Surfboard Repair

When it comes to surfing, a surfboard is absolutely indispensable. Waves in the ocean are fluffy and soft and you are sure about not damaging your surfboard there. However, damages are sure to happen in the rocky patch between the ocean and the beach. The fiberglass coating on the surfboard gets disrupted when banged against any hard objects like rocks, resulting in a ding. Another major cause of a damaged surfboard is the back and forth journey you undertake from your house to the beach. In either case, you need repair the board to use the board once again.

Surf shops provide repair services but you will have to leave your board there for a few days and could also turn out to be a costly affair. Instead, you can follow the instructions given below and repair it yourself, at virtually no cost.

How to Repair a Surfboard

Materials Required

Before you begin, the most important thing you need is a repair kit. It is not expensive and should be easily available at any local store. The kit includes resin, fiberglass cloth and catalyst. Apart from this, you will require:

• Sandpaper
• Razor blade
• Hair dryer
• Pair of scissors
• Masking tape

Surfboard Repair Instructions

Step 1
Examine your surfboard closely and mark out places which require repair. Clear out areas around the ding to isolate it. Do this by scrapping off any sand or wax accumulated around the ding. With help of a sandpaper, gently sand out adjoining areas around the ding. Use a cloth to clear away the dust.

Step 2
Pick up a razor blade to cut off the damaged fiber glass from the surface. Use sandpaper to rub it on all rough edges of the fiber glass which is remaining. In case the foam inside the ding is moist, you will have to wait till it dries completely. Use a hair dryer which will help the foam to dry out quickly. To ensure that no resin falls onto any other areas on the surfboard, mark the area around the ding with a masking tape.

Step 3
The repair kit comes with fiber glass cloth. With help of scissors, cut out a piece from this cloth which should be large enough to cover the entire damaged area. In a plastic cup, pour resin as per your requirement and add to it some drops of catalyst. Do not add too much of catalyst. Adding excess amounts of catalyst will quickly make the resin hard and hence more brittle as well. You must add just a few drops and wait for the resin to harden.

Step 4
Once the resin is hard, pour the mixture onto the ding, covering the entire damaged area. Place the pre-cut cloth over the resin mixture. The cloth will ensure that the resin sticks to the ding. No resin should go outside the outline you made with masking tape. Leave the surfboard this way for a couple of hours and then check it. The entire ding should be covered and the resin applied should be hard and hot.

Step 5
Use dry sandpaper to sand the ding gently. Do not overdo the sanding part as it could take out the resin making the damage areas re-surface. Also, make sure that you not rub sandpaper on areas other than the ding, as the existing fiberglass on your surfboard could be damaged. Using a wet sandpaper at this juncture is a good idea. Your job is now over and you can happily go surf once again.

Average Repair Cost

The repair cost depends on the level of damage on the board. If there are few dings and you decide to do the repairing yourself, then your cost will be minimum as you will only have to purchase a new kit. It costs around US $20. But if the damage is major, you might have to get your board repaired from a professional. This could turn out to be expensive depending upon how may dings are there on the board.

Use the instructions to repair dings whenever you notice any. This will prevent any major damage and you can use the surfboard for a longer time.