Board design and poor quality advise

[sambotc]

Hi all,

Been checking out the posts here for a while but never felt the need to post as i've found out most of the answers through the search! great site.

Anyway, I bought my first board about 3 months back and hit the waves. I decided on a take off 6'10" big boy shortboard as I thought i'd jump in at the deep end and try my luck! Actually getting on with the surfing side OK, been out once or twice a week since buying it and just starting to ride the green waves if I can get out the back!

The reason for my post is that I am having issues with my board its an epoxy board so thought it would be fairly strong, but since having it I have had to do 2 repairs on it already. I only surf sandy beaches in cornwall, and have never hit a rock or another board as being a newbie i try and stay out of the way of everyone else for everyones safety!

So first the nose got a crack in it on the rail edge, ok i thought I must have hit the bottom or something. I got some solerez and fixed it up, but as I cut the broken patch out I noticed wood??? It looks like there is a thin layer of wood between the foam and the fibreglass? I have experience in fibreglassing as I am building a boat, so i would have thought the glass would be bonded to the foam like all the other boards I have seen. has anyone ever heard of this type of construction before? I can only presume it is a cheap way to stiffen up the deck to try and prevent pressure dings, but it doesn't work as there are quite a few on there already.

Now on friday I came out after 2-3ft session, only to find the tail had split, this time I most definately didnt hit anything, it loks like its just split. I rubbed the paint away and it looks like, because the edge is square, there is no mat wrapping around the tail from top to bottom, instead the fibreglass mat on the top stops and so does the bottom mat, then the gap in between is just filled with resin? I am led to belive this is standard practise on epoxy boards but i'm not convinced this is a good way to do so as the resin without fibres is bound to be a weak spot in the design, and as proven by my board, will crack ?

Finally, anyone ever approached the manufacturers about a bad quality board, or have any idea where i would stand, I paid £350 for this board, and it looks like it'll be in the bin by next summer at this rate.

any help much appreciated

Sam

[jaffa1949]

Firstly EEEEEK doesn't sound good. Some epoxy boards do have a wood layer , but post a picture and show us the damage and brand name.
There are a number of ways of making epoxy boards, from glassing but with epoxy to vaccuum bagging and a few other strange ways in between, so the picture is necessary. We might be able to help.
It sounds like a cheapy even at the price you paid, as for going at the manufacturer you'll need to speak Cantonese, I'd bog up the dings with epoxy solar rez, sand them flat and surf the board to death if I couldn't get satisfaction

[surf patrol]

post a picture and show us the damage

always good to get a look

We had a topic about take off surfboards here a long while ago and people were experiencing issues with the construction of the product. As you'll see from that topic, I was contacted representative from Take Off surfboards about how they had improved the product.
From what you describe, there may well still be issues with the construction. Unfortunately, after having the board for 3+months I think the chances of you getting a satisfactory resolution from this are probably pretty slim.

[sambotc]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. Here are the same pictures I emailed the shop i bought it from. Bear in mind, the pictures I took are from when after I scrapped the paint off with a stanley blade so does not represent the actual damage as it was when I came out of the water.

The second pic shows where the crack formed when on the day it was just about wide enough to get the end of your nail in, and the squares indicate where the fibreglass stops and the gap is filled with resin only.







The shop thought that maybe the leash had damaged it by not being fitted correctly, but this picture shows that the rail saver is the right length for the board


I haven't heard a reply from the shop today, although on friday i was told that they are willing to support me as a customer. today the sun was out for an hour so I managed to chuck some solerez in the tail crack just so i can still use it. lets hope it doesn't break again for a few more sessions at least!

would be interested to hear you opinions, I genuinely treat the board with respect (as you would paying £350 for it) and being a newbie i'm hardly out in massive swell getting bashed up. It's always in a bulldog boardbag unless i'm using it and secured well in the van when transported.

My surf buddy has a rusty board and is at a similar level as me (although wipes out more ) we always surf together and his board is still like brand new.

Also one thing i noticed was that around the nose near the very tip, i can flex the fibreglass quite easily without applying to much pressure, surely the nose should be the strongest part of the board?

Thanks in advance,

Sam

[jaffa1949]

From all the information and pictures I'd say the only good thing to come out of you buying that board is a warning for anyone else to avoid this product.
Failure in so many ways across different areas of the board = junk, junk, junk product.
IMO Bog it up surf it till it dies, hopefully that is long enough to save for something of quality, and I think even a second hander would be better

[sambotc]

Board has been bogged and ready to surf, not receiving any replies from emails from the shop now so think it will be a case of live and learn!

I think my next step will be to make sure that as many people as possible find out about the poor quality of take off boards, and thats where the internet comes in handy.

[kitesurfer]

Board has been bogged and ready to surf, not receiving any replies from emails from the shop now so think it will be a case of live and learn!

Emails are easily ignored. Phone them up and be assertive. Ask them how the board makers responded when they showed them your photos. MAke it sound like you are expected answers and that you are expecting them to do something for you. Basically get on their case but don't be rude. Set your aims high (board replacement) but be prepared to except a comprimise but don't let them know that yet.
Good luck and sorry to say it but that board is pants and not fit for purpose in my opinion.

KS

[sambotc]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I have today recieved an email updating me of the situation off the shop which is encouraging. They have forwarded on the email's I sent to the manufacturers and are awaiting a response from them. I made it fairly clear in the last email that I wasn't happy with the board and that the way it is manufactured leaves a lot to be desired. To be fair i'll give the shop credit, and maybe assumed the lack of response was due to thinking I was just whinging over dinging the board. This obviously isn't the case otherwise i wouldn't have gone to the effort of fixing the nose and respraying it etc which took me quite a long time and money in paint etc.

I will update you all as and when I get any further info, but thanks to all so far who have offered their opinion on the situation.

I fixed the tail the other night as already said as I thought I wasn't getting anywhere. I am still unhappy with the build quality though, where do you think I stand with using it in the mean time? I had to borrow my mates board this afternoon to get an hour in!

[dklay]

Holy crap sambotc... I wouldn't be messing around with emails. Take it back to the shop where you bought it. If the shop you bought it from is reasonably honest they should at least give you store credit for the purchase price. Let them deal with the manufacturer / shaper for their losses.

I've noticed you've mentioned PAINT. The only reason I see for a board to be painted is to HIDE a bad shaping/ glassing job (glassing is the same whether epoxy or poly resin ... just a different foam as the base shape). You're seeing the results. A thin glassing job that damages and dings eaily is one thing, but that board is just plain falling apart.

[sambotc]

The problem is the shop is a 2hr drive from here, and getting the time to get down and back is awkward at the moment. I kind of feel like its hard to prove the board is at fault and not just me being really heavy handed with it or similar (which I haven't)

It's encouraging to know the shop is getting involved in the whole process with me, wether or not it will be of any benefit we will see. I certainly won't be buying another painted board again, I will want to see exactly whats going on underneath and how its put together.

Cheer for the help

Sam

[Rickyroughneck]

I've noticed you've mentioned PAINT. The only reason I see for a board to be painted is to HIDE a bad shaping/ glassing job (glassing is the same whether epoxy or poly resin ... just a different foam as the base shape)

Since epoxy resin breaks down more readily in the sun, epoxy boards are usually painted as protection. There are UV resistant epoxies but they are still not as resistant as polyester in that regard. Since pop-outs are all epoxy, they are all painted, which is no surprise really. Maybe it hides a poor glass job too in some cases, I would like to see one without the paint to ascertain that.

[surf patrol]

What's the white smudge bit in the picture. Was that present when the board was new?

d-1.jpg (31.53 KiB) Viewed 2732 times

[dklay]

I've noticed you've mentioned PAINT. The only reason I see for a board to be painted is to HIDE a bad shaping/ glassing job (glassing is the same whether epoxy or poly resin ... just a different foam as the base shape)

Since epoxy resin breaks down more readily in the sun, epoxy boards are usually painted as protection. There are UV resistant epoxies but they are still not as resistant as polyester in that regard. Since pop-outs are all epoxy, they are all painted, which is no surprise really. Maybe it hides a poor glass job too in some cases, I would like to see one without the paint to ascertain that.

I'll gladly eat my words on that one ricky.... I was looking at some boards this weekend at a local shop and most, but not all, of the epoxy boards were indeed painted. Apologies. I own 3 epoxy boards that the epoxy is a true glass job... no paint. Colors and graphics are laid on the foam w/ a clear epoxy over.

In Sambo's case.... it sure seems like a hack glass job before paint.

Sambo.... sorry to hear the shop isn't closer to you. I hope you get some sort of resolve on the issue.

[sambotc]

What's the white smudge bit in the picture. Was that present when the board was new?

d-1.jpg

Hi mate,

That is just a scratch on the fake stringer paint job! I may have done it uncovering what was beneath, not sure.

Bit of a pain really as i'm really getting into the surfing now and learning every session, I took the board out tonight after pinching my mates all weekend and it felt weird! Got used to it near the end, but I can't be doing with swapping boards here there and everywhere as it makes learning a lot harder.

Hopefully they will come back with some kind of offer, even if its some kind of goodwill gesture and another tube of solerez!

I think my next board will be polyester, i'm well experienced in using that, and have 20kg's of it in the garage!

Still nothing from the distributers so will update when I hear something.

Sam