Crushed / Cracked Outrigger Ama Repair

Fiberglass repair on a sealed ama crushed but not broken. I cut a small hatch to effect repairs to the inside, then replaced the hatch using foam core board which is slightly flexible to pull layers of glass mat tight to the inside.

[@ireland66613]

Awsome thank you for the great video

[@MrBobsVids]

This is very cool. I'm a little confused on the part where you put the rectangular cutout back in. I think the layers from the inside->out are foam block, three little tabs, thickened resin on fiberglass mat, cutout patch, then tape. Is this right? Also not sure what the weights do. Thanks, Bob

[@PGAmaboy]

I'll see if I can explain it better. I cut the rectangle out to be able to work inside on the weak points. To put the hatch back in I wanted to be able to put resin and fiberglass on the inside of the cuts to provide strength and seal it up. First I made the tabs to keep the lid from just falling into the ama, so it would sit on those. To get the resin and fiberglass on the inside I made the little foam core "benches" and tied strings to them so I could pull them up against the slots all around the hatch. I took each foam core piece and loaded it with fiberglass pieces soaked with resin, and kind of cut slots in the layers of fiberglass to fit them around the strings. I used the foam core board because it is stiff enough but can bend a little as needed to meet the curves inside the ama. So, step one is to hang each of the 4 "benches" with the wet resin and fiberglass mounted on the upper surface. I used masking tape on the strings outside the hatch hole to hold them up. Then I set the hatch back on the tabs. Then put masking tape on the hatch to hold it in place and covered the cuts on the sides and ends of the hatch. Then I pulled the strings to bring the "benches" with their resin and fiberglass up against the cuts, and re-taped their strings in position. Then I reinforced the tape covering the entire hatch, flipped the ama so the hatch was then on the underside. I wanted the resin to flow toward the seams and I wanted gravity to help press the fiberglass tight against the seams. So I then tied some light weights of about 2 pounds to the strings to help press the fiberglass tight. When it was set, remove the tape, cut off the strings. A little finish work, and presto. Way strong. Hope this helps.

[@MrBobsVids]

@@PGAmaboy That is as I imagined, now I can see it, thanks a lot. You have helped me add another skill to my set, I can see my old Huki back on the water now!

[@pdxanita]

What weight fiberglass do you recommend using? My wife has been shaping surfboards and I’m wondering if the fiberglass weight she’s using would work for my outrigger

[@PGAmaboy]

Yes you can certainly use whatever weight glass you want for repairs. There are advantages to using fine cloth for some applications, like repairing or strengthening a paddle. And there are times that using heavier mat glass would be better, like building thickness for strength, like putting in a seat in an OC6. If you have something on hand you can usually make it work.