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Failed Flex Footplate Bolt
Dan Mayhew Apr 21, 2024 #35469

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Reivers - After Mathew's bolt broke mid-paddle on Saturday you mentioned you had swapped the bolts out long ago. Can you describe what you replaced them with?

My Flex's footplate has upgrades that Matt's boat doesn't, but I want to double check. I don't want to be in the middle of the bay or the Gorge on a big day with no footplate!

Reivers Dustin Apr 21 #35470

Yeah. This is news flash for me. Matt placed his footplate bolts down in front of me at Avenue Bread after the paddle. He smiled and asked what I thought. (Always a red flag.)

I picked them up and one of them came apart. The way the bolt plate was welded to the bolt was faulty. I will be checking my own Vega footplate bolts for this problem. I do not know how you can be sure unless you look. It's the kind of fault you would need to use magna-flux or Dye penetrant to really see. It's possible that those massive forearms on Mad-Matt just put too much force on the lever-cam nuts.

Before I knew what I was talking about I told Matt, “Oh yeah, got rid of those lever-cam nuts and put some nylocks on there.” …like I were an ex-spurt. oopth. This is just replacing the nuts on the inside of the cockpit, nothing about the actual bolts.

It's the actual backing bolt that failed. Not an easy fix. Vega owners should investigate this.

rd

Dan Mayhew Apr 21 #35471

I have a fix that JD sent me and Matt. As you suggested, it includes wing nuts, but the bolt appears to be the same style as the one that failed. I'll keep investigating.

Thanks for your in your input. You know we all look up to you as an ex-spurt, first-class!

Brian Kummer
Apr 21 #35472

Can someone maybe post a couple picture of the failed part? With several Flex’s here I. The gorge it would be good information to have.
Thanks
Brian K

Dan Mayhew Apr 21 #35473

The part that failed is the bolt in the image with the wing nut. The head of the bolt came off the shaft. The shaft couldn't be rethreaded into the head on the water, or on the nearby island. Matt had to stuff his PDF into the footwell to paddle back to shore.

The ski with the failed bolt was purchased new in June of 2022.

The other image shows the set up in my ski that was purchase in January of 2023. It has a new, improved footplate with vertical grooves on the back of the long slotted adjustment plate so it doesn't need nearly as much torque as the early models with a smooth back. (Thanks to Jim Schulz for pointing this out to me.)

Duncan Howat
Apr 21 #35474

Dan, did you really mean ex-spurt, first gas in answering RD ?

Reivers Dustin 9:19am #35477

According to my really grumpy high school biology teacher, all you bums started out as spurts.

rd

Re: Failed Flex Footplate Bolt
Reivers Dustin 2:33pm #35479

Hmm, not seeing the image in the body of this message. Photo attached. My bolts are stainless with a very nice plug weld holding the bolt to the backing plate. Also, I see a special nylon washer settled onto the shaft of the bolt so this set up is good. There's some gunk on here because I messed up and put a non stainless steel washer in the cockpit side to hold my little 10mm nylock nuts solid. So the washers rusted to hell and I had to chisel stuff out.

But the actual footplate bolts on mine (and probably most) are very nice stainless with good construction weld. Proper job, Vega.

Not sure how Matt got an oddball. Maybe as the newest barnacle he gets the bad advice. …..or maybe JD knew I was kind of a crash-cadidle-hopper and rigged my boat for nuclear accidents.
rd

Re: Failed Flex Footplate Bolt
Matthew Arrott
Apr 22 #35480
Reivers- yes that is the bolt and anchor nut assembly that failed. The spot weld holding the assembly that broke. The bolt would not screw back into its anchor.
Boat is in working order with JD's replacement. The bolt/anchor assembly is of higher quality.

@Dan - why did JD send us the replacement kits .. what did he know?
Irrespective - greatly appreciate getting it and yes, I am fortunate it was calm. It was quite peaceful solving how to get home effectively on Chuckanut