EPS board turned scratchy and white then started sweating

[GDaddy]

The deckpatch repair I was talking about wasn't this board, but this is kinda what it ended up looking like. This was a junk blank I got for free and i was warned the foam wasn't stable so I added the deck patch and also added the tail patches (to support a rout-in twinzer install).

 

[bluemarlin04]

That is talent @GDaddy

Unfortunately I work a desk and have zero mechanical ability

 

[bluemarlin04]

Sorry for your loss. Really sorry. It's even worse when considering you paid a mondo premium for it. With that said, I think the board could be salvaged. Even the deck. It will never be the same, but it could turn out okay.

I don't have pics of them, but I've repaired a couple boards that were semi-buckled and had major water damage to the deck. I cut/strip the damaged portions of the deck glass off, sand down until I get to clean foam, then put a veneered deckpatch with reinforcement under and then sand/glass the entire deck with another layer of 4oz. Fill the weave on the deck but leave it raw except for the rails. Sand the bottom and reglass that with another layer of 4oz. The additional glassing will add maybe as much as 2# to the board but that's not necessarily sooo bad for an 8ft board. It's not like you were planning on doing any airs on it.

On boards with cracked/broken stringers I've routed in half-depth stringers on either side of the main stringer to reinforce it (like they do with longboard finboxes in stringerless blanks). On boards with heave water damage under foot I've even routed out the damaged foam and glued in a "plug" of clean foam (from an old donor board) to fill the cavity; shape that down and glass it. A couple times I've even used a heavier foam for the deck plug than the original blank.


A long time ago I had one midlength with an EPS core - several guys on this forum have surfed it - where I had some water damage. I dried it out to remove most of water and added another layer of 4oz to both the bottom to seal it. Then I added another layer to the deck because having surfed it a few times prior to the water damage I decided the board had been too light to begin with for what I was trying to do with it. The added weight actually made that particular board surf better. That may not apply to your board, but the point I'm making is to not rush to quickly to write the board off.

My only concern if the money to fix it and I feel like i would be throwing good money at bad.

 

[GDaddy]

That's where having friends/family who do repairs becomes convenient. In my circle I am that free resource so that makes it an easy decision for them.

If you like how the board surfs and can live with the additional weight then it would be a lot cheaper to fix it than replace it.

In your case and the way you're describing it the problem seems to be limited to the existing water damage.

- Open the deck delam with a razor knife - cut a shape that you can live with because that shape and however you fill it will be part of the look.

- Flip it bottom side up on blocks and sweat it out in the sun for a few days. You've already got a dark color on the bottom so that will be a heat sink - you might want to put a thin white sheet over it to control the heat - use the sheet as a tent. You can do all this by yourself. Just take your time.

- Once there's no more moisture the deck delam can be filled and the flats on the bottom and deck can be sanded and a new full-length bottom and deck patch can be added and feathered into the glassing on the rails which probably aren't leaking. This is what you'd end up paying for. I used veneers for my deck patches but that's because I was big into veneers and vacuum bagging at the time. It's much faster and easier to stick to a normal wet lamination for the deckpatch. I've also used hemp for deckpatches if they fit the look of the board.

It probably sounds like more work than it is. It may take a week or even longer to completely sweat the moisture out and another few days or a week to get the repair done.

 

[One-Off]

Such nice boards Gdaddy. Is that last one hemp cloth? How'd that work?

To the OP, I wouldn't ditch the board. Heat it up, get the water out, sand and do another hot coat, like Oneula said with xylene to thin the epoxy and get it into the pores.

Also, if the glasses won't service you, time to out him.

 

[GDaddy]

100% hemp is awesome, maybe better than veneers for deck /tail reinforcements. Wet lam the patch next to the core, cutlap style, then laminate as usual. It is resin-thirsty, though. The look and weight really only works with the hipster boards but that's okay.

I get mine from these guys:

CT-L4: Hemp Plain Weave Linen

ORDER #: CT-L4, 100% Hemp Plain Weave - Weight: 5.3 oz. Width: 57'

www.hemptraders.com

57" wide so it's about the same cost as the narrow cuts of 4oz S-cloth. I've used some of the offcuts as backing for my fins. These are the side fins I made for the 6-10 board I posted above. .

 

[oneula]

what's the weight like with the hemp
and does it suck resin?
Do you have to bag it on or free hand

many years ago when brian at greenlight came out with his bamboo jersey I bought a ton
my brother and I tried to free hand glass it on to the bottom of this wiliwili covered GG styled 5 fin fish and ruined the finish
We should've bagged it on with a brether like charlie does with his corecork but you learn these things the hard way
Always wondered about hemp and silk.
dave diverse at sways was doing hemp decades ago
some other were using some banana fiber in AU.
Sanded always has the most unique stuff.

you can see the effect of the bamboo jersey over the wiliwili on the left versus the glass cloth on the right
The one on the left was shaped out of blue dow hence the blue dow rails no wood wrap required
The one on th eright had 3/4" solid bent and scarfed balsa rails ala bert.

 

[bluemarlin04]

Those are killer @oneula and @GDaddy

 

[GDaddy]

I always wondered how well a knit jersey could work when taking into account the stretch.

I got the idea for the hemp inlays from a guy in NZ who was doing them (Nocean over at Sways*). It wasn't my idea. I could only find one image to show you guys and it happens to be the one that mine looks like. He was mostly doing them on shortboards.

*And Diverse Dave - I'd forgotten about him until you mentioned it. He was always trying new stuff.

 

[GDaddy]

I should mention the point that I work behind a desk too, and I have zero natural talent or skill or experience in the trades or in the surfboard business. I just have more time than common sense. Everything else I do I shamelessly stole from others who did it before me.

 

[Retropete]

I always wondered how well a knit jersey could work when taking into account the stretch.

I got the idea for the hemp inlays from a guy in NZ who was doing them (Nocean over at Sways*). It wasn't my idea. I could only find one image to show you guys and it happens to be the one that mine looks like. He was mostly doing them on shortboards.

*And Diverse Dave - I'd forgotten about him until you mentioned it. He was always trying new stuff.

Cool thing is Dave is apparently back in Oz. He moved over to Bali a while back. The only source for his boards were from a surfboard discount chain here which stocked boards made in Indo with crappy quality. I really liked Dave's dynocore builds.
Nice work Gdaddy!

 

[GDaddy]

Kind of you to say.

 

[Muscles]

I would be calling both of them especially if shaper sent you to the glasser. Tell them to send you a check. I don’t think “hey I handed you blank brah not my problem” quite flys.

To me it seems like a shitty business practice that screwed this guy out of a big sum of money. The shaper dropping the blank at the glasser and saying "not my problem" doesn't really sit well with me. To point out the obvious, I expect to receive a fully functional surfboard from a shaper and not piece of foam that I need to figure out how to glass.

I know the OP agreed to it. But, the shaper definitely knew what he was doing and that is passing the QC risk off to the consumer without the buyer understanding the business model. The only reason I could see a shaper not seeing a board through to completion is because they don't want to deal with the risk of a glasser screwing it up.

How many of us have dealt with a glasser before? I haven't. From what I hear, they don't have a great reputation. And then billing the guy $800 bucks when it wasn't agreed to beforehand? How much pull does a single consumer have when a production glass factory that manages wholesale accounts screws it up and then gouges him in the process?

I would bet money the dude was told to pay cash to the glass shop and truly has no recourse. No charge back on a credit card possible. Nothing. Just stuck with a shitty paperweight. Sad to say, but the glasser and/or shaper saw this dude coming from a mile away and viewed him as a payday. Pretty shitty to blatantly gouge a surfer trying to get a once in a lifetime board.

I have a feeling that I know where this thing was glassed and who OP is dealing with. I may be wrong though.

And people wonder why firewire and the major brands are so popular.

 

[bluemarlin04]

I would bet money the dude was told to pay cash to the glass shop and truly has no recourse. No charge back on a credit card possible. Nothing. Just stuck with a shitty paperweight. Sad to say, but the glasser and/or shaper saw this dude coming from a mile away and viewed him as a payday. Pretty shitty to blatantly gouge a surfer trying to get a once in a lifetime board.

100 percent

I get sent to a Glasser and pay a premium.

Glassers boss texts me and says 800.00 cash only can pick it up. No receipt nothing. And at that point I’m like wtf??!?!?!! 800 dollars? For a glass job??!

To be fair I asked the Glasser how much would it be to glass it and he’s like “oh I have no idea, my boss handles that. I could prob get that for you at some point”.

What recourse do I have in that situation? Not pay? Then I lose the board or am stuck with a piece of styrofoam.

So I pay and then I’m left completely screwed with a garbage board that belongs in a dumpster.

And when I told the Glasser what happened I get told it’s heat damage.

Sucks.

Never again. I’ll just pay the premium for STRETCH boards. Least those guys can glass correctly and I know what I’ll be left with.

It just sucks. Losing 1600 dollars like that is just an awful experience.

I’m sure if the shaper or Glasser lost 1600 bucks they’d not be stoked or happy.

That is not an insignificant amount of money.

 

[oneula]

Those are killer @oneula and @GDaddy

if you want to try and make your own, you could strip the board and just re-glass it
Way easier than shaping a new one
just need a dremel tool with carbide cutter and a box cutter to strip it.
some sandpaper and a 18" piece of 2x4 to clean things up after

we started doing kind of stuff that in the early 70's
my first was a trash can special gift from my neighbor.
glassed the buckle, cutoff the tail and made a no tail rocker fish
used car bondo to flatten out the buckled bottom
I saw this jeff ho feather fin in surfermag that I copied and initially put on the board
it was a fun and educational ride, my first experience using a flexing fin that made noise like blowing through a comb when you turned. rode it till the fin snapped off and my brother put on some hand made wood keels and rode it that way.
lots of fun as we tried all kinds of stuff with no prejudice back then. Even made our own surgical rubber "ding strings"
no judgements from your peer

I've been a 70+ hour week white collar desk jockeysince 1979
13-14 hour days are so much harder now that i'm well into my 60's

The board stuff we do/did is just us thumbing our nose at the "industry" aspect of the business
it's all fun and experimentation for us not about making money.
every surfer should try an make their own equipment
makes you appreciate the true craftsmen who spend their lives perfecting their board building skills.
but it's always nice to know you could make your own in pinch if needed.

sorry for the old kodak brownie photo

 

[bluemarlin04]

@oneula

You have inspired me.

I’m goin to try. Just gotta be patient and not rush

 

[griffinsurfboard]

To me it seems like a shitty business practice that screwed this guy out of a big sum of money. The shaper dropping the blank at the glasser and saying "not my problem" doesn't really sit well with me. To point out the obvious, I expect to receive a fully functional surfboard from a shaper and not piece of foam that I need to figure out how to glass.

I know the OP agreed to it. But, the shaper definitely knew what he was doing and that is passing the QC risk off to the consumer without the buyer understanding the business model. The only reason I could see a shaper not seeing a board through to completion is because they don't want to deal with the risk of a glasser screwing it up.

How many of us have dealt with a glasser before? I haven't. From what I hear, they don't have a great reputation. And then billing the guy $800 bucks when it wasn't agreed to beforehand? How much pull does a single consumer have when a production glass factory that manages wholesale accounts screws it up and then gouges him in the process?

I would bet money the dude was told to pay cash to the glass shop and truly has no recourse. No charge back on a credit card possible. Nothing. Just stuck with a shitty paperweight. Sad to say, but the glasser and/or shaper saw this dude coming from a mile away and viewed him as a payday. Pretty shitty to blatantly gouge a surfer trying to get a once in a lifetime board.

I have a feeling that I know where this thing was glassed and who OP is dealing with. I may be wrong though.

And people wonder why firewire and the major brands are so popular.

Its very likely Pat Rawson and other name shapers will suggest this glasser when picking up a shaped blank .

The shaper of this board is doing the same as Dick Brewer does most of the time .

If the weave is raised and stringer is sunken it did get hot , same with Poly glassing

 

[Muscles]

Its very likely Pat Rawson and other name shapers will suggest this glasser when picking up a shaped blank .

I never went that route before because I don't trust it. Plenty of good shapers that will see the board through to completion.

But, I know you know the "bad" glass shops here and the one who's owner has a reputation. I know them and I'm not even a shaper. Just a consumer.

It speaks volumes that the glass shop didn't even invoice the OP and told him cash only. That's a bullshit move and a shady operation if I ever saw one.

 

[griffinsurfboard]

I never went that route before because I don't trust it

Pretty bad its that way isnt it .

 

[feralseppo]

Its very likely Pat Rawson and other name shapers will suggest this glasser when picking up a shaped blank .

The shaper of this board is doing the same as Dick Brewer does most of the time .

If the weave is raised and stringer is sunken it did get hot , same with Poly glassing

Does heat cause the pin holing? I thought that is a contamination in the epoxy or something went wrong in the lamination process issue. I doubt heat after the fact would cause a bunch of pin holes to appear. And a heat issue in New England this time of year?

I had this same problem before and it wasn’t a heat issue. The entire rail of the board was bubbling and hissing water after the first time I took it in the water. No heat involved.