Topsheet & Core Shot Repair (skiing)?

Question

So yesterday I ripped about 6 inches of topsheet off the inside of my ski near the tail. It's not a wide scratch, maybe 4mm at its widest, but was deep enough to scrape the topsheet off down to the core. The mantle wrapping the core is exposed, but not damaged. I don't want to P-Tex this because I don't want to melt the mantle. In the past I've used some Bondo to seal the hole (aesthetics be damned.) I don't feel like buying a whole tub of Bondo so I was looking for alternatives.

I've used PC-7 for other epoxy jobs, but not for something like this. They also have PC-Marine which looks like it is easy to use and not messy...also waterproof! 

Does anyone have any other suggestions or experience working with PC-Marine, or a similar epoxy putty.

redstapler52 · Accepted Answer

I'm assuming by mantle you mean the glass layer (or carbon or kevlar). A few quick searches turned up the melting point of P-tex to be roughly 248°F and an rough average for epoxy commonly used in home-builds to be >400°F. As a quick test, I took a pair of skis I layed up with epoxy topsheets and melted some P-tex onto them. There was no damage to the epoxy layer at all but the P-tex didn't stick either. 

I've used PC-Marine as a quick fix for some pinholes on my motorcycle tank and after it cured it was fairly hard. I can't imagine it would like to flex very much. When I pulled it off the tank it just kinda chipped off. 

You should be able to get good results with just epoxy. Make sure you cure it above room temperature if possible. Also scuff up the divet real good and clean it out with some acetone or thinner. You can get the epoxy to set quite flat if you clamp a board over the top of it after you fill the gap. You'll need a barrier layer between the board and epoxy otherwise you'll epoxy the board to your ski. Something made from HDPE or extruded nylon wont stick to the epoxy. I believe ziploc bags are HDPE. You'll get some seepage once you clamp the board tight that will need to be wiped away before it hardens. 

PC-7 looks like it will work fine as long as your ok with the color. There's also a clear epoxy that is very similar, PC-Clear.

Another thing to consider is the construction of your skis. If its a cap construction you should be ok but if its a sandwich ski, what is your sidewall made out of? Any type of plastic sidewall would need to be prepped to allow the epoxy to bond to it. ABS and HDPE/UHMWPE don't like to bond to very many things without a surface treatment.

Jim W · Answer

For some epoxy work I have used a 2 part mixture from a hobby shop. It seems quite durable for model cars and boats. Not sure how it will work on skis, a small package is about$15 and should be more than enough to fix that scratch. It's a clear finish but very tough.  Good luck.

Live to Ski · Answer

Willie, you of all people asking a question here???  You're the answer man!  And you've got to know the chances of someone being able to answer this type of question here on Y!A is remote.  Too technical.

I wish I could help, but aside from doing some minor base repair in my younger days, I've always left this type of work to a shop.

Sorry.

I'll poll some of my ski buds over the weekend.  If they have any input, I'll provide an edit here later.

Good luck otherwise.

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Topsheet & Core Shot Repair (skiing)?

3 Answers