Fixing Cracks/Dings

[IDynamite]

hey guys, long time no speak. anyway im sure someone somewhere has asked this, but i have a crack about the size of a quarter on my fish tail and I'm wondering how bad it is to not have gotten it fixed for a little while. Is there anything I can do personally, or should I take it to the shop?

Thanks!

[billie_morini]

Depends how bad things are, far as how bad it is or not. Has it been in the water like that? Has it taken in water and dried out, too?

Share a photo of the crack/ding.

Sometimes I fix damage myself. Other times, I bring it to a little shop for repair. It's usually a matter of how much time I have. If no time, then it goes to fix it man.

You may be surprised at what you can do.

[IDynamite]

damn, unfortunately i don't have a camera with me here, but I'll work on that. It's been in the water a lot like that actually. I can't tell if its taken in much water or not, but the crack is not too deep.

[uglystick]

slap a bit of duc tape over it to seal it until you decide what to do. That way if it does leak water it wont anymore.

[scsurfer481]

well lover the last summer i had done the same ting just get ding all the full kit follow the instructions and it will work super easy be patient with it this will take some time but have fun. rember to sand it alot

[IDynamite]

if it takes time should I wait until after the season when I'm not surfing as much?

[rich r]

I recommend fixing any dings/cracks that go through the glass and expose the foam immediately.

Sure, you can duct-tape, but then you have to worry about if you got it covered well enough, removing the tape, the residue, and it's not a perfect watertight solution.

If it's a fiberglass board, get some solarez and patch it if it's that small. If it's epoxy, you need an epoxy kit.

But, now, is it a crack, or a pressure dent with a line through it that doesn't expose the foam? The former, fix. the latter, don't worry about it.

[IDynamite]

Its a fiberglass crack and the foam is definitely exposed. Solarez you say? I'll have to check that one out. The reason I haven't fixed it already is probably because its pretty small, but I've heard these cracks turn into bigger problems down the road. Thanks!

[justloafing]

Its a fiberglass crack and the foam is definitely exposed.
.
.
but I've heard these cracks turn into bigger problems down the road.

Get it fixed or do it yourself. Make sure the foam is dried out before you make the repair.

For the second part of the quote.......... Like ruining your whole board.

[rich r]

A small foam exposure sitting in water for any period of time can totally ruin your board.

Solarez is a tube of sun-activated fiberglass. Sand down the area, put the rez into the ding, cover/flatten/smooth with some clear plastic wrap and let it cure. Make sure to get all the air bubbles out. Do it slowly and carefully - don't want to be messing around with the resin all over the place.

[IDynamite]

do i literally have to suck any water out of the foam that might be there from my last surf before fixing it?

[Dmd*Grl]

hhaha i sucked it out one time, cause i didnt have time to wait till it drived.

Hey i thought you had to put the rez first then let it harden and sand it. gee ive ibeen doing it wrong this whole time

[oldgrom]

Razor cut it, clean it out (any cracks hairline etc.) set it in a indirect sun spot thats hot with the (new hole/cut up so it can evaporate) for a day 2 or more if ya think it's wet (make sure you bring it in at night!!) sand area then sand more patch any missing foam(if any) glass cloth/resin it sand then sand more resin coat again (no cloth) sand again to match. You can then wet sand and buff if it's a polished stick or go the full kaboodle first sand so It's slightly (about sheet of paper thick) lower than surounding original glass fine sand double the repair size (ie 2 inch fix 4 inch sanding from fix spot in distance all around repair(top/rail/bottom etc.) site, mask off areas not to get resin on(allways do that for any of it) and polish coat the entire sanded area wet sand area that got gloss coat and buff to match new to old and your done youl never see it and it's good as new. Takes about a day total less dry time and heck missin one two days surfing for a repair is way better than wrecking your board and needin a new one right???