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Cracked ski boot fix? - 17/18 atomic hawx ultra 130

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B3n
Posts: 51 - Karma: 234
Noticed this crack on my boots yesterday. Looks like it's limited to the outermost shell.
Any recommendations of a fix? From my research it looks like drilling an 1/8" hole at the end of the crack to keep it from propagating is my best bet. Could also try some JB plastic weld or G-Flex epoxy (although I think G-Flex is more fiberglass focused).

Obviously it's time to start finding a good boot fitter for the next pair, but that's not quite in the budget right now so I'm hoping to limp these boots through the rest of the season. They're also sweet boots that I've loved from day one so I'm not quite ready to retire them....

Anyone have experience with this kind of problem?
Also, do you think I'm skiing on a time bomb with these boots?
Doesn't look like a location that could have a catastrophic failure, but I don't have experience working with cracked ski boots...





Dec 12 2022 11:50AM
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slimkumquat
Posts: 52 - Karma: 126
I have a crack in the same spot and skied it for like 30 days no problem barely got bigger but the flex on the cracked boot lowkey felt softer
Dec 12 2022 12:26PM
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weastcoat
Posts: 6419 - Karma: 74,039
I think your best bet would be to somehow weld / solder it back together. With one of these.



Dec 12 2022 2:51PM
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deelonmusk
Posts: 212 - Karma: 1,356
Drill a small hole at the end of the crack to prevent it from propagating, as you mentioned.

Then weld/solder it together, being careful not to damage the overlapping plastic below it. If you're careful, I don't see how you could make it worse using this method, and you could prevent it from getting bigger and becoming more of a problem.
Dec 12 2022 3:07PM
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Burrito
Posts: 1864 - Karma: 930
I made a similar repair (though not in such a high-stress area) on a pair of boots a couple of years ago with some G/Flex 650 marine epoxy. Its flexible, crazy strong, and cold temperature tolerant, and it was well-worth the $30 as it's come in handy any number of times over the past few years for other repairs like tip and tail delams, sidewall blow-outs, etc. Also, as others have said, definitely drill out the end of the crack.
Dec 12 2022 6:38PM
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dwt802
Posts: 3237 - Karma: 31,954
you might be able to fix that, cracked boots are tough. I cracked a pair of B&E’s clean from under the tongue to the bottom of the boot, they were then officially fucked.
Dec 13 2022 3:49PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6656 - Karma: 10,862
Cracks at the overlap are tough to stop once they start. Drilling a hole at the end of it is the best chance of stopping it from going further. But, as you said, it will be most likely time for new boots soon.
Dec 13 2022 3:52PM
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