Hey all, Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this: I've got a Sabfoil Batana 70 (fifty + sessions in it), and i suddenly noticed a tiny hole in the bottom and middle of one rail-looks like it's from vacuum production. While mounting foil last session i noticed it came tiny bit of water out of the hole, then i dryed it out with paper. After five minutes of tapping paper on the tiny hole no more water appeared so i sealed the hole with a drop of Solarez and went out. Back home: Board specs says the board is 5900g, afyer weighing mine is 6300g. So I might be getting some water inside the board, and I'm trying to figure out if this tiny production hole could be the cause, or if it's normal and sealed internally. The other rail has the same "hole", but it hasnt opened, hjust a "shadow" in the plastic. Looks like these small vacuum "dots" from producing the rail might be a real achilles heal. I've taken such good care of this board, ensuring i get no dings by keeping it bagged on land, and then this little production vacuum hole messed up my whole 1 life 1 board plan. Hehe.
Anyone experienced the same thing? Would really appreciate any insight! Thnks
If it's a sandwich board, probably not that little hole at fault
But it still could be.
but if it's just laminate over EPS .. Then that pinhole could very well suck 400ml in a couple of sessions.
given a quick search shows nothing on sabfoil site, and all I can see is the marketing statement that is carbon over foam hmmmm it might well be a basic construction.
if it's just fibre over eps, the tiniest sand thru (common on rails) is roooly bad
Where are u located? I do this for a job so if ur in WA bring it in
Select to expand quoteHugzy said..
Board specs says the board is 5900g, afyer weighing mine is 6300g.
Do not trust board specs from a website. That's a 6% difference, it may be in the normal variation range for this brand.
To check if there is a leak: put the board in the sun with soapy water filling the box.
If there are no bubbles after 5mn, there is no leak.
PS: Always weight your boards yourself, so you have an exact reference for later.
^^^ +1
all brands say 5% variation so if you are just going off a weight now but never weighed it at the start that's not a great help
so the soapy water thing if it's pushing air out a hole it will bubble lots with heat expansion
Thanks for replies. Im not in WA, or else id def stop by. Where I live there's no board expertice other than warranty claims. Im not keen on sending board to Italy for a month to maybe get a new board. Isnt the rail mounted inside a hard structure? So maybe the water, seeping through the rail vacuum hole hasnt hit the EPS yet?Yeah, i never weighed it until the other day, so no clue what it was last year when i bought it. But i've kept it in my room (much warmer (22c) than my cellar (10c) for a couple days and now it weighs 6200g. Should i drill through the solarez drop to expose the hole to get better drying effect. Or is it better to keep it sealed and let the water evaporate out the vent plug?
Select to expand quoteHugzy said..
Thanks for replies. Im not in WA, or else id def stop by. Where I live there's no board expertice other than warranty claims. Im not keen on sending board to Italy for a month to maybe get a new board. Isnt the rail mounted inside a hard structure? So maybe the water, seeping through the rail vacuum hole hasnt hit the EPS yet?Yeah, i never weighed it until the other day, so no clue what it was last year when i bought it. But i've kept it in my room (much warmer (22c) than my cellar (10c) for a couple days and now it weighs 6200g. Should i drill through the solarez drop to expose the hole to get better drying effect. Or is it better to keep it sealed and let the water evaporate out the vent plug?
If you believe you haven't properly dried all the water out then yes. Drill a very small hole just a little bigger to the original one. Have the board cold as possible before you do it would be ideal. Then put the board in a hotter area. It shouldn't be long for water to come out of it. But it could stop flowing out again as soon as the temperature drops. So watch it over a couple days to be sure. If it's salt water it will be easier to see the salt residue if the water has leaked then dried before another inspection. Check over the whole board for any salt residue to find other leaks. Or do the soapy water thing.
I had one on one of my tracks. Just a pin hole that I didn't notice for days or months until I noticed the salt residue in the track. I always rinse my boards in freshwater after a session. It took me more than two days getting the water out guessing about a full drinking glass by putting it in the sun. But I wouldn't recommend it incase of delaminating the board. I then put a little epoxy over the hole. Unfortunately it started leaking around my repair. So I painted epoxy over the whole area of both tracks to ensure it is fully sealed.
I have been using all my boards for years after sealing them with no issues.
I guess yours will be ok too.
Select to expand quoteHugzy said..
Or is it better to keep it sealed and let the water evaporate out the vent plug?
- drill a hole and insert a tissue as a wick, which fans out for shedding water vapor by capillarity.
See the bible on these topics: the board lady boardlady.com/waterextraction.htm
Do not leave the board in the sun, it will delaminate and/or reduce its life.
Note that the US Box rail is plastic, on which the epoxy may not stick optimally.I would thus close the hole with:- regular epoxy + miscrospheres: Solarez needs UV light to cure, and there may be no enough reaching the bottom of the box and beneath it. Avoid Solarez for any "deep" repair.
- injecting the epoxy + microsphere "paste" with a syringe so that the epoxy anchor in the foam below and expands under the box, forming a "collar".
Thanks for the help everyone. Yes, i meant the plastic track in the box. My bad. I've never heard of this problem before. Maybe the tracks should be aliminum. Expensive though. Just sad to buy a carbon board, and then a tiny vacuum hole in the track can mess it all up. Anyways, I'll give it a go with the great tips you offered. Onward:)
Select to expand quoteHugzy said..
Thanks for replies. Im not in WA, or else id def stop by. Where I live there's no board expertice other than warranty claims. Im not keen on sending board to Italy for a month to maybe get a new board. Isnt the rail mounted inside a hard structure? So maybe the water, seeping through the rail vacuum hole hasnt hit the EPS yet?Yeah, i never weighed it until the other day, so no clue what it was last year when i bought it. But i've kept it in my room (much warmer (22c) than my cellar (10c) for a couple days and now it weighs 6200g. Should i drill through the solarez drop to expose the hole to get better drying effect. Or is it better to keep it sealed and let the water evaporate out the vent plug?
The fact that board is now 100g lighter could be also water evaporating from deckpad&footstraps. They take at least couple of days to dry if the board has been in 10C. And wet board&straps add maybe 300g weight depending in materials. So if the board was on water previous days, it is probably weight coming off from those. 100g water is not likely to evaporate from board in couple of days from vent plug, f you have sealed the hole.
And what manufacurer states about the weight can easily vary between -500g and +500g. So always weight board yourself brand new and in same setting (dry, no footstraps or leash, or if you measure with straps, next time it has to be exact same straps and 100%dry)
Select to expand quoteHugzy said..
Thanks for replies. Im not in WA, or else id def stop by. Where I live there's no board expertice other than warranty claims. Im not keen on sending board to Italy for a month to maybe get a new board. Isnt the rail mounted inside a hard structure? So maybe the water, seeping through the rail vacuum hole hasnt hit the EPS yet?Yeah, i never weighed it until the other day, so no clue what it was last year when i bought it. But i've kept it in my room (much warmer (22c) than my cellar (10c) for a couple days and now it weighs 6200g. Should i drill through the solarez drop to expose the hole to get better drying effect. Or is it better to keep it sealed and let the water evaporate out the vent plug?
The fact that board is now 100g lighter could be also water evaporating from deckpad&footstraps. They take at least couple of days to dry if the board has been in 10C. And wet board&straps add maybe 300g weight depending in materials. So if the board was on water previous days, it is probably weight coming off from those. 100g water is not likely to evaporate from board in couple of days from vent plug, f you have sealed the hole.
And what manufacurer states about the weight can easily vary between -500g and +500g. So always weight board yourself brand new and in same setting (dry, no footstraps or leash, or if you measure with straps, next time it has to be exact same straps and 100%dry)
Ok now we know this is a hole associated with the tracks - not a hole somewhere in the board rail, it's completely different. It is important as it's a highly stressed area.
where exactly. the plastic? Could be fractured
or next to it? Track could have moved in the pvc block
pics and size please
For testing for a leak with soapy water in the sun--what about a board with a Gortex breathable vent plug? Is there any way to seal it temporarily, like with tape or something? Always appreciate tips from you build and repair guys here. Thanks!
Yes electrical tape around the vent and reinstall it is enough
I've just filled one with epoxy to use in testing
Select to expand quotemarc5 said..
For testing for a leak with soapy water in the sun--what about a board with a Gortex breathable vent plug?
No need, Gore tex vents have a limited airflow, so will not be able to equalize pressure immediately in case of a sudden pressure change. I never touched them for my "bubble tests".
But you can tape over it if you want.Be VERY careful when touching gore tex vent if you are not used to them, they are extremely fragile if not handled properly.
I would advise to always have a spare one before touching them.
