I seem to have a jinx where all my boards secretly take in water until they one day just keel over and die. Im careful with my boards and check them for dings regularly…And whenever I do get one I dry it properly and fix it well…
I recently bought a board off a mate, and call me paranoid but I swear this one is doing the same. I seem to think that I have slowly felt some of my other boards getting heavier for a while before they die, and Im worried its happening again. This new one still rides fine, and I cant see or feel any dings anywhere, but I just wondered if anyone knew any way to test whether or not the board is taking on water without me knowing…? I know the old cling-film-over-ding trick, and I’ve checked out the fin plugs (with them usually being the culprets), but what should I do when the fins are fine and there is no ding to clingfilm over?!
Check for sand-throughs… sometimes water will wick it’s way in where there’s exposed weave. The obvious thigs to look for are yellowed areas, and areas where the glass looks “shattered” or stress cracked. You can also dry the board completely after a surf, and after a few days, look for salt crystals on the surface. These are areas that are taking in water, however little.
I guess you could also strip it of wax, clean it, take the fins out, and weigh it now. Do the same thing again in the Fall and see if it’s “gained weight.” It might just be your imagination.
I would check for pinholes by setting the board out in the sun and as it heats up and the air inside expands, go over it with soapy water. If you hit a pinhole it should bubble up. If there is water in it, dry it out before you fix it.
Does your board have a polystyrene or polyurethane core?
If ts polyurethane then its very unlikely to take in water. If its polystyrene then it may be more likely depending on the on the type of polystyrene. Give us some more info about the board’s construction
I bought the board off a friend, so I dont know all the ins and outs of its construction, but as far as I know it seems to be made of PU foam… Its pretty much a standard off-the-rack thruster, although it’s got a pretty heavy glass job and a thicker-than-average stringer which makes it a fairly heavy board in the first place, but yeah I feel like its heavier than when I first got it. Next sunny day I will experiment with the soapy-water trick, and I’ll weigh it and see what happens!
I bought the board off a friend, so I dont know all the ins and outs of its construction, but as far as I know it seems to be made of PU foam… Its pretty much a standard off-the-rack thruster, although it’s got a pretty heavy glass job and a thicker-than-average stringer which makes it a fairly heavy board in the first place, but yeah I feel like its heavier than when I first got it. Next sunny day I will experiment with the soapy-water trick, and I’ll weigh it and see what happens!