Surfboard repair

m.a

I'm getting my hands on a free 6'5" shortboard that has a crack/break through the tail and the last fin plug. I'm wondering what my repair options are. It's my first shortboard and I've never done a repair before. For some reason boards won't allow me to attach a photo

m.a

Here it is. Sorry about the quality of the pic but I didn't take the photo and I haven't even seen the board yet.

Low Pockets

Where are you based?

That's a ambitious enough repair for your 1st attempt.
Swaylocks.com is your friend if you do decide you want to do it, and search, search a little more and then one last time search again before you ak any questions, it all been covered in the archivies

m.a

i'm based in dublin at the moment. I'm possibly willing to get it repaired in a shop. Do you think it is repairable or am i getting a cool new wall decoration. I'm happy either way.

rodento

Your best option is get some quotes from shapers around the area you surf, depending on what type of board it is it may not be worth fixing

Marcaiocht_Tonn

An option is you can drop it into Surfdock, at Grand Canal Dock - a guy they know will come and collect it and he's a wizard at repairs. Also I think Wind & Wave up in Fingal do board repairs (both windsurfing and surf boards).

It is satisfying to do your own repairs, but for this one probably best to pay someone to do it. That way you'll have peace of mind!

Edit: Just a thought, if you get an expert to look at it, they might be able to tell what state the foam core is in. When a board is cracked through, water can get in at the foam. If the previous owner dried it out in time, then maybe it's ok. Worth a look...

starfish12

surf dock are great, and prob cheaper than doing it yourself, simple repairs are around 30 - a friend had a smashed tail / fin box repaired for €50 and it really was a pro job...would really advise you to get it done, it might look fine if u do it yourself, but you'll know the difference once it hits the waves...

spaceHopper

I think the same guy does repairs for Wind and Wave and surf dock, he's fixed a few boards for me. That's bad but is fixable. Looks like the foam is creased. If it were me I'd rout out two channels two inches either side of the wooden stringers the glass in some marine ply strips the re glass and put in a new fin plug. I'll cost about 70 at a guess.

If it's your first board I'd put it a way for a while an get a bigger old beater to learn on first 6'5 is very small and performance orientated it'd be like learning to drive in a sports card.

m.a

Yeah from looking at the forum archive Surf Dock seems to be my best bet.

I do plan on putting it away for a while once I get it fixed as I'm not experienced enough for a shortboard and I'd ding the crap out of the fibreglass but when I got the chance to get my hands on it for free I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up. It'll make a great wall decoration if it's too banged up anyway

I'm borrowing a friends mini-mal this summer and I'm heading to Lahinch for a week so I was thinking of getting hardboard lessons with Ben's Surf Clinic to get me started quicker. I'm well beyond the foam rental boards at this stage in ability but before this year I didn't have a car and lived too far away from the beach to bother getting my own board. I picked up an inflatable roof rack in Aldi for around €35 euro before christmas so all I need now is a board. I'm hoping to pick up a used board this summer for myself but I'm going to try experiment with some different shapes first. I'm 5'8" 125lbs so I think I've a good few options as regards boards.

spaceHopper

m.a wrote: »

I picked up an inflatable roof rack in Aldi for around €35 euro before christmas so all I need now is a board. I'm hoping to pick up a used board this summer for myself but I'm going to try experiment with some different shapes first. I'm 5'8" 125lbs so I think I've a good few options as regards boards.

Most soft type racks are only good for holiday trips - they make to much noise, let in rain .... in the long term think about getting a hard rack.

You can also put the board in the car - you'll get an 8ft board into most hatch backs by winding back the front seat and sliding it in from the boot. then put the seat belt on to it or maybe a strap a round the seat back - cops can get a bit sticky sometimes.

m.a

Good to know. My hatchback is old but it's long so I'll wait till I upgrade from it before I spend the money on a hard rack. I think I should prioritise getting an intermediate level board before the new car and the new roof rack. Cart before the horse and all that hehe.

I'm building an "indoboard" at the moment from an old skateboard deck so hopefully I'll have built up my core muscles a bit before/if I get out on the water. If it goes as intended it should get me out on the shortboard a bit quicker.

Edmc

Nicely done getting a free shortboard M.A.! Just out of curiosity, what level are you at with your longboarding?

@starfish12: 50 euro for a smashed fin box and tail, that is a savage deal given the work that goes into that. I guess the guys who do this day in day out get so efficient that it doesn't take them long. It took me the best part of a day to fix a nose split in a sailboard. And we're talking Frankenstein-looking results here

m.a

m.a

m.a

okay wow the images uploaded huge. But as you can see the board is now in my possession and it's definitely more of a snap than a crack

@Edmc - I'm still a beginner I suppose cos I only get out a couple times each summer. But I can usually catch the first wave I try for and stand up on it. I can turn as well when standing but I find the rental foam boards cumbersome and slow to the point of being boring.

spaceHopper

It's a snap all right the tail pad is holding it together.

To fix it you need to take the tail pad off - heat it with a hair dryer to soften the glue. Clean off any old glue with acetone, stick the foam back together with resin, looks like it will line up OK. The put in a new fin plug. You might need to add two parallel support say 3 inches from the fin to make it stronger. Then re glass the tail - hot coat it, sand it. To get a good finish on it you'd need to do a lot of sanding so I'd say give it to a pro.

m.a

Thanks for that. I'll post a reply when I get something done with it or I at least get it priced.

saltrock2007

Hi M.A,

That looks like a nasty enough ding you've got there. Is the stringer crack all the way through, or just partially? Apologies for the late reply to this thread, seeing as it was written back in March. I was just wondering, did you bring it to surfdock to get repaired in the end? I'll bet he did a great job if you did. Bill (repair guy) is a very good. As it happens, im also a repairer, so if you hadn't got it fixed and it still wanted it done, you can give me a shout too. Just giving you an option, not selling myself!! I can pm you my number if you're interested.

rodento

Where are you based and can you give sample prices for minor dings and small rail jobs

saltrock2007

Hi Rodento,

Im based in south Dublin, Dundrum area.

Been repairing my own gear for years and started repairing for others in the past year. Im not a competitor of Surfock, so my prices are pretty much the same as his. Im slightly cheaper as I don't provide extensive paint job, except for primary colours.

Minor dings 1-3:€30-75.....depending on ding size

Rail fractures: €35 each

FCS Fin plug repairs:€35 per plug, €50 for pair

this is an fyi, otherwise i'd be putting myself on adverts.ie

marshman94

i know exactly what your saying i got a board last week and its a million times better then them rental ones. my board had a small ding on it when i bought it and i got alot of advice on youtube