I just got my first custom board from Talon Surfboards. It is a 5’10x 18 3/8x 1 7/8 EPS. It rides really well, in retro spect I would have added an extra 1/4 inch of nose rocker. This is not being critical of either the shaper, glasser or materials, but third session, first real session and I got a crack in the rail. It is small but this really sucks. But I should be happy, the waves were doubling up beach break and I am sure a PU of the same weight and dimensions would have broke. I just needed to vent.
I have found that the big difference in repairing EPS vs. poly boards is the amount of glass that needs to be removed for a simple ding. This is mainly because of the water that gets sucked into EPS, and the area of glass that must be removed in order to dry it (also the time needed). If the rail ding doesn’t go all the way into the foam, prep sand it and use some clear 5 min epoxy over it. Sand with #220 and spray with clear polyurethane in a rattle can and you’re done. If it’s into the foam and you can squeeze water out of it, you’ll need to grind out the area, let it dry, fill, laminate, spray. You can use 5 min epoxy for filling (with some thickener) and laminating.
Loctite is by far the best brand I’ve found. They make “ultra clear” types for bonding glass, and they work very well on boards. I personally prefer E-30CL which has a 30 min work time. The equivalent 5 minutes types are E-50CL and D609. All of these are 50/50 mixes and come in various size dual-dispensers so you don’t have to measure anything. Just put it on some cardboard or in a cup and stir it real well. These are industrial types and are not normally at the hardware store, so go to the Loctite website to find their distributors in your area.