My Easton Ultra Light shaft cracked

[nyrmetros 0]

I've had the Easton Ultra Light shaft since 1998 or so. I used it for ice hockey and the past 4 years it's been used for outdoor roller hockey. A couple days ago I was playing a game and I took a wrist short and I felt my stick go limp. I figured I had cracked another blade (RBK 2k ABS), but instead upon further inspection I see that my shaft has cracked. About 2 inches from where the blade and shaft meet there is an indentation in the shaft and I can see the crack. Is there anything that can be done to salvage the shaft in terms of repairs ? I'm not in the financial state to spend $100 on a new hockey shaft at the moment. My backup stick is an aluminum Gerry Cosby shaft with a RBK 2k ABS blade that IS broken. Any thoughts or ideas?

If the shaft damage is terminal, what options are there? I haven't kept up with the stick market cause I've been so happy with what I had. I'll try to get a picture of where the damage is ASAP.

[17D1998 1]

Cut the shaft an inch or two above the crack then put a wooden plug at the other end if it's too short. Should not cost you more than 5$

[Brian Harte 1]

I believe there are people who do repairs to composite sticks/shafts, but I have no idea what the cost is. Personally speaking, I'd just go with something new rather than a repaired stick.

You COULD try to cut it right above the crack and add an end plug, like mentioned before. Maybe that wouldn't work though. It's been a while and I don't remember how the shaft is on those old ones. I think the Z Bubble was thinner along the shaft than where the blade went in. Not sure if the Ultra Lite was like that too.

To me, it seems like you can find some good deals on older shafts. That would be MY suggestion. I just checked ebay for Ultra Lite shafts and had some success. Maybe go that route, if you feel it's right for you.

[sickwilly 37]

I'd start with ebay, like Brian said. I've seen a fair number of ultra lites posted there over the past couple of months.

http://cgi.ebay.com/EASTON-Ultra-Lite-Composite-Hockey-Shaft-Sr-/270642540120?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f038d6e58

[iceburg19 1]

That plain out sucks, In the past Ive cut above the crack and put in a wood plug (as mentioned ). now they make composite plugs so thats another option. And I also cut by the crack and turned the shaft around and put the blade in the other side and the plug where the blade went.. Of course the flex is going to be different but at least you have a stick.

[sickwilly 37]

Getting that much durability out of a shaft is awesome, though. I'd almost think that it might be worth picking up a solid used one instead of trying too hard to fix the old one. If it was weakened enough to let go on a wrister, it might be on the end of its useful life, anyway.

I know that you mentioned that money's tight. If you don't have any luck on ebay, you might want to check out the buy/sell section on MSH. I think the $10 yearly fee is well worth it. I've saved that amount many times over buying things on here. Some great deals pop up sometimes, too. It's certainly a great place to find top-end used stuff.

[Brian Harte 1]

I was looking at that same one on ebay last night.

Pretty darn cheap. It might not go much higher.... who knows...

[nyrmetros 0]

Hey thanks for the replies everyone. I've been so busy @ work haven't had time to check the options out. Hopefully this weekend I can bring it to my LHS and see what they say. (Of cuorse they will tell me to buy a new one). haha

[nyrmetros 0]

Great news everyone. I took my shaft to my local PLay it Again in Carle Place, NY. They cut right above the fracture which was 3 inches from where the blade fits into the shaft. The inserted a wood butt on that side and pooped off the original wood butt and put my blade in there. I will find out tomorrow if it holds up. They didn't even charge me for the work, but I bought an ABS blade from them as a thank you. A Koho Bobby Ryan. Never seen it before.

[Brian Harte 1]

cool. hopefully it works out well for you.

[nyrmetros 0]

Well I've played 1 game with the repair job so far. The stick seemed to hold up. I also didn't attempt any slap shots out of mental fear of it breaking. Maybe with playing a few more games with it this weekend I'll feel more mental comfortable. lol

[sickwilly 37]

Well I've played 1 game with the repair job so far. The stick seemed to hold up. I also didn't attempt any slap shots out of mental fear of it breaking. Maybe with playing a few more games with it this weekend I'll feel more mental comfortable. lol

Might as well fire away. You can probably find a similar used replacement pretty cheaply. That being said, I hope that the repair holds up for a while.

[nyrmetros 0]

Might as well fire away. You can probably find a similar used replacement pretty cheaply. That being said, I hope that the repair holds up for a while.

Well I played a decent game today. Shaft def held up. Only thing holding me back is my RBK 2k blade being worn down all the way. lol. But that's a better issue to have than a broken shaft ! :)

[RichardsIsTheMan 0]

There are definitely people who repair shafts, but I've always found that you don't need much flexibility when playing roller. A wooden plug should work. But honestly, why not just by a cheap shaft and blade combo. I had a few Ultra Light shafts and they were great, along with the Z-Bubble. But sometimes you have to move on.

[nyrmetros 0]

There are definitely people who repair shafts, but I've always found that you don't need much flexibility when playing roller. A wooden plug should work. But honestly, why not just by a cheap shaft and blade combo. I had a few Ultra Light shafts and they were great, along with the Z-Bubble. But sometimes you have to move on.

There will be no moving on! haha. The repaired shaft is working out great! Played a very tough game last Sunday and everything felt fine with it. Amazing what a hacksaw and a wood plug can do ! lol