fin plug damaged after 1 use - help!!

cyndi23

I've just started surfing and bought my first board last week (7 6" take-off) and took it out that day. I took the board out again at the weekend to wax it before use and noticed a crack over the contour of one of the fin plugs... I noticed that the screw on that particular plug was further down than the others - so I'm assuming that the guy in the shop screwed it in too tight.

I brought it back to him and he took some pics to send back to the manufacturer - but he seemed to imply that it was my fault because there were some marks on the fin itself.

I got a second opinion from a surf instructor and he said that its definitely a fault with the board because the crack is carrying on along the contour of the plug...

Any advice???

OuterBombie

Barely a week in and you just got your first ding!

The shop should honor the sale and sort it out for you. However boards are easily hurt so it could be a case of "thats not our problem".

If its a plastic pop-out then try and get the shop to sort it, otherwise not much you can do.

If its a regular foam/fibreglass board then you'll need to bring it to any ding repair person and get the plug redone or a new plug put in. That can be a tricky job so it could cost anything from 40-80 euros (or not). If the shop was a decent one they'd do this for you or at least offer something in part payment, if not, you'll be paying it yourself.

true

Looks like you got your first ding alright / the fin hit the ground at some stage or was forced sideways. The tightness or otherwise of the screw would have nothing to do with it.

eamonnm79

If it was damaged before you bought it it is up to you to spot it.
If yo got a ding hard luck.
However much like everything else in this life the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so complain.

neon_glows

Was the fin plug damaged before you left the shop? If not then you clearly were at fualt, epoxy surfboards are really strong and good for people who may otherwise not look after there surfboard but all surfboards need to be treated like babys and they all get a ding at some stage.

My best advice would be to ask the shop to organise a repair for you and also see will they drop the price of the repair. A ding doc will do this for about 35e, some shops take a cut so see if the shop will drop there commission on the repair.

If you tell us where u are based i will send you a link to a board repair dude.

cyndi23

Thanks for the replies guys!

I cant say I noticed the ding before I left the shop but also I'm an honest girl and would admit it if i remembered the board getting a bang or riding it in to shore where it would hit rocks...

I showed the board to another surf intructer and hes agreeing with the other instructer who said the board should be sent back to the manufacturer.

What first appeared to be a crack along the contour of the fin has now sunk into round a 2mm circular dent - and the board hasn't been used since I noticed the crack...

Anyways thanks for the advice - but I think I'm going to insist the board be sent back to the manufacturer.

loctite

Best of luck to ya but I can't see that happening. Boards are super sensitive. The number of holes I've put in boards without realising it.... I've lost count.

You could have damaged it by loading it into your car/van roofracks etc. Regardless of what your surf instructors are saying, with all due respect, how do they know it is a manufacturing problem?? Have they seen them before?

Get the number of some who is good at Ding repairs and save it cause you'll no doubt be calling em again in the future!!:)

loctite

Fair play...

glide

thats what you get when you buy a board from china!!
im fed up of the crap in shops that is made from inferior materials check my blog for the answer!!!

http://allthingsglide.blogspot.com/