Repair for Firewire in FST construction

[lafaperalta]

Hi, I dented my Evo surfboard on a Kenyan reef the other day (see pic below). Unfortunately, the board got water in the whole.

There are apparently no professional surfboard repairs in country and the local kitesurfing schools do not have the ability to fix it. I am keen to get back on the water quickly.

Any suggestions as to how to get it repaired? I have never done a surfboard repair so I am at a bit of a loss. How do i drain and fill the whole? Do I then need to put Epoxy on it and around the fin box?

Thanks a million in advance!

[surferbee]

It doesn't look super deep in the pic, but maybe it goes in a ways? How deep is it? The first thing to do is get any water out. You should towel dry the area as best you can. Then, suck on it to see if there's still water in there. If you taste water or hear bubbling you need to dry it out more before doing any repair. Either way it should definitely be dry before permanently repairing it.

A quick fix is to use a solar-curing resin or epoxy resin like Solarez or Sun-cure or similar. On the other hand, if you're on vacation and don't have it on hand and just want a quick fix to get you back in the water until you can fix it for real, then you can use something like marine tape or a strong duct tape. I always carry a product call Dr. Phix's ding tape: https://www.phixdoctor.com/product/phix-doctor-ding-tape/ I'm not sure that'll help you out where you are but you might be able to locate something similar at a marina or boat repair business. It'll prevent further water intrusion until you can do a proper repair.

The other thing to be wary of is whether or not the fin box is damaged. Again, it looks pretty small but you can check by putting a fin in and gently wiggling it in all directions. If the fin plug creaks or flexes the surrounding area in any way then you should get it repaired properly.

[waikikikichan]

Basically half the plug/box is pushed down. Not an easy fix. You need to dry out EPS/epoxy boards out for weeks, not days.

Do you have the grub screws to put into the empty holes to use standard 2 tab FCS fins ?

[surferbee]

Basically half the plug/box is pushed down. Not an easy fix.

Maybe. Maybe not. The Firewire epoxy glassing may just be uneven. Here's a fin plug on my Evo for comparison:

See how one side also looks a bit pushed in? ...But good eye if it is damaged!

[gsseirik]