lokbox problems?

General Discussion
1

Did a bit of a search in past threads and couldnt really answer my question.

sorry if this is a repeat.

Here’s the question: had a fin and lokbox get completely ripped out and lost.

while doing the new repairs noticed that the orig. cloth doesnt cover the box at all?

the box is held in with resin ONLY. is this typical or a substandard practice?

how do you guys install?

So if bulletproofing the boxes in arent the metal tabs that hold the fin supposed to bend and possibly release the fin on impact?

i really dont want to buy another 90$ set of fins!

and have never had any issues with fcs…hahaha

thanks

2

Surprised that no-one answered this. I wondered if you were an fcs stooge or had asked questions before that put people off answering. Anyway check out http://www.lokboxfins.com/installation.cfm

which tells you that the boxes should have been covered with cloth when laminated.

3

I’ve only had 1 fin box bust with Lokbox, but quite a few with FCS. I believe the Lokbox problem was with the installer. I had glass-ons taken off a favorite board and replaced with Lokbox by my FORMER ding repair guy.

4

Yeah lokbox are supposed to be capped with glass. Try topping this post in a week “Lokbox” who answers all the questions is way south of the boarder getting mile long lefts while were sitting here.

5

thanks for the answers…my feelings were ‘almost hurt’

yeah i was wondering if the glasser has stock in the fins that they supply(job security)…Gawdamnit theyre not cheap!!!

new box is in and glassed a new layer over the trailing box as well to beef it up some.

all done but the wetsanding!

time to ride…oh yeah its summer soon = f l a t

6

Lokbox boxes are designed to be capped. Anything less is shoddy work and you should look for another board maker.

7
Quote:

Lokbox boxes are designed to be capped. Anything less is shoddy work and you should look for another board maker.

I agree.

Those ones are installed after the board was finished:

Coque.

8

One other note on Lokbox’s; a kid came into my shop and wanted me to replace all his Lokbox boxes with FCS plugs because he said his fins would just fall out. I took a look and discovered he had removed all of the little O rings under the screws that held the fins in. I ask him why he did that, and he said “I DIDN’T THINK THEY WERE NECESSARY!” I told him to quit thinking and just follow the instructions.

9

another notorious 0-ring failure.

I thought the rings were designed to hold the tab in place while installing rather than have it get lost in the sand. Lokboxesfins are also designed to be cranked down hard and tight. The tabs bend; if bend enought to bother you turn them over.

10

Other than the obvious that you have stated, the O-ring is to prevent the innerbox part of the box to become water-logged and possibly leak into the foam. If you notice the Lokbox is a two piece construction and the inner part of the box that is face down into the foam has a seam where the water could leak through.

11

oh-boy… more issues

while doing the repairs i noticed that the o-rings were broken (from cranking the screws tight)

torqued them tight cause i noticed that if they were only tightened softly the fins would wiggle

just did a test with an uninstalled box minus screw.

results: water did eventually seep through the screw box bottom but only when applying forced air.

maybe with the screw inserted this doesnt happen ,how long have these been on the market. long enough to see long term pros-cons?

why are the stainless parts showing signs of rust color?

end rant

12

I can’t see how once installed water sipping through the box could be a problem given that resin used in the installation process would most likely seal the box and/or create a barrier that would keep water from reaching the foam. Personally, I’ve had no problems with lokbox in the 2 years or so I’ve used it. Try to bounce this to the top next week when lokbox is back in town and I’m sure he will be able to address all your questions.