Stick large flap of fibreglass or reglass?

General Discussion
1

Hi there,

I am about to repair a snapped eps board. When the board snapped the deck glass remained intact at the snap and stripped off close to the rails all the way up to the nose. There is now bare foam on the deck from the nose across two thirds of the length of the 5’11" board (which is in two pieces), which reaches almost to the rails on the nose piece, and narrows in the tail piece. I have the flap of glass separately which fits fairly neatly crossing both halves.

So my question is: should I just reglass the whole thing or stick down that flap and then glass along the seam? Is there any argument for the latter? I have never glassed such a huge area and it seems too much like making a new board, whereas sticking down the flap feels more like mending one! Also, half of a logo is on the flap, it would be nice to preserve that but it’s not a big deal.

I suspect most will recommend reglassing, if so should I use 2 or 3 layers of (6oz) cloth? And do you recommend I wrap around the rail even where the strip is narrower?
Oh, and will I need to seal the foam or anything like that first?

Thank you in advance for any advice,

Aiden

2

Sounds like you know what you want to do. I always try to reuse whatever I can, if it makes sense. So if I wanted to preserve the look of the original, and I didn’t mind some extra weight, I’d reuse the flap. But if looks are not important, and weight is, I’d reglass. If doing the former, once the structural snap is fixed, I’d be sure to use the compressor to blow out all dust. You need to have two clean surfaces. (Epoxy) laminating resin under the flap, vac bagged if possible. If not, you need to weight the flap down to get a good bond. When kicked, sand down the seam all the way around, and rough sand the entire deck. Cut a strip of glass to patch  the seam all the way around, so the strip spans the seam an inch or two on either side of the seam. Laminate that down tight and flat, then laminate the deck with a full deck patch. Heavier cloth will be structurally better, but add more weight. Lapping the rails will add strength and weight. Your choice. Fair the edges, hotcoat, sand.

3

I figure vac bag too, if trying to re-attach the old glass.  It is not absorbent cloth anymore.  I would repair the break and add a spline of some kind first, vacuum bag the glass back, and then glass over all the way around the break area, top bottom and rails.

If you weren’t trying to save the old glass, I think fresh glass would be better.

There are some good threads on this subject, if you can find them.

And yeah, rebuilding a board broken in two can be a lot of work, why they mostly end up in the trash rather than the repair shop.

4

If it’s a clean break and the flap is structurally intact you should absolutely re-use it. We always try to re-use as much as possible in the shop for two reasons - the obvious being boards with complicated paint jobs and tints contained within the lam that would otherwise be difficult to match… the other, equally important reason, is because it allows you to easily mantain the original shape. If you re-glass you’re going to need to do some filling and shaping to avoid a recess in the board. 

 

If you do decide to re-use the flap, follow all the steps above (vac-bag if possible, be sure all materials are clean and dust free etc…) but add one - When you re-attach the flap add some glass flocking underneath it… It doesn’t need to be much, just some shredded roving or scraps. Coat the foam with epoxy (NOT lam resin if it’s EPS or you’re in for a ruined board) and lay the flocking between the foam and the flap. This will be an absorbent layer that will help bond the foam and flap together better. 

 

If you really want, you can use lam resin, but you’re going to need to very tightly seal any exposed EPS with epoxy first, then sand and clean with de-natured alcohol. Once you do that step, you can use lam resin on the epoxy board, but be warned that if even the smallest bit of resin gets into the foam, it will start a chemical reaction that will essentially turn the innards of the board into napalm paste.  

5

OOPS!.. missed that it was EPS. Good call!

6

it is all clear now.

…ambrose…

the 21 st century

is here and how.

7

Thank you everyone. I won’t be able to vaccum bag… (no compressor either) I’m not sure what the chances are of managing to get a really good stick. I’m guessing that as far as not wanting more issues with the board anytime soon goes, reglassing will be the most reliable option? (Even with me being a newby at glassing such a big area?)

Hmm… What about laminating two layers only exactly within the missing flap zone, and then a third which covers the seams? That would help even out the recess problem but I suppose only one layer over all that separation won’t do. Maybe two layers in the gap and two over? I’m thinking out loud here.

8

Thats totally do-able too. Sometimes, depending on ding size, rather than fill a recess with cabosil and then glassing over it, we will cut a swath of fiberglass to fit within the recess to bring it up to level, and then glass over it. You’re definitely following the standard process of planning your attack with board repairs - explore all options and figure which will suit your tools/needs best. 

 

If you don’t have a compressor, I highly reccomend buying one of those dusting cans they use on computers. You’re going to need to make sure you have a clean, uncontaminated working environment, otherwise you risk compromising the strength or the bond. 

 

Don’t discount re-using the flap yet though! Like I said, anything you can do to make this job easier and mantain the original shape of the repaired area is a great idea. Once thing some people don’t realize going into a repair is that it isnt JUST the foam that needs to be re-shaped, but the glass you put over it as well. You’ll need to re-build any lines in the rails, and sand the repair flush with the rest of the board. If you don’t have a vac-bag then consider your options for applying weight to patch to get a solid bond (the glass flocking between the old flap and the foam will help this process a LOT). Sometimes people will shave a piece of square foam to match the contours of the repair area, and set that on top with a layer of wax paper between. You can then use clamps, cinderblocks, rocks, weights, or small children to apply pressure evenly to the flap and ensure a solid bond. 

 

After you re-attach the flap, there may likely be some small gaps you will either need to fill with epoxy or cover with glass tape, but re-using that patch will greatly reduce the ammount of work you need to do and the ammount of weight you’re adding to the board at the repair. 

 

 

Any chance you have a photo of the board you can post? If it’s a stringered board you’ll want to re-bond the stinger somehow. If not, it’s a good idea to use dowels or biscuits of some kind to ensure a strong, even bond of the two separated pieces. Tap a couple of holes in the foam to run a dowell between the two pieces, then fill the holes with epoxy, and paint the contact points of the foam with a small bit of epoxy. you can then insert the dowels into the holes (now coated with epoxy to ensure they aren’t just floating around in there) and merge the two pieces. The dowels will help keep everything lined-up and make it so you only need to apply minimal pressure to the two pieces to get a strong bond (if the break is at the nose, I usually stand the board up on its nose as it cures so the weight of the board pushes downward onto the repair. 

 

 

Sorry if that was a little rambly, I tend to think out loud as well

9

Just put a Fanatic SUP back together after it was snapped at Shipsterns. Clean deck break with not so much rails and bottom :-) 

When the bottom let go it took about 3 feet of the front half lamination attached to the back. Successfully re attached the laminate with weight from 2 bags of chicken pellets over plastic sheet to eliminate grain dust. The weight distributes evenly and moulds to fit the base rocker a treat. 40kg of weight all up bonds it nicely. Knew those chickens would be good for something besides eggs…

Glass stripped the edges back in and lamination is as sound as the day it left the factory if not more so. No appreciable increase in weight given the starting weight of the board. 

 

10

What are your goals? What are your skills?  ...don't reply just think about it.

My #1 goal as a newbie was glassing and repairs. I achived my goal by fixing basket cases like the board you are talking about. No money or glory. I've posted several along the way.......I can fix anything now. Good advice so far. Go for it!

My #2 goal as a newbie was color work. I'm still working on that. Shaping was never a goal but I do that now too...

If it was me I would trash all the flaps, set the bottom half of the board vertical. Bunguee cord it to a chair or use tape....Glue the top half to the bottom half...vertical so you can step back and see the rocker....Learned it on Swaylocks....

and ask yourself...how much was this board worth before it broke.....how much will it be worth after I fix it....you can make money fixing toilets....hard to make money fixing surfboards...here I am fixing surfboards.....It's all for fun!

Stingray