This is my first SUP deck delamination repair. I removed the separated glass/carbon layer and then applied DAP fast and final over the surface to fill in melted foam and bring the surface flush with the intact glass/carbon layer. This is trial and error situation and would love some pointers and suggestions on how to do this properly. At this point, I am thinking I should lay down a layer of 4oz glass with a layer of carbon to try and match the original construction. I have never applied carbon though and was wondering if I can lay down both the glass and carbon at the same time and wet them both simultanesously or if I should lay them down separately. Pretty nervous about this as it is a repair I am doing in return for money. Any help etc… is greatly appreciated.
If you have any pictures that would help greatly. If it’s a full carbon deck then I would suggest laying up the carbon seperatley if it’s your first time. Most of these types of constructions are vacuum bagged and if you haven’t worked with resin much then you’ll want to minimize your chance of error by laying up the layers seperately. With epoxy, you’ll have to sand the layers inbetween if you let them cure completely to get a good mechanical bond. If you feel nervous about it then you should probably not do it if someone is paying you for it…there’s no shame in passing it off to someone else who works with carbon.
I found a photo on my phone of the current state of the repair.
Thanks! I am the only person that I know of in a 75 mile radius that would attempt this. :-). I have done quite a few repairs but this is the most extensive one yet and first time with carbon. I will post pics tomorrow when I get back to my shop. My customer does at least know that this is my first repair of this kind. I’ve done other repairs for him and there just isn’t anyone else to do it. I am grateful for the opportunity to figure it out and learn.
I don’t get the part about “melted foam”. How did it melt?
Anyway, it’s an SUP, so my solution is one you wouldn’t want to hear.
The previous owner left it out in the sun is what I think happened. My friend unfortunately did not know what he was buying.
i live very far inland. Lots of SUPs here or at least the sport is growing rapidly in my region and more boards are appearing on the rivers and hence more repairs.
Foam doesn’t “melt” in the Sun.
Far inland is where all SUPs belong.
The farther the better.
I was only asking for help with a repair. I didn’t realize there would be this type of response to an innocent request for advice.
That’s just Sammy being Sammy. Sometimes humor doesn’t translate through the keyboard. For a really good time, try addressing him as," Dude", that always gets his attention.
For your repair, spackle is not a structural filler. It is only used to fill the tiny voids. So sand down tuntil the EPS foam is exposed.
To fill a depression in crushed, not melted foam, use corecell or similar. You probably are just looking at black tint or paint, and not carbon.
So really, rather than asking for a private tutorial on how to glass, read the frequent questions thread at the top of the page. Everything you need is there.
Sorry but sometimes it just gets old writing an explanation for the hundredth time on how to do something, when for a couple of hours research, you would be off and running already. After you have done your homework, we are here to answer more specific questions. But just asking for pointers and suggestions is a little to open a question to answer.
No problem
That board really took a hit of direct sun!
FWIW EPS foam CAN ‘melt’ at a certain temperature and a black surface in direct sun can certainly reach that temperature. In the photo, it looks as if there might be another bubble or depression at the top left that hasn’t been opened up yet(?) I would go ahead and extend the carbon removal to that spot.
I agree with everysurfer that Spackle might not be the best filler. I also agree that it would be a good idea to sand back the spackle to expose the EPS foam and fill with an epoxy/microballoon filler. You can mix it yourself by buying some of the microballoon stuff and mixing it with epoxy until it’s about the same thickness as the spackle you used.
On the actual carbon lamination… you do want some overlap to extend beyond the current edges. It looks like the footpads and threaded insert(?) might interfere with that. I don’t know if you’ve already agreed on a price for the job but if you haven’t, try to convince the guy that removing the existing footpads might be necessary and price some Hydro-Turf or similar deck pad product to replace the stuff you remove. Mask the little hole and carry the carbon over it when you laminate but mark the spot so you’ll know where to open it back up.
Mask off the rest of the board but leave at least a couple of inches of overlap. Scuff the areas to be overlapped good so you get a decent mechanical bond with the repair and existing deck.
The lamination process is pretty basic… not really any different from normal fiberglassing except you can’t see any bubbles underneath due to the opaque nature of carbon. Just use enough epoxy and don’t get carried away with the squeegee effort. It’s maybe a good idea to feather the carbon edge a bit after it cures and scuff up the entire surface before fiberglassing over the carbon. Maybe carry the fiberglass a bit over the feathered carbon edge. You can fillcoat over the fiberglass as soon as the epoxy gets semi-hard.
Once the fillcoat has fully cured, go ahead and sand the edges and any zits, etc. For a final coat, you might try a spray clearcoat like Upol or some other product like the automotive clearcoats in a rattlecan that have the little button you hit before shaking the catalyst and the clearcoat. ChrisP used some of that on a couple of his most recent boards and they turned out pretty nice.
PM me if you have any specific questions. I’d be happy to try and help out if I can. I also have some extra carbon if you need any.
cool! very helpful. yeah i am concerned that I don’t have enough around the footpads to bond the carbon too. i have quoted him for what i have going on and for various dings. i know he wanted new foot pads but we didn’t even go there since i told him he had a delaminated board. pretty horrible actually. i feel bad for him that he bought this board.