Need help with a surfboard repair..OUCH!!

Well,
the LF Venture was on the floor under the rack in the garage where I keep all my boards. I was gettin a couple of wakeboards down for a quick run Sunday eve and my Roam fell off the rack and hit my surfboard! OUUUUUCCCHHH!
I have visited this section several times to notice there are some folks who know A TON about building boards... Anyone got any suggestions on what to do to salvage this board.. I don't expect to get it to look perfect, but I want to patch it so it is useable... My experience with fiberglass is limited to applying a small amount of gelcoat repair to a sea doo.. Any and all help is greatly appreciated! THANKS.

Bummer!!! Ouch!

Since the LF Venture is actually "wakeboard construction" rather than surfboard you can get a wakeboard repair kit from http://surfsource.net/suncure/old_suncure/wakeboard.html

not totally sure they still sell it.

If they don't have it -- try this:
http://surfsource.net/dingrepairguide.html#sun%20cure
also this same page lists a ton of info on surfboard repair.

good luck!
maybe jeff or ed have some other ideas...

Ouch is right. I'm a big fan of 5 min epoxy from ACE. WW has a pretty good article/how to on this type construction.

http://www.wakeworld.com/articles/2004/fixadent.asp

THANKS Guys!
I'll look into that!

JEff,
If I were to go the 5 Min Epoxy route, would you suggest using a dremel to clean up cracked/crushed outer shell and then fill in?
Thanks!

Honestly, no. The idea is just to clean up the mess. The article was overkill, IMO. I would dig it out. Rough it up and clean out any garbage that might prevent a good bond. Slather the epoxy mix in there real well and if you can, clamp the top and bottom so that you have good contact between all the pieces.

The injection molded foam that is used in this board is really strong, you don't have a structural issue, but you want to make sure that you seal it up and prevent the skin from further delamination.

Really get the epoxy in there well. Clamp it good so that it's in shape, wipe up as much excess as possible, but also smear a little film over the outside to be sure you have a good seal.

Pop it all out and ride it.

10 minute job, tops.

Thanks Jeff.
Off to Home Depot I go!~

I am making progress!!
Last night I used a rotary tool to clean out the crushed area.. removed cracked outer shell and cleaned out the bruised area..
This is after I cleaned out some:




Here, is after the first application of Epoxy. I filled in best I could but it kept running down the sides.. (the link that Jeff posted above recommends using tape to build a reservoir.) did that later..
Here is dried first application of epoxy. Sanded down excess/overflow to have a smooth edge.



And here is where I started following directions and created a reservoir for the final application.





2nd coat will need a little love to get smooth. I am considering finishing with a coat of gel coat repair.. then if I get real crazy, i may buy some model airplane paint and try to touch up to original colors... MOST IMPORTANTLY, it is not a loss. Thanks Jeff and Matt for your quick responses and help.

Great sequence shots! Always glad to help out.

I forgot to take a pic, and I left it on the boat today..
I got the last coat of epoxy sanded down and followed up with a light coat of gelcoat repair!
GOOD NEWS, it surfed today! All not lost.. About $10 in materials and the board is saved.
Thanks Jeff for the help!

Is repairing a traditionally made surfboard (not compression molded) any different? I need a quick ding fix kit.

Depending upon the ding, you can fix it with 5 min epoxy from the local hardware store. The biggest thing with the 5 minute epoxy is that it isn't water white clear coming out of the tubes, so your patch will LOOK patched, and it isn't "typically" UV resistant so over time it will yellow and make that patchy look even MORE sketchy. However, if cosmetics aren't a problem, 5 min epoxy is quick, cheap and easy AND adheres to just about everything.

If you want the UV protection OR the appearance is an issue - follow Matt's link to the Suncure products.

Thanks Jeff love your posts and everyone else too. I have dings on an ocean board (just happens to be yellowish) and an old LF Trip wakeboard. I'll repair 'em both!

My flatmate is fixing his surfboard (shaped from a blank) in much the same way, he is just using straight fibreglass resin though, just to touch up a few dings and some delamination. I'm gonna fix up my old dunger one too since he has a lot of extra resin and matting, and then maybe give it a shot of paint, because it's yellow at the moment. Blegh. Matt black might look good but I don't know whether I can be bothered getting rid of all the little dings first. I don't surf behind a boat but I would like to try (I wakeboard behind an I/O though so I'm not at all keen on that idea, even if it isn't illegal here) It seems easier than surfing at the beach though, no paddling, or duck diving... My boards are probably a bit big at 6'4" and 6'7" though.

Hey Jos,

I just want to clarify one thing on your post so that it doesn't create problems for folks. Most surfboard construction prior to the last few years was polyester resin over polyurethane foam. There isn't any "fiberglass resin", it's either epoxy, polyester, vinylester or isophthalic (also polyester) resin. Most commonly it's polyester resin. Polyester resin contain styrenes and that chemical will MELT eps foam - which is typically the core in epoxy boards.

So, I'm sure that Jos roomie has a polyu board, but if anyone is contemplating repairing an EPS or sometimes called an Epoxy board, OR if you are uncertain what your core is, you'll want to use epoxy.

Everyone here loves wakesurfing, you'll have to give it a try and let us know what you think.

Thanks for the props Wakemikey!

(Message edited by surfdad on July 16, 2008)

Ah, OK. I had no idea I'm not too sure about which kind it is, he just calls it fibreglass resin but it is probably polyester. I might have a read of the tin and see. Our boards are older boards, my 6'4" I've had since I was 11, so I don't think it's an EPS. Is there a way to tell what kind of core the board has?

Yeah, it's most likely polyurethane, if it's more than a few years old, EPS wasn't used much. Telltale signs: the board is lighter, or feels really light...epoxy without adequate 'glass will crack rather than dent. If you can see the foam, EPS looks like it's made from squished pieces of foam, whereas polyurethane has a very uniform cell structure. OR the manufacturer/shaper will say on the board somewhere, using it as a selling point.

Most likely polyurethane then, they are all pretty light boards. We do have polyester resin so I guess it should be safe to use on all of our boards. Stoked.