BOARD CARE
The most important thing you need to know about your epoxy SUP’! T
Here are some tips to keep your board in one piece and live a long and
happy life together.
DONT COOK IT!
You’ve got your new board, you love it! The last thing you are thinking is
that it can potentially be a hot air balloon waiting to POP! Yep, your board
is basically a big container of air. Heat it up and POP - its all over!
The Styrofoam in the core of your board is largely air. Even though
these boards are designed for the ocean and the beach, they don’t like
extended exposure to heat.
Your board is not covered under warranty if you overheat, it so here
are some tips to avoid ruining your board.
Things to avoid:
Leaving your board on the roof of the car for extended periods in direct
sunlight or on hot days.
Board bags can actually make things worse over long periods when
parked. The board will take longer to heat up but the heat is trapped.
Leaving your board in the car exposed to sunlight and heat will ‘cook’ it.
Radiant heat through windows is your worst enemy.
Bubble wrap is like a thousand magnifying lasses trying to destroy your
board.
If you have a black strip or dark grip - fl ip the board over on the beach
or put it in the shade.
The lighter the construction, the weaker the skin, the more likely your
board can be heat damaged.
The darker the colour (Red, Blue etc) the quicker your board will heat up.
The simplest rule is treat your board like you would your favorite pet
or small child and you will have a long and happy life together!
VENT PLUGS
Don’t be fooled, vent plugs only work if you release them before the
damage is done! Then, if you don’t seal them up, you risk taking in water!
Vent plugs are best left alone and stick by the rules above.
ONE WAY VENT PLUGS, do let air out of the board if it overheats, BUT
they are not fool-proof and if the board heats up too quickly the vent
cannot cope. So, again stick by the rules above.
YOUR BOARD HATES WATER!
OK, It loves being on top of the ocean and gliding along waves, but put
the smallest crack in it and the board can suck water into the core of
your board, increasing its weight and making it quite diffi cult to repair.
Always check your board if you think it has hit something. If there is a
crack or ding - suck on it. If you can suck air out of the crack, your board
can suck water into its core.
If you think your board can take in water, you need to go straight into the
beach and seal it.
There are 3 ways you can do this and you need to be a bit of a McGuiver
and carry some sealers. Here are the 3 we recommend.
1. Clear Ding Tape - clear adhesive tape specifi cally for board dings.
Available from most surf shops.
These tapes are designed to seal up small cracks only. PRO’s: easy and
not messy to use. CONS: surface needs to be very clean to stick and it
is not suitable for large dings.
2. Epoxy Marine Putty - a malleable epoxy putty available from most
hardware, auto or marine stores.
PRO’s: sticks like ‘you know what’ and can be forced into cavities. Great
for larger dings, Goes hard in 15-20 mins and you are back out on the
water. CONS: Mess, mess, mess! It also does not look good as it is grey
in colour, BUT it does the job admirably! Recommended!
2. SOLACURE Epoxy - epoxy resin that sets under sunlight. Available
from most surf shops. Solacure works, but it is messy as it is in liquid
form and it can be hard to contain it around the ding before it sets.
A combination of Ding Tape for smaller dings and Marine Putty for larger
dings will see you back out on the water in most situations.
If you have any questions on any of the info above, dont hesitate to contact
us.
So now you are armed with some good info, get out there and enjoy the ocean
or your favourite waterway!
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR GEAR.