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!
PADDLE CARE
Getting the best out of your Carbon paddle.
Without a doubt one of the nicest pieces of equipment, and one worth investing
$’s in, is your paddle. It as after all an extension of your body and a good paddle
is something you become very attached to. Here are some tips to keep your
paddle in one piece and live a long and happy life together.
DONT COOK IT!
It is a little known fact that you can ‘cook’ a Carbon paddle. By their very nature
(being black), they absorb a lot of heat. As your paddle was made with heat you
can well and truly ‘deconstruct’ it if you allow it to over heat.
You paddle is not covered under warranty if you overheat it, so here are some
tips to avoid ruining your paddle.
The blade is the most susceptible part to over heating as they often have a foam
core. The air inside, if hot enough, can expand and deform the blade.
The main culprit is leaving your paddle in your car with the sun beating down on
it through your windscreen or window.
Avoid constant exposure to direct heat and you will get a long life out of your
paddle.
IT’S NOT A GONDOLA POLE
Simple enough, but push off sand or a solid object and you risk creasing the
blade.
Your paddle is made for paddling in water, nothing else.
CARBON IS FICKLE
Just like a high performance short board or Mal, carbon paddles are a compromise
between durability, strength and weight. Carbon has a habit of hiding a
weakness for a few weeks and then catching you out when you least expect it.
More than 50% of all breakages happen when you are just ‘cruising’ along.
If you get rolled in a wipe out with your board and paddle, any part of the board
can hit the paddle shaft and weaken it.
Often it wont break at the time. The weakness will sit there, constantly being
weakened over time, until one day it just gives way.
Even the best carbon paddles can snap.
By their very nature, mixing a light, strong carbon paddle with mother natures
most powerful force, can have its risks.
To make a paddle ‘unbreakable’ would mean that it would be so stiff and heavy,
it would be very unpleasant to use.
Buy a good paddle and the risks are lower. But like your high performance surfboard,
there are forces that will break or damage any paddle.
WARRANTY
The Warranty is against manufacturers faults only.
Warranty does not cover accidental damage or accidents where equipment is
placed in situations out of the control of the manufacturer.
Surfi ng places huge demands on equipment; even small waves can create
suffi cient hydraulic pressure to snap a board or a paddle.
The ocean is a formidible adversiary. If you play inthe ocean you take the risk of
breaking your equipment.
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.