Got a free board with an odd fin situation...

General Discussion
1

I am living in Trinidad and someone gave me a Roger Cooper 7’6, and it has some pressure dings, spider cracks and needs a bit of tail ding repair, but it was free and didn’t cost me hundreds of dollars in shipping and customs. So the board has/had FCS plugs but someone put in fins and glassed them onto the board, quite poorly but that is beside the fact. So to repair this, is it as simple as grinding, sanding and replacing the plugs with new ones? There are no real surf shops down here, just some guys who I’ve been told have shaped a couple of boards and fix some dings. I really just want to make it water tight with enough strength to last a couple more years. I figured I can prepare the dings and cracks and then give it to someone to finish off the epoxy and glassing, since I have no access to surfboard resins, just marine grade. So what are the steps to get to that stage.

 

fins

2

I'm not knocking your board.  It definitely looks like it has some life left.

I'd say the 'glass-on' remedy is your best bet and marine grade resin should work fine.  6 new plugs are going to cost you and frankly, it probably isn't worth it since you'll need a new set of fins as well.

I would add a fin, beef up the lamination on the existing fins, grab some sandpaper (start with super coarse), and call it good.  If you don't know where to get another fin let me know.  I might be able to find one that I can send you.

3

hi , rodger cooper boards are made in england so it is a long way from home, i would do as john advises and glass the fins back on ,you can easily make another fin from boat resin as well as useing it to reglass them back on , pete

4

Sounds good, I have prepared all the dings, and am just waiting for the hardware store to open on mon to pick up the fiberglass, filler and resin.  Is qcell a filler they use to fix boats? Are there other fillers acceptable to use if I can’t find qcell?

5

"Are there other fillers acceptable to use if I can't find qcell?"

Yes - flour, talc, baby powder, even diaper stuffing per Herb Spitzer.  If you can, buy Laminating resin for any work that will be followed by subsequent coats and Finishing (gloss) resin for final top coat.  In a pinch, Finishing resin can be used for all but should be sanded between coats.

6

without open heart surgury you cant tell but…

those plugs may still be functional.*

fine point drillbit or dremel

drill into center of remaining tab of fcs fin

just enough insert screw and pull out tab

 put on your glasses and look to see if

there is cracking inside fin plug unscrew 

and put in a fin and go surfing…

…ambrose…

I base my hypothesis

on lack of discoloration.

on second look you need to put

a new layer of glass over the whole set of plugs

and then clean out plug entry.

7

Leave it as it is and surf left handers....

8

here here !

stellar solution Hicksy.

as a true surfer

unblemished by the 

analities of life

surfing is the reason

for the board and man 

in the universe … i.e.

or is that ergot?

take the board to the beach

and surf.

…ambrose…

or is that hear hear?

 

 

put your ear

to the open seashell

hear the ocean.