my ski was on a rack next to the beach and there was a huge storm here in Spain and my ski snapped in half just in front of the pedals where the bung goes.I have found a guy in Barcelona who is repairing this as he works with kevlar and carbon fibre but I was wondering how reliable a repair can be of this nature and if anyone has similar experience with such breakages.

Nice place Calpe, you bought back memories of backpacking through Spain

You would think that if the repair was done properly and enough material used it should be stronger then original and of course heavier.

In saying that....if it was my car that was repaired from a write off I'd sell it quick smart.

You are repairing an egg shell. The strength is in the complete structure. It can be fixed to look good but do not risk your safety on it out in big water. It will break at the edge of the repair in big waves. Flatwater should be no problem. I have repaired an ultra so I understand their construction.

If the guy is good, he will get it back together and you should not have to worry about it .... nor the next guy.

aloha,
pog

Hi,
Being an approved Epic repairer in Australia I have repaired Ultras before that have been in half and there has been no problem in any seas. It all depends on the repairer and the material used. One important feature is that it is an Epoxy Ski and therefore needs to be repaired with such. I also only use carbon to keep the weight down. The weight gain should be minimal.
Regards
Walter

The layup of the Ultra that I repaired appeared to be (from outside in) gel coat-layer of fine fiberglass (4ounce?)- layer of fine kevlar (3ounce?)-honeycomb about 6-7 mm- and finally a thin layer of fiberglass (4 ounce?). To patch a layup like that with carbon or multiple layers of any composite make that area much stiffer than the rest of the ski. When the ski flexes (the original layup is very flexible) the stress will focus on the repair edge and shear the the bond with the honeycomb after many cycles. Honeycomb doesn't have very good shear strength, especially with such light layups. This leads to "disposable boats" instead of "repairable boats"
How would you repair it with over stiffening the broken area or just adding a bunch a weight?

Hi.

The trick is not to repair with a shear edge (tapered) and too much material. Less is more but the material has to be strong ie Carbon 150g UD one layer and epoxy, inside and out.

For a bad break I have also used 3mm PVC foam core stradling the damage on the inside with carbon aganst the hull and glass on the top of the PVC. I used this as the damaged area was quite substantial, not just a simple crack.

Without the aid of an oven to post cure the epoxy it will not get as stiff as the original construction which is post cured, therefore I think the stiffness will be comparible.

The V10's that I have repaired have faired very well under load and even with similar loads that caused the original damage and there has been no further damage. I garantee my repairs and have had none returned.

There is a bit of smoke and mirrors but I find it works for me.

Regards
Walter