Sun damage?

[supstoked]

Having been a surfer for almost fifty years I know that leaving your board in the sun is a no-no.  It appears to me that production boards with their automobile-like paint jobs do not suffer the same fate.  What do you think, or know?

[Roundhouse]

I have a 5 year old Naish (popsicle stick as my friend calls it) that is now my flatwater board and lives on the porch and I have see little fading on it or my 4 year old Mana. I did see significant finish damaged the first day I had it and tried to clean the tape residue off with kerosene. The shop taped bubble wrap to the board to ship it. Having grown up with poly, I had no hesitation cleaning it with kerosene and you can still see the swirls 5 years later. I took of a section of the Naish logo with one wipe.

[supthecreek]

I can't imagine that the paint would be the concern if you leave your board in the sun down in Mexico.... the board will just burst at the seams, due to pressure build up from overheating. 

[1tuberider]

Have you ever noticed the difference between a car parked in a garage or out in the weather over long periods. 
Have you ever noticed the skin on older people who have worshipped the sun most of their lives.

I would expect sun damage in the long haul if you leave your board exposed to the sun. Heat damage will occur a lot sooner if you let your board bake in the sun. I really only expose my board to the environment while using it. The rest of the time it is stored in my van.

[spookini]

Have you ever noticed the skin on older people who have worshipped the sun most of their lives.

Careful now...  You could be referring to half of the 'Zone membership

[Weasels wake]

I resemble that remark 

[Wetstuff]

Stoked,  Since you had your first car - a lot of things have changed, even in the last couple of years. The auto detailer folks are a help to us.  One item specifically seems to have addressed the UV problem: Optimum Car Wax.   Following are is a clip from one of the detailer's forums.

"The UV absorbers we use in the Optimum Car Wax are the same as those in the clearcoat paint. The testing we did is an ASTM standard test for automotive paint. A series of panels were painted with automotive base coat/clear coat at the Bayer polymer division (they supply isocyanates to the major OEM paint suppliers and some car manufacturers). The panels were placed in a QUV chamber for roughly 1,500 hours which is equivalent to 5-7 years of external UV exposure. As the test progressed, it was evident that the panels that had Optimum Car Wax with UV protection did not show any fading for the duration of the test while the panels without UV lost gloss and reflectivity (Definition of Image). These results are listed at the end of the patent 6,669,763 (you can use this link United States Patent: 6669763) which was awarded for this new technology since no other wax or sealant provided UV protection."

3-5 months is the life of the bonded wax to a well prepped surface. it has no bearing on the life of the UV inhibitors contained within it. As long as you keep the wax on the car and replaced it as you see beading falling away, you will have the UV protection. OCW has no abrasives and no solvents, so it's intended use is to protect properly prepped surfaces. Dirt, overspray, contaminates, etc. should be removed prior to use."


It's a spray .. about $15.  Seems to make sense.

Jim