Futures Fin Box Tab Repair

I tried to find a method for fixing a Futures fin box when the back tab breaks out, but couldn’t. So, after some long reflection on several possibilities, the final decision was to recreate a “tab” similar to the one that broke off.

Here’s what I did to repair the finbox:

Take a 6-32 SS Hex socket head screw (left)

Grind two sides of it flat on the grinder to .160", if you’ve got calipers (middle)

Smooth and round the top edges of flats to ease fin installation and resemble the broken tab (right)

It fits like in the second picture

Took a small drill bit (slightly smaller than the thickness of the screw), attached it to a long, straight shaft with tape, put the shaft in my dremel tool, turned it on low and carefully guided the drill bit in far enough to accept the socket screw. The shaft is to lower the angle the bit goes in. There’s really no way to get the screw in perfectly square to the end of the box without some specialty tool.

Thread the hole with an unmodified socket screw (I tried this with the first one I made and stripped the head, having to regrind another one).

Apply some 20 minute epoxy to the modified screw “tab” to seal it when it’s in.

Screw in the “tab”, let the epoxy set and voila, the new “tab” will hold in a new fin.

Good part about it is that it was a low cost repair that didn’t require replacing the whole fin box. Bad part about it is that if this happens again, I’m sure the fin box will tear out, instead of the “tab” breaking. Hopefully, this was a fluke failure and I won’t have to worry about it, again.

Hope this helps someone else who runs into this type of failure. :slight_smile: