Friction-Fit Thrusters: Workaround?

[(PeteCresswell)]

I've got a couple of these things on an ancient-and-honorable
WaveWitch.

I've lost at least a half-dozen of them and they seem to me tb
such a basically bad idea that I'm hoping maybe somebody has come
up with a retrofit workaround.

Maybe something where a screw, instead of engaging a plate like
on an A-box, compresses a neoprene sleeve?

http://tinyurl.com/l8gxf2
http://tinyurl.com/m4z846
--
PeteCresswell

[Dennis]

You may be able to drill into the side of the box and hold the fin in
place with a screw - like FCS. A little bit of glass repair might be
needed, but it shouldn't be that difficult (famous last words), and a
low tech, cheap approach.

On the other hand, I took a fin to the chin once on a too late drop.
The fin was a friction fit design. I got nine stitches. But if the fin
had not popped out of the box, it would have broken my jaw for sure.
Maybe losing a couple fins is not so bad ;-).

[dcr...@nospam.org]

On Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:31:32 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...@y.Invalid>
wrote:

>I've got a couple of these things on an ancient-and-honorable
>WaveWitch.
>
>I've lost at least a half-dozen of them and they seem to me tb
>such a basically bad idea that I'm hoping maybe somebody has come
>up with a retrofit workaround.
>

I had something similar on a board back in the 80s, the advice I got
was to lightly glue it in place with wood glue (waterproof,
obviously), such that you could knock it loose with a mallet (or your
chin) but it wouldn't come out too easily.

Obviously, exactly how much glue critical. If I remember correctly it
was basically a few drops worth spread thin, about 20% of the surface
of the contact area towards the front such that hitting it with a
mallet on the leading edge would break the glue and you could
change/remove it if needed.

hth;

DCraig.