hey guys, new sways user but i have some experience making boards. I searched the archive and found either mixed answers, or answers that applied to different foams or constructions. If i am flying in a commercial airplane, should i be installing vents on my boards? I am flying to Costa Rica for a weeklong surf vacation in July. Taking 3 boards, a 5’3 made with poly resin and a PU core, a 5’10 made with epoxy on an EPS core, and a 6’4 made with poly resin on a PU core. Do I need to worry about them blowing up and delamming in the cargo bay of our flight? also, if anyone has any board suggestions for july in malpais costa rica, im all ears. thanks
cargo bays are pressurized same as the cabin
both the cabin and the cargo bays do not pressurize to sea sea level though, only about 3000 ft. just making sure, that is not enough diffence in pressure to blow up the cores?
…hello; do you think that those thousands of boards that people transport from country to country have a pressure release valve?
Sometimes the guess is with hollow boards, no matter the material.
Plane’s are pressurized to about the same level as being at 10,000 feet.
I once was driving across country with a longboard that had a partial delam on the deck. I was up at around 11 thousand feet somewhere in New Mexicoco at the continental divide when i stopped the engine and listened to the silence.
But it was not silent. I heard a sickening noise coming from this surfboard in my Van, and had a look, and there was a giant bubble expanding on the delam on the deck. Out came the knife and I stabbed the board to stop the progression of the delam and air hissed out under pressure and the bubble deflated.
countless number of surfboards air travel - virtually no problem - Firewire stopped using vents in their boards years ago.
The dings the boards sustain on loading will act as vents.
Just flew 2 EPC ventless to Sri Lanka no dramas.
Sometimes there are problems. Most often no. Depend EPS quality, volume of board, technique use for seal/lam foam and how used is board. A used shortboard well made with standard quality 1.5 or more EPS should not have problems. A sup make with spackeled 1 or less low quality EPS should have problems, even with a valve.
That’s and opinion. And shows your bias against construction methods other than your own.
Why wouldn’t you use a vent? If your really worried about your stick just put one in. you can conpletely remove the vent or screw for travel and attach when you get where your going. they rarely leak on their own when installed correctly, usually operator error. It’s like insurance it eases your worries whether it’s needed or not. Like Lemat says, the volumne of air in the board and the foam type makes a difference. If you have a big thick board with light EPS it is more likely to suffer from delam.