One thing that may help, does anyone know how the slot is made at the factory?? Jake, you've been to the factory right?? I think understanding this will help coming up with a good repair.
Gary sheepishly raises his hand. "Um, I drove there a few times and was given a few tours."
According to the factory, the tube is a pulltruded fiberglass tube that is laid into the mold during layup. One of the final steps in building the hull is to cut the groove from the outside of the finished hull. One slip up can mess up a lot of work and this was one of the reasons that the design has been abandoned.
Another problem was the inability to source rope that would arrive from time to time, that would maintain a consistant diameter. This caused some smaller ropes to pull from the groove that was cut to accomodate earlier ropes that arrived in a slightly larger diameter.
GARY