Part 1 Identifying the Damage So you get out of the water and to your dismay you find that you have damaged your board. The first step is to identify the type of damage that you have. Here is a quick rundown. 1. The Pressure ding This type of ding occurs when an excess of pressure is applied to a small area of the board. It appears as a concentric depression usually a few centimeters in diameter on the deck or underside of the board. This type of ding usually does not break the glass and are difficult to fix. If not extremely serious this damage should be left alone or sent to a professional board repairmen. 2. The Shatter This ding occurs when ones surfboard strikes the reef, another board or a body part (hopefully not your head). It appears as a crack which often has "shatters" which look almost like spider webs emanating from the main fissure. This ding can be left alone if it does not break the glass. If the glass is broken to the foam a shatter must be fixed because the damage will begin to take in water 3. The Ding Quite simply this is your standard common hole in your board. The glass is broken to the foam core. The ding is a must to fix because of the fact that water is soaking into the foam which is very absorbent. If you do not fix these types of dings your board lifespan will be shortened markedly because water not only makes your board heavier but causes delamination of the glass from the foam core. Keep in mind the classification of dings shatters and pressure dings are not a cut and dry matter. Any damage can be a mixture of the various classifications. The main rule of thumb is when you have glass that is broken exposing the surfboards foam core it must be fixed. 4. The Buckle or Crease This is the most serious damage of them all. A buckle looks like a crease or crack from your rail to your stringer or from rail to rail. This means that your board has literally broken its back and is ready to break in two! Only a specialist in board repair can restore this type of damage. Part 2 Fixing your ding Lets face it. Your surfboard is a small boat. If your boat has to many wholes in it, it sinks. Therefore the surfers saying rings true "Fix your dings when you get em!". If you are lazy and don't fix your dings your board will soak up water and the fiberglass will begin to delaminate from the foam sending your stick on the road to doom. 1. What material you will need The materials needed to fix simple dings are relatively simple. You will need surfboard sanding resin and catalyst (available at your local hardware store), sand paper grades 80, 100, 180, fiberglass cloth 4 OZ or 6 OZ, masking tape and large cutter razor blade. 2. Identify your ding; can you take it on? Using the guide above identify your ding. If it is a horrendous gash or a huge pressure send it to a professional. If it is a small to moderate size ding you can probably take it on yourself but be realistic. 3. Prep the area around the ding Using 60-80 grade sand paper sand around the ding make the damaged area level with the surrounding undamaged area. The fiberglass needs an abrased surface in order to adhere to the shell. If you don't prep the area the fiberglass will often "peel off " as you try to sand it leaving you frustrated. Use masking tape, mask off the area so you will not get sticky resin everywhere. 4. The primary patch Chop up fiber glass cloth with a pair of scissors. Fibers should roughly be 1 cm in length. Pour an appropriate amount of sanding resin (depending on size of the ding) into a plastic cup and add in enough fiberglass to make a semi pulpy mixture. Add catalyst as per resin instructions. With a Popsicle stick apply the mixture on to the ding and try to get the mixture as level and even as possible. 5. Cutting and Sanding When the resin has semi-hardened, about 15-20 minutes use your razer to carefully cut off high points and roughly shape the ding. Be very careful and don't get carried away! Let the patch further harden (about 2 hours) and use your sandpaper to (rougher grit first) shape the ding. Use the undamaged area around the ding as a reference, carefully "sculpt" the ding in accordance with the curves, lines and shape of the area around the ding. Use your 180 grit sand paper to feather in the edges of the patch and Wallah, you board is as good as new! 6. The secondary patch If you really want to be an artisan cut another patch matching the shape of your ding from fiberglass cloth and soak it in resin clear resin. Apply this patch to your already sculpted ding and with a bondo applicator and squeegee out the excess resin. Let this patch totally dry and feather in the edges of the patch with your sandpaper again using the shape of the undamaged area of your ding as a reference. You can even move up to 300 grit wet sand paper to really make the ding a work of art. When done with care this extra patch will be bullet-proof and awe inspiring to your surf-buddies. When you get a bit of experience with steps 1-5 try this step. You will be stoked with the results. Conclusion Dings
need not be a drag. When done properly ding repair can prolong the life of your
board and be an entertaining endeavor. A surfer who has mastery of ding repair,
oddly enough, has a type of elevated social status among his peers in the surfing
sub-culture. So what the hell are you waiting for!? Get your supplies together
and fix your dings! |