Foot strap insert repair

[mrgybe]

A foot strap insert pulled out in heavy winds. I’d like to repair it. First time. I looked at The Board Lady website (which is outstanding) but it is not clear to me whether she puts anything in the screwholes before laying the fiberglass over the top. Any tips? Thanks.

[bamer]

You don't need to do anything about the holes. If a little bit or resin gets in there it can be drilled out later. If you want to plug the hole you can press some foam into the hole, just make sure the foam is a little ways below the surface. Some people put toothpicks in the holes that stick up above the level of the board. This is usually done to locate the holes if you are using carbon. The fabric is just pushed down over the toothpicks and then wet out.

My preferred method is to not fill the hole. I mark out measurements to hole locations a few inches away on the board, wet it out, and then use a toothpick to push down a little bit at the hole to create a clear downward dimple where the hole is. After initial cure drill the hole out by starting with a small bit and working my way up to correct final bit.

Tips:
-Repair is ideally done on falling thermometer.
-Rough up the top of the insert a bit to increase mechanical bond.
-Use slow curing resin, especially for any resin and filler mixture that is touching the EPS. EPS has a low melting point which can be reached if reaction happens too quickly.
-I think Eva wraps her inserts in PVC foam, this is generally a good practice, but probably not worth the effort if you are just doing a single insert.
-Use a drill guide or just be super careful not to drill through the bottom of the insert.
-A slight countersink is a good idea to keep the screw from pulling the fiberglass / carbon up.
-I would cover with between 5-6 layers of 6oz fabric.
-The quality of the repair depends almost entirely on the prep work. If you dish it out well, test the insert fit, cut the fabric carefully, tape off the area so excess resin doesn't flow out over the board, and things like that, the repair will be good.

[U2U2U2]

EZTEZ, into hole , drill out.
EZTEX 7100 marine epoxy repair compound. Pettit is the company, at West Marine, Easy to use.

[mrgybe]

Bamer, Thanks. That's very helpful. Same to you U2U2U2.

[PeconicPuffin]

I'm having a different problem (I think)...the foot strap screw pulls out of one hole (one insert) if I excert a lot of pressure in the strap. The insert isn't loose, but the hole behaves as if it's stripped. This is an old board that I don't care a lot about...I'll just move the footstrap to a different position if the repair is involved...but I'm hoping there is a relatively simple way to fix.

[Brian_S]

Michael,
Here's simple fix that might work. YMMV. Try sliding a small plastic shim into the screw hole. It only has to fill part of the hole - it's not a plug, but just something to take up a little space. You could make this out of a thin Ptex candle (ski base repair) or a by cutting a small strip from a plastic straw, or any piece of thin waterproof stock. Then with the shim in place, just re-insert the footstrap screw. The shim will force the screw to bite harder into one side of the hole and will fill the void space in the stripped threads. Depending upon what you use and how if fills the threads, it might hold pretty well.
Carpenters use this trick on stripped screw holes in wood. They push a toothpick or small wood scrap to one side of the hole and then just re-insert the screw.
I have not tried this on footstraps. I did try the permatex thread repair (unsuccessfuly) once. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCB28654

[PeconicPuffin]

[Brian_S]

Micheal,
I've had very good success with wood, so let us know how it works out.
Brian

PS. I've also used this stuff to repair my kitchen cabinet doors when they became loose and also door hinges in an orthodontist's office: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Mr-Grip-Screw-Hole-Repair-Kit-8-Pack-801724/204273767
It's not suitable for footstraps but the idea is the same.

[manuel]

Epoxied a roughened up plastic wall anchor which I hammered in, really tight fit.
Then, I believe I used a big screw. Just went in little by little as I believe the anchor would soften with heat caused by friction. Also secured using a strap washer biting into neighbouring hole. Wrapped the washer with inner tube rubber.

[PeconicPuffin]

I used a section of cable tie as a shim. Strong but somewhat compressible plastic, with lateral ridges! So far so good!