Repair Advice AW 2015 Carbon LTD

[eastbound]

emailed fanatic and my dealer last week, and no reply from them--time to reach out to the zone!

I punched a hole with my paddle edge in my AW. i have cleaned the loose crap out such that the hole is roughly and inch by a half inch, and 3/4 inch deep, with foam exposed and slightly (now) hollowed out. sadly the hole is right at the edge of the pad (just above the rail) so i will have to trim away a bit of pad.

i have the board set up to dry out--it's rigged on edge with the hole at lowest point of board, with vent screw removed. I figure any water will drain down and out. board lady says opposite--sha says that water will evaporate from hole, so board shd be rigged with hole at highest point. she also recommends applying a 1/16 hp vacuum pump, which I can only find for around 300$. dont want to spend that dough, and i am in no hurry, so i am trying to drain it my way for a week or two, then board lady's way for another week or two. i might then try the duct taped shop vac suction for a couple of hours. didnt have a very accurate weight on the board prior to hole, so cant really know how much got in.

lesson learned--weigh all boards, so when dinged, one can know how much water got in.

 i plan to fill the hole with vinyl spackle, and then want to finish with a product well-suited for the carbon skin construction of the board. i would prefer to use a ding stick sun cure idiot proof type product. dont care much re aesthetics, just want water out, and a durable watertight permanent repair.

suggestions??

[eastbound]

the good news--much as i loved the AW and have surfed it exclusively since jan purchase, its injury has forced me to revisit my L41--plan is to ride it, dial it, and take sweet time with the AW repair. surprisingly i dont find it any less stable in chop--the yaw is worse but i can deal with that--flat skatey fast, perls easier if the drop is steep--what i'd do for some sttep dropds in the currently wave-starved NE!!

[K-541`]

 Try twisting a paper towel and poke it into the hole water will wick into the towel after the board is dry fill the hole with epoxy resin micro balloons mix like putty. Then a little glass resin patch over that. I think you should just  take a razor knife flexable blade and just peel the pad back so you can glue it back after the repair is done. Of course you could just take it to someone who knows epoxy repair.

[eastbound]

good call re the peel-back--i have cut a bit away to expose the holle, but will peel back what i need to sand etc.

will insert the towel--it'll wick and also serve as a telltal as to whether water is coming out.

[Bean]

Eva (Board lady) is right, once the water has stopped draining, flip the damage side up to allow for evaporation (with the wick).  A room with a dehumidifier would help.

[Bulky]

I'd do it just like K541 says.  The jammed paper towel sticking up is a pretty good way to determine if there's still moisture in the board.  I prefer to use foam plugs as much as I can--replace foam with foam instead of filling with spackle.  In a repair of this size it probably doesn't matter but there is a weight difference.  I've got what's left of an old boogie board, cut chunks as I need them and use Gorilla glue to put them in.  I cut them pretty close to the shape I need but leave some sticking out and then shave/sand to get the profile I need when the glue is set.  If you're careful you can accomplish things without even needing to use any filler--since it seems like you're not wanting to get too involved in mixing stuff.

From there, you can probably patch in one pass with two layers of glass.  I don't bother with carbon for such a small ding unless I've got some handy--that weight is inconsequential. 

I know you're hoping just to use sun cure and there are probably others more knowledgeable with that but my main concern would be to make sure the skin of the board is brought back to water tight.  Overlapped glass will do that.  Sticking in a plug of epoxy gunk might work too, but it might work it's way loose over time.  As you said the damage was done by a paddle whack, you should also consider if it's in a location that stands to get hit again.  Since you're taking the time to fix it right, consider fixing it right.

Ding repair can seem intimidating but after meeting the guys that typically do it, I figured I might be able to handle it (speaking of idiot proof  )

[RATbeachrider]

The fastest (and cheapest) way to fill the hole is to use Gorilla Glue.  Once cured, sand to shape then cover with two patches of 4 oz cloth (I sometimes used 3 layers of 4 oz).  The first piece is approximately 1/4 inch larger than the ding.  Second piece a bit larger (1/4 inch to no more than 1/2 inch larger than the first piece of cloth).  I used West epoxy.

Also, always sand using a sanding block.

[PonoBill]

clean up the hole, sand the area around it to feather the edges, repair with foam, glued in with gorilla glue, reshape to the original controur then patch it with one layer of carbon with a 4" margin all around and one of glass with 5" margin. I'd use 6oz S glass, but that's just me. Feather it down, hot coat it to eliminate pinholes. I'd use the carbon to make the area stiff and keep the board from developing a stress area from local flex. Probably overkill but since I can't see where the injury is or what it looks like I'm giving you the most conservative approach. Don't use the solarez chopper stuff, there's no strength to it. You're better off with packing tape or aluminum tape than chopped strands.

[eastbound]

thx all--board is flipped now, hole pointed up, paper towel in place, in a relatively hot garage loft (max 100 degrees f). lazy as I am, i will repair in another week or two. mulling options, but certainly planning to use glass or carbon fabric. it'll likely be ugly, but watertight and strong.