Just moved up to West LA area and need some repairs to glass-on fins on a board. Can anyone recommend any reputable people or shops that do great repairs at a reasonable price? Would appreciate any info.
Aqua Tech Glassing. Its on Glencoe near the marina–I’ve had them repair everything from busted fin boxes to a shattered nose and every time it comes out great. They have very reasonable prices for what they do, and all the people there are super helpful as well. They’ll also get your board back to you in a week or less–when I shattered my nose I gave it to them friday and got it back monday.
As for the shops: DONT GO! theyll usually just send it in to aqua tech or somewhere like it, and charge you more for going through them. If they do it in house, its usually a very bad repair. In fact, im currently fixing my friends board which had been repaired by a shop, and they filled the ding with silicone and just used sun cure over it. I had to cut the last 4 inches off of the board and reshape it because it got so waterlogged…
Good luck with your fin box
I usually hesitate to post anything negative, but I would think twice about Aquatech. I’ve only had one board repaired by them (I now do all my own repairs), and I was quite underwhelmed. Oversanded to a point of showing weave. I’m not sure if I got a fluke, but definetly some negative reviews on Yelp.
Mark Brog - Soul Performance surf shop on Artesia in Redondo Beach.
Hands down the most reliable and reputable guy I’ve dealt with. Epoxy, Polyester…dings, gouges, delams…fixed the bottom of a hull I had and maintained the bottom contours artfully.
No hesitation, he’s THE MAN to talk to when it comes to this type of stuff. On time every time.
Family owned and operated.
Another option is Don the guy who is Total Performance Surfboard Repair. I do most of my own repairs but don’t like to mess with fin boxes. Had one rear box on a quad pushed into the board on a rock and took it there. Took him a bit longer to get to it than expected but excellent repair:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/total-performance-surfboard-repair-los-angeles
Hey All -
At the risk of sounding like folks who I thought were uptight when I first joined this board, the best option is to fix it yourself. The freedom is great, as well as the knowledge that you love your board more than anyone else will. You can also get some great deals on boards that need repairs, and do them yourself.
That aside, I will share my one and only (never again!) experience with Aquatech. I cracked a fin box on a Pavel Speed Dialer a few years ago. The box wasn't busted out. To replace this box, Aquatech gouged out a 6x6x6 inch area of foam and glass from the bottom of the board, and installed the new box with the alignment, cant and toe all horribly off. It was a train wreck. I didn't even ask they try again, since the disaster was only likely to be compounded.
They must have one or two folks there who know what they're doing, but I will never trust them again. Ian Zamora ended up doing the fix for me, and it was perfect.
I’ve used both Mark Brog and Aquatech…I’d go with Brog!!
roger
[quote="$1"]
...the best option is to fix it yourself. The freedom is great, as well as the knowledge that you love your board more than anyone else will. You can also get some great deals on boards that need repairs, and do them yourself... [/quote]
Good advice!
Hi Dominic, check your pm's
By coincidence, I ran into an old friend today who also needs a good repair source near LA. This friend lives in Santa Monica. His wife is in possession of her aunt’s 1958 Hobie “Easter egg” board. This thing needs some special care and a real pro’s hand. The fin is wrecked and loose, and the nose is pretty crunched. The rest of the board is still solid. The aunt bought it direct from Hobie in '58 . It is a 9’0 with blue pigment.
I’d think this job would best be done by someone who’s good at restorations and not just plain ding repair. Any ideas?
Sammy, I’d still start with Mark to see what he says.
he’s pretty dialed in around here and might at lest be able to point you to a good resource.