Dammit! Cracks around one of my fins!

dermo909

I'm not sure when this happened but around one of the fins on the underside of my board is cracked in 3 places. The cracks seem to be going around in a circle

Its an epoxy board and 2 of the cracks are hairline but the one closest to the bolt is a little bigger and water will probably get in there.

Is there anything I can do? I pretty much got out of the water as soon as I saw them but I could have had at least 2/3 surfs since I last looked.

Its my first board and I've only had it a few months so I dont want it ruined with water getting in!

spaceHopper

Can you post a picture? What make/shaper board is it. It makes a difference. If the fins aren't loose then you could buy an epoxy repair kit online and paint some resien over them but it would be best to get it looked at. Why not take it into a surf shop. Where are you?

If the board hasn't gotten noticeably heavier then I wouldn't worry to much. If water has gotten into it the best to let it dry. Either way lamost every thing can be fixed.

dermo909

Its a cortez epoxy board. My instructor was recommending a circle one but unfortunately I did'nt have the cash so had to get this instead.

Sorry about the crappy pic but you get the idea!


The board has'nt gotten any heavier and the fins are'nt loose so I think I caught it as soon as it happened. Looking at the cracks again I can see they are around the 2 bolts instead of just one. I looked online for ding repair and saw some kits. I dont think this is a huge job really so I might go for something like that(cash is still an issue right now). As long as its watertight and the fin stays in there and can be removed when I want to then I'll be happy enough.

I'm in Waterford but I usually surf in Tramore. I'll go into the surf shop there and see what they say about it.

spaceHopper

If you bought it new then I'd go back to where you got it first before trying to fix it. If you didn't beach the fins in the sand then it shouldn't have happened

dermo909

The board was bought online unfortunately so no sending it back to them!

I definitely did'nt beach the fins in the sand but anything I did ride a wave all the way in last weekend so that was probably it. Dont remember hitting the sand though, I got off in about a foot of water.

spaceHopper

From the look of the photo the fin plug could have moved either from to much force during a trun - it shouldn't happen or from hitting something, did you take the fins out for flying home from Portugal? Either way get it looked at take it into a surf shop.

Send a mail to the online shop see what they say Cortez have to stand over their boards

Provid

Had a similar thing last year. Was my first board and beached the fin in the sand ( I know... took a bit too much out of that particular wave, was overcome with excitement!).
Anyway got a fin plug repair kit and fixed it myself. Got the job done alright and is fine: fin secure, no leaks.
Problem is it doesn't look the best and probably won't help if I ever go to sell the board on. Actually the more professional repair jobs I see on other boards the rougher it looks!
So hard to know what makes more sense from a cash point of view... DIY or prof. repair.
I know any future dings (unless very minor) will have me heading to the pros.

Out of interest, anyone have any rough price on what a ding such as above would cost to get fixed by someone in the know?

linnanea

Just a query - how tight did you tighten the screw? Fcs screws only need to be tightened until they touch the fin, maybe just a touch more.

Is the crack inward or outward? If outward (raised) it could be that you tightened the screw too tight and put too much pressure on the inside of the fin plug meaning even the slightest touch could knock it out - popouts like these are cheaply made from materials that cut costs wherever they can. It could be just bad luck and have taken a knock without you noticing - more likely it's the cheap construction though.

Are cortez boards really that much cheaper than Circle One? In my experience (seeing them broken) Circle One boards aren't exactly good quality boards either. Instructor should've told you to go look for a cheap secondhand board and get a better idea of what you're after before investing in a new board - but that's neither nor there now. Good luck with the repair.

andyjo

dermo909 wrote: »

The board was bought online unfortunately so no sending it back to them!

I definitely did'nt beach the fins in the sand but anything I did ride a wave all the way in last weekend so that was probably it. Dont remember hitting the sand though, I got off in about a foot of water.

Out of curiosity, have a look at the bottom of the fin, see if there are sand scratch marks there ? See if the tip of the fin as new looking as the others.
There is a lot to be said for buying a board from a shop in Ireland...I reckon you should still complain to the online shop though, see what they say. Heard of that happening to another Cortez board too, so it could be a manufacturing problem with that manufacturer. I have surfed both epoxy and polyester glass boards over the years, have found epoxy boards to be generally stronger / more ding resistant, so do not let it put you off other makes of epoxy boards like take off or nsp. The board you have can be repaired though. The plugs that the fins goes in to are circular, you are seeing the outline of the plug in the board change slightly compared to the level of the material around it , which means there is probably a bit of movement at the tip of the fin ? Best you get it repaired / sealed.

dermo909

Spacehopper: The board did'nt go to Portugal with me, used rentals out there. I have a feeling this happened in Lahinch last Friday or Saturday.

andyjo: I had a look at the fin and its scratched alright. There's a large scratch on the outside edge and the tip is slightly flattened out. Looks like it was my fault so, nobody else has surfed that board in a while.

linnanea: I had the screws tightened a fair bit. Is making them tight enough the best way? Just tight enough to hold in the fin but not over tight? My instructor had a circle one board that I was using which was 3yrs old and heavily surfed because it was a rental. Apart from some chips and dings here and there, the area around the fins looked perfect. No cracks or visible repairs at all. Getting one of those boards would have cost me another 150 which put it out of my league unfortunately.

I'll fire off an email to surfdome and see what they say. Had huge trouble with the original order so they'll probably say, "oh no, no this guy again!" The order was for 2 boards, 2 bags, wax, roof rack and 2 leashes and each bit arrived seperately after numerous phone calls and emails. I suppose thats what I get for not buying my board from a shop near me. Lesson learned for sure.

spaceHopper

If you stuffed the fin into the sand or a rock then I wouldn't email them.

If you want it to look OK i'd take it somewhere and get it fixed ask in a surf shop. You could get an epoxy repair kit and fix it your self but you'll get better results if you let a pro do it.