Stripped Futures screw receiver

Ha, don’t know what its called but neighbor has a new board and the screw threads in easily tightens against the fin briefly and then loosens again. In other words it never snugs up.

Assuming the the shop doesn’t replace the board what solutions are there for getting the screw tight but still allowing future fin swapping?

Thanks in advance.

Futures screw repair

DIRECTIONS FOR FIXING A STRIPPED SCREW HOLE.

Step 1: Level board so the resin doesn’t run out the top of the screw hole.

Step 2: Clean the box in question with a little fresh water to remove any

                   sand or grit and make sure the screw hole and work area are clean and dry. 

Step 3: When dry, use masking tape to cover the screw hole on the inside

                   cavity of the box so the resin doesn't run out the bottom of the hole. 

Step 4: Prepare the epoxy by following the instructions on the back of the

                   package. Fill the screw hole with the five minute epoxy. NOTE: Leave a

                   little void at the top of the screw hole, to allow the drill to be started

                   easier. Allow the epoxy to dry for a few hours. 

Step 5: Use the #21 drill bit to drill a hole through the epoxy following

                   angle of the original screw hole. 

Step 6: Now use the 10/32 tap to re-tap the drilled hole following the angle

                   of the original screw hole. <span style="font-weight:bold">Step 7:</span> Screw in screw and check for tightness, then go for a surf!

They finally updated their website and I found this info last week.

Thanks, and thanks for the heads up on the futures site I’ve been scratching my head about that 2003 catalog for a while now.

take the the set screw out that came with the board,

then run up to home depot, or lowes, and look at thier set screws.

look for one that is longer and has more threads that will " bite" into the area of the fin slot that is not being used by the shorter set screw that came with it. you can use a grinder to take off extra treads on the tip side of the new set screw so it mounts flush when installed

and dont over tighten

Another way to fix this is by using brass threaded inserts. These are intended for ultrasonic insertion into plastic parts. Drill out the threaded plastic hole about 15% smaller than the insert OD, put the brass insert on a pointed soldering iron, heat it up, and push into the hole until slightly below the surface. Let cool and put the screw back in. You can get these from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com); look in the index for threaded inserts for plastic. Get the thin-wall type. I’ve fixed FCS and Futures with these and never had any come out or strip yet. Sorry but I don’t remember the Futures thread size.

Hey PC,

That sounds like what futures should do in the first place. I like.

Looked through the cat but couldn’t see a ref to thin walled. Do you have a link or pat # to the actual insert that you’ve had success with?

It’s been awhile since I bought them, they may not carry the thin-walled type anymore. These are just smaller OD versions anyhow, and heat up faster. Lock-box uses stainless steel inserts in their boxes, probably molded-in. Futures most likely want to keep their costs down, and the majority of user’s really never change fins until they break one. If you like Futures, it’s a good idea to put the inserts in before glassing in the boxes on your next board.