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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
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    523

    Hairline Crack In Sidewall

    So I noticed this hairline crack in the sidewall of my Bibby’s. How concerned do I need to be about this? Thanks for any advice!




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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    CA
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    2,896
    Pretty concerned. Contact Moment - if your ski isn't ancient, they may repair it for you. (They did for me.) If not, you'll want a local shop to do it.

    The problem that could occur is water intrusion into the core of the ski.
    sproing!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    SoCal
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    X2, don't ski it until repaired.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Boulder
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    X3

    Skiing on a hairline crack could end badly.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    523
    Quote Originally Posted by meter-man View Post
    Pretty concerned. Contact Moment - if your ski isn't ancient, they may repair it for you. (They did for me.) If not, you'll want a local shop to do it.

    The problem that could occur is water intrusion into the core of the ski.
    Figured as much. Sadly I got them a couple years back used so moment repair probably out of the question. I’ll take them to my shop and see what they can do.


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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Central OR
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    5,961
    Wow... is that really repairable? Wouldn’t the cost of repair make more sense as a down payment on some new boards?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
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    523
    Quote Originally Posted by Flyoverland Captive View Post
    Wouldn’t the cost of repair make more sense as a down payment on some new boards?
    Depends on what they want to try and fix it. Could turn them into rock skis... and force myself to get another pair


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  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Sandy, Utah
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    14,410
    Quote Originally Posted by PNW_Skier206 View Post
    So I noticed this hairline crack in the sidewall of my Bibby’s. How concerned do I need to be about this? Thanks for any advice!




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    That's a long one...does it run the whole length? I've repaired much smaller sidewall/edge issues like this but max were an inch or 2. Good luck.

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  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    523
    Quote Originally Posted by Skidog View Post
    That's a long one...does it run the whole length? I've repaired much smaller sidewall/edge issues like this but max were an inch or 2. Good luck.
    It’s pretty long. Assuming they are unfixable, is there anything wrong with skiing them until the core is ruined/turning them into rock skis? I just don’t want them snapping at high speeds.


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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Missoula, MT
    Posts
    22,448
    Aren't they ptex sidewalls? Doesn't that mean they can be saved with baseweld?
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    6,749
    Could be more than a sidewall crack. I'd get the ski hot and try to work warm G/Flex in there.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    1,899
    Quote Originally Posted by ski-wpk View Post
    X3

    Skiing on a hairline crack could end badly.

    How did that end up? Repaired? I've salvaged a few 'garage door openers' like that and got em back into service...rock ski service. Lots of screws, shoe goo and clamps.
    Master of mediocrity.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    1,332
    I'm calling that a delam, not a crack. In any case, do attempt to fix before skiing them again (and do contact Moment - they are cool folks and who knows might be willing to help in some respect or nother).

    I've had very similar-looking damage, but b/t sidewall and topsheet - about 20" long when I noticed it. You need to get some strong glue deeply in there. I went out on a limb and used gorilla glue. Out on a limb because this involved wetting the gap with water first. That's right, deliberately introducing water into the core of the ski. But water is what makes gorilla glue expand, and from previous experience I was convinced this is what would draw the glue into that narrow gap, and that the glue would consume the water (chemical reaction). So I wet the gap, glued it up (trying to force the glue in, obviously), and clamped the shit out of it (and next morning easily sanded the excess peanut brittle that had spooged out, off). This repair has around 20 days on it, and still looks mint.

    A more conservative approach would be epoxy, but it's tough to get it to penetrate. Others have suggested applying slow-set epoxy, with the repair up (to leverage gravity), and heating with a hair dryer to get the epoxy to liquefy and flow down into the gap (then of course clamp the shit out of it).

    You can talk to a shop, but I doubt they will do much better. Anyhow good luck and do try something - otherwise ski is toast and will surely fail (hopefully not at the wrong moment) if you do nothing.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    1,332
    Quote Originally Posted by swissiphic View Post
    How did that end up? Repaired? I've salvaged a few 'garage door openers' like that and got em back into service...rock ski service. Lots of screws, shoe goo and clamps.
    Dude, you are one mighty ambitious tinkerer (as I've seen from some of your other posts). That's freaking awesome that you fixed something like that - would not even occur to me, those skis wouldn't even make it back to my car, assuming I could get the bindings off. Lmao

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    SE Idaho
    Posts
    2,178
    "hairline" haha

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    523
    Quote Originally Posted by 3PinGrin View Post
    "hairline" haha
    Haha I was trying to be optimistic. How about relatively thin long ass crack?


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  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Portland
    Posts
    3,083
    It is a pretty fixable crack, and you definitely want to fix it. Fixed that ski could have a long life. Leaving it and skiing it....it will die soon.

    First thing - let the skis dry for a bit. You want them dry before you seal them.
    Need:
    G-Flex
    Heat gun or hair dryer
    Razor Blades
    Tongue Depressor
    C-Clamps
    2 long pieces of harder material. 2 pieces of 1/8" to 1/4" steel would do.
    Optional - Blow Torch

    Give they are UHMW, I'd probably pry it open a bit and give it a couple passes over the crack with a blow torch to try and make sure the bottom of the UHMW sidewall is flamed correctly for bonding. Given....how it is set up - might not do much, but I would personally do it for peace of mind.

    Mix up G-flex.
    Put it in the crack with a razor and basically shove it as deep as you can in there. Often times on a crack this long, I will put a couple razors in to hold it open so I have better access to the depths of the delam. Move those razors as you go. Basically anywhere the ski is splitting, get G-flex in there.

    As you are working, follow up each spot with a heat gun to make the epoxy flows into the ski as much as possible.

    Razor tips can be easy to break, so be mindful when you are working.

    Wipe off the excess on the sidewall, put the steel plates on the top and bottom of the skis (bindings might need to be removed) and clamp them well with as many C-Clamps as you need. You can clamp pretty hard here.

    Leave 24 hours, remove clamps & plates, sand off the epoxy, fix anything that doesn't look repaired, and ski.

    I've seen repairs like this hold a long time if done right. Don't ski it without fixing it, unless you are ready to buy a new pair of skis. Hope that helps.
    Seriously, this can’t turn into yet another ON3P thread....

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Eburg
    Posts
    13,243
    ^ ^ ^ great tutorial. Feeler gauge blades are non-brittle/non-breakable substitutes for razor blades. I have a common 32-blade feeler gauge but use only 4 or 5 of the blades for gapping. The other blades are handy for off label uses.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    523

    Hairline Crack In Sidewall

    Appreciate all the advice mags. Figured it would take a lot of work to save these but they are my favorite skis and favorite top sheets so might be worth spending the time/money to try and save them.


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  20. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    in the trench
    Posts
    15,685
    What iggy said to perfection. I’d add just be careful prying it open when you’re trying to get the g flex in . Heat gun will help it get good coverage inside. That’s basically what a shop would do. They’d just do it faster with a heat press to make it cure faster. Ski can still have a long life

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    not here, kansas
    Posts
    306
    What would you say to this?
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    Falling feels like flying........for a little while.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    not here, kansas
    Posts
    306
    Second photo try’s to show delaminating.

    Fix? Cracked sidewall? Core seems ok?

    Delam under sidewall, I’d grind into it with cutoff wheel and fill with epoxy.

    It is a rock ski
    Falling feels like flying........for a little while.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    90
    I had a very similar looking hairline crack/delam on my 2012-13 bibbys. Epoxied and clamped and have been working fine since.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Less flat
    Posts
    3,760
    These help in tight places
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    amazon:
    https://www.amazon.com/Syringe-Glue-...s=glue+syringe
    glue syringes
    ​I am not in your hurry

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    not here, kansas
    Posts
    306
    Good call. I was planing on getting a low viscosity long set resin epoxy and using a Syringe to inject it.

    Great idea.

    Delam is 6” long and crack is through.

    I’ve got my Dremel tool, I’m going to cut into the areas and fill will epoxy. Will post pics in a day or two.

    Saveable at least, delam is tight, not a flapper
    Falling feels like flying........for a little while.

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