Bent Rack finger(s)... fixable?

[murphini]

When docking this weekend in rough waters my starbord wakeboard rack came right down on a pier/post and got pinched/bent. Luckily I had no board in the rack when it happened.

It looks fixable/bendable to open back up. Any suggestions/ideas on how to bend it back?

[2buoysandagirl]

I would think a pry bar should do the trick, but I'd be sure to put a block in your top rack so you don't accidentally bend the center strut up and pinch the top slot in the process. You might have to mount the rack back on the tower so the whole assembly is anchored while you bend it back into position.

[bigdaddy_houseboater]

I know you might think a pry bar will work, because it bent to this shape, so it should bend back. THat is indeed wrong, at least from my experience. I bent some forks and tried bending it back. They broke. The next time, I removed the rubber parts and put the forks in a vise. I heated the bend with a torch carefully, then placed a cheater pipe on fork and bent it back. Worked good.

[NiceOnes]

^^^^ X2

Use a snipe on the bent fork to bend it back but make sure you use some heat right on the bend otheriwse you're going to snap it off. Metal fatigue will cost you whole new rack if you don't.

[murphini]

If I knew what a snipe was I'd probably use it....

Cheater pipe--is that basically a long pipe over the finger that extends the leverage?

Will the propane blow torch in a can you can buy at HomeDepot be hot enough?

[bigdaddy_houseboater]

Snipe.. Cheater.. same diff. Get some ~2" galvanized fence, cut a 36" piece, and stick it over the fork. Use it as leverage. When you put it in a vise, use soft jaws or it will mar the aluminum. YES, the propane torch is enough.

Better yet, find a machine shop in town and take it to them. They probably wont charge you much to straighten it. Just tell them to PLEASE use heat.

[murphini]

before I got the last post--I googled machine shops/aluminum shops in town. There was one 2 miles from my office. Called guy and told him what problem was. He said if I could be there in 15 minutes he'd do it. 5 minutes and $5 later, it was done. Heat & cheater.

The guy is a boat owner also and was happy to help.

[skippabcool]

There are still some good people out there.

Glad you got it fixed.

[NiceOnes]

Sweet! All fixed and you learned a few new terms to boot!

I'm stoked that it all worked out!