30 year old Fiberglass Bow - Functional or Dangerous

[Steverino]

Welcome SJJ,


You will be hard pressed to find a more friendly and knowledgable group than the folks here at HC. I began bowhunting three years ago and have received countless advice from some good people on this forum-much has been invaluable to me in the field along with some hard-learned lessons that only come from personal experience.

With that being said, obviously you do not want a hard-lesson on a bow that you are uncertain of. You did not mention as to where specifically the bow was stored and as to what conditions were present in storage. (High heat/humidity-attic or fluctuating temps from a garage etc.)

If the bow was exposed to a variety of varying climate changes, I personally would shy away from using it as older fiberglass (my experience on this is admittedly from fishing rods-not bows) exposed to the elements many times can have microscopic cracks that do not show signs of wear until under stress (like having a 45" muskie on a fifteen year old flippin stick that was stored in the garage)

If the bow was stored in a steady climate, I would re-string it and have at. Just my .02. Another suggestion is to bring the bow into a bowshop and have it checked out and set-up for your kids.