Damn, found this crack on my rail this morning, under rail tape. Had a couple wipeouts trying to pull out of closeouts too late, maybe whacked board as I fell.
do you think this is something I need to have repaired before I can surf again? Not sure I can do the suck test on a crack like this, or if I can do a temporary solarez coat on a crack. Any advice appreciated! Could take a few weeks to get professional fix:(
lol if only I was in SoCal I'd grab the used 98L B line on the infinity FB page while this gets fixed. Thinks that's my next board but gotta chill on buying stuff for now
Hard to tell from picture but doesn't look like it goes to foam. If board is air tight I wouldn't fix something that small. If no rail tape you can tape over a clean smooth surface with gorilla tape for a temp. fix to a small ding.
Just make a basin around it with tape with turned up edges, fill with soapy water with the board in the sun.
If there are bubbles, there is a leak. It should happen in the minute, do not let the board in the sun more than 5 minutes.
If bubbles ==> repair. sand for creating a small trench along the crack, and fill with epoxy + microspheres, epoxy paste, solarez, ... It can be crude, it is easy to remove later to do a proper repair.
Select to expand quotecolas said..
Just make a basin around it with tape with turned up edges, fill with soapy water with the board in the sun.
If there are bubbles, there is a leak. It should happen in the minute, do not let the board in the sun more than 5 minutes.
If bubbles ==> repair. sand for creating a small trench along the crack, and fill with epoxy + microspheres, epoxy paste, solarez, ... It can be crude, it is easy to remove later to do a proper repair.
Does that work if theres a goretex valve fitted?
Select to expand quotefinsup said..
Does that work if theres a goretex valve fitted?
Yes, the valve has a limited throughput (around 0.4 liter / minute I think), not enough to instantly shed the extra pressure when you put a board in the sun.
Thanks for feedback! Hadn't seen Colas's soap/bubbles tip yet last night and I put some Solarez on it so I could surf this morning. I suck at doing it with the tape and left a weird shape of hardened goo. Then sliced my hand on it a few times this morning popping up. I'll sand next time:)
For the tape, use a thick clear tape (the stretchable PVC ones are great). This way you do not risk having folds that "molds" the resin into sharp ridges.
Also, a quick tip: you can use an exacto knife with very sharp blades (the black steel ones, or the ceramic ones) to cut away most of the extra repair, so that you only have very little to sand. I prefer cutting than sanding, because you can take your time and see what you are doing. But you must be careful to not cut into the rest of the board with these sharp blades.
Thanks for the tip with knife- lol I was making very slow progress with the sandpaper
And FYI, I just repaired a hotcoat chip yesterday by applying a very thin layer of solarez (with a business card), and taping over it, I did not have to cut or sand it, the result was smooth and flush with the rest of the board on tape removal. The trick is to use as little solarez as possible to not have to cut or sand anything.
Select to expand quotecolas said..
And FYI, I just repaired a hotcoat chip yesterday by applying a very thin layer of solarez (with a business card), and taping over it, I did not have to cut or sand it, the result was smooth and flush with the rest of the board on tape removal. The trick is to use as little solarez as possible to not have to cut or sand anything.
photos or video would be geat if you could
Select to expand quotetoolate said..
photos or video would be geat if you could
You can see the limit of the solarez just 3mm in front of my finger. It is barely noticeable under the finger
The chip and around it are covered by the thin solarez layer, it feels smooth under the nail.
The white parts are where the Polyester hotcoat delaminated from the underlying carbon+epoxy (intact) structure.
Kisutch,
I have used Puka Patch for many years and love the product. Super easy to used, clear, flexible, durable and made to use on boards that get wet! Here's a link. pukapatch.com/
Click on the products button to purchase. I usually get the XL one and then trim it down to a smaller size, if needed. It works so well that have have boards with patches on them that I never even bother to repair.
Select to expand quotecolas said..
And FYI, I just repaired a hotcoat chip yesterday by applying a very thin layer of solarez (with a business card), and taping over it, I did not have to cut or sand it, the result was smooth and flush with the rest of the board on tape removal. The trick is to use as little solarez as possible to not have to cut or sand anything.
I just tried this with 5 minute Araldite (2 part epoxy?) taped over with clear packing tape. Peeled tape off after a few hours and not set. Still tacky to the finger 12 hours later.
I'm sure the araldite was mixed well because the applicator had one of those spiral mixing nozzles.
Does this stuff need to be exposed to air to set? Maybe glue on the tape affected the process?
Might have to get some solarez...
Just saw this... Solarez it is.
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Chip-Repair-Loctite-Epoxy-?page=1
... more research.
from the Solarez website "Solarez EPOXY (blue tube) will work on Styrofoam. Solarez polyester contains styrene monomer and will melt the Styrofoam"... hmmm
So, the one with styrene melts styrofoam. Got it 
Aren't boards made of styrofoam core?
I guess it depends how deep the ding is. But Why would one use polyester at all? Just buy the blue tube and be safe!
... need to find a chemist...
reminds me of that old butter ad on telly "mum, how do they make margarine?" 
Forget araldite and other epoxy glues: it is impossible to really mix it well, both because of the imprecise measurement (you need a precision scale to dose epoxy) and it cures too quickly and is too vicous to mix it well. Epoxy resins should be mixed for at least 2 minutes. Plus it contains additives to make it sticky, as it is intended to be used as a glue, not a resin.
Plus it will yellow/brown horribly in the sun.
Just use the Solarez epoxy. Or a true surf epoxy resin (resoltech, sicomin, resin research, ...), they are a joy to work with, and are usable for years (unlike the epoxy you find in DYI shops that go bad in one year).
Also buy a powerful UV light, in 365nm wavelength, it makes working with Solarez incredibly efficient.
www.doctoruv.com/difference-between-uva-uvb-uvc-uvv
However, Polyester resins are more scratch-resistant, and are easier to sand (they are harder and do not melt under the heat of sanding)., so some people would prefer Polyester Solarez, as long as it does not touch the foam. Some board manufacturers use a Polyester hot coat for this reason. But it will chip more easily, as it sticks less to surfaces than epoxy. I do not recommend it.
Well... it is a benefit of age: having had time to make all the mistakes, and learn from them :-)
IM experience, clear gorilla epoxy filled with glass microspheres isn't too bad regarding yellowing and setting for gel coat repair.
Feather down edges, apply and use stiff plastc fim (file divider poly pocket) taped down to mold to shape of board. Poor man's vaccuuming as Jimmy Lewis says.
If your board has a matt finish, use a mildly abrasive cleaner to blend in.
Here's one I did earlier.
IM experience, clear gorilla epoxy filled with glass microspheres isn't too bad regarding yellowing and setting for gel coat repair.
Feather down edges, apply and use stiff plastc fim (file divider poly pocket) taped down to mold to shape of board. Poor man's vaccuuming as Jimmy Lewis says.
If your board has a matt finish, use a mildly abrasive cleaner to blend in.
Here's one I did earlier.
