Cooked Fish
epoxy is tricky to repair, I'd be taken it to an expert myself mate...but you can have a go, maybe go to Swaylocks for some advice, there's plenty of obsessed surfboard scientists there to tellyou all you need to know...
might be a good time to upgrade to a newy, what shape you got ya eyes on ????
Not too worried about the finish if I repair it myself, as this will only be a smaller board to learn/progress onto. Have checked out some repair tips on the net (CFLSurf.com was good), and think it will be worth a go and a bit of fun to try. Even if it's rough, it'll be one I can loan out as well. Not worried if I stuff it up - can't be any worse, can it?
Had a quick look at Swaylocks, and will post a cry for help there in the next few days - thanks.
As for board shape, I was looking at something a bit wider and thicker, something to progress down from a mini mal. Have seen some of your designs, so will keep an eye on these. Note: I am still very much a novice, so performance ain't a real consideration at this stage.
a novice surfer benefits more from having the right board under their feet, happy to help with any suggestions whether it be one of mine or not...good luck with the repair, I hate doin em, especially epoxy...
Rushy, good on ya for having a go at fixing your board, one way that might help is a trick I used to use years ago, it may not be relevant now days as resins have changed so much but I think it should work.Whether your cutting the glass delaminated off and or trying to get some resin underneath the bubble to try and get it back down. The problem I had with doing epoxy repairs was to get the epoxy to go off the room had to be heated, so the air in the board would expand so any glass that you would put on would get an air bubble forming so to fix that put a block of ice down the opposite end of the board and the air inside the board will contract pulling the resin and glass into the repair.
Mores right, having the right board at the start is of great benefit, also I believe that surfing as many different boards as possible will greatly fast track your surfing, when I was young no one had quivers we all had one board, but we used to get 4 or 5 newies a year, ride the same board for for to long and you'll stagnate.
The blister takes up about a quarter of one side on the bottom deck, about 800mm x 200mm. Looks like a hunchback. Like I said, it got cooked! I'm no expert but I reckon trying to inject resin under it and force it down won't work as well as cutting it out then trying to fill/glass over the area again. Not too concerned about looks as it will only be a learner board for myself. I'll have a closer look at the damage once I get into it. I'll do a photo diary and post it on the net somewhere for those interested in a novice attempt at a board repair.
I hear what you're saying about trying other boards and getting the right one early. Once I get a bit more skill I plan to upgrade. Sounds like I'd be better off getting some advice from a surf shop or shaper and getting a decent board. I also need to get my paddling fitness up. I think that'll help too.
Go to a shaper rushy, buy Australian. Find someone you can communicate with and get boards direct from him and if your a regular you'll get a discount of sorts, and you'll be able to turn your boards over as they'll still be in good nick.
dont talk to a surf shop, go direct to a shaper, check out some of his boards and have a good honest chat about stuff, tell him about your paddle fitness and ability, waves surfed etc....
Yeah, I agree with you both Mark and Shaun, not only about getting serious with what board would best suit me, even at this early stage, but also supporting the local guys earning a living out of designing and crafting boards. Didn't do this first up as I had to see if this was a sport I could and would get into before I spent heaps on my gear. Reckon it's time to take the plunge. Bottom line, I'm keen to enjoy my surfing regardless of how well or not I can surf. If a better suited board means more fun, yep that's for me.
Recommend any shapers on the Central Coast??
For those interested (and even if you're not....)
Below are some pics of my delaminated board and my attempts to fix it.
This is the board after being cooked (left out in the sun at my daughters house - ooops).
I cut away the delaminated skin and exposed the EPS.
After fiiling the EPS, glassing in three sections of fibreglass and resin over the damaged area
(including a 40mm section over the stringer, just in case), it was then hot coated
and ready for a paint job.
Here it is, just finished this arvo! Thought I'd try something flash on the paint job.
I'm no expert as this was my first attempt at anything like this, but I reckon it turned out ok.
Mind you, they always look better in the photos. But I'm only a novice and it's just something for me to learn on.
I was only going to toss it out otherwise.
What ya think??
With all this hot weather we've been having lately, I inadvertantly left my epoxy fish out in the sun and now it's stuffed (huge blister on the bottom deck). My PU mini mal was also in the sun but came out unscathed - lucky.
Is it possible to fix the epoxy delamination, or is it one for the junk pile??
It wasn't an expensive board, so I won't pay big bucks to get it fixed - I'd like to have a go at it myself, if it's at all possible. At any rate, it's a good excuse to get another board I've had my eye on.