Author Topic: New board, rookie questions  (Read 3448 times)

Larry2c

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New board, rookie questions
« on: May 17, 2016, 06:48:55 PM »
Last weekend I upgraded from a foam board to a used 11" Isle Glider. It's in great shape but I have a couple care & feeding questions. First off, I have cleaned all the tape and scuffs off the board with mineral spirits and for the stubborn ones, a bit of goof off (it appeared to have old sun dried packing tape on the rails in a couple places). I washed the board after that but I am wondering, should I use something like Aerospace 303 to give some protection at least on the top side? I use this on our RV which has fiberglass sides and it seems to help resist sun fading and makes it clean up easier.

I am also wondering about the Gortex vent plug - is it really maintenance free? Nothing to check or worry about ever?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as time goes on but that's what crossed my mind today. Thanks!

Fog City Rider

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2016, 09:09:35 AM »
If you want to keep your board in good condition, rail tape it and store it in a board bag.

Re: the goretex vent, if you're using in salt water you'll want to squirt it with fresh water occasionally to prevent salt buildup in the vent.   
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ford

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2016, 09:37:11 AM »
If you are going to store it in a board bag, I'm guessing you have to make sure it is totally dry before closing it all up...?


PDLSFR

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2016, 10:38:42 AM »
If you are going to store it in a board bag, I'm guessing you have to make sure it is totally dry before closing it all up...?

Nope, When I use a bag (hardly unless long road trip) I toss my boards right into the bag at the beach for the ride home, usually dry out by the time I get home. At home I take them out of the bag and store them on board on racks. Maybe even rinse the boards off if covered in sand, seaweed, red tide, etc..
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Bulky

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2016, 11:28:24 AM »
My first board was an Isle and if yours in anything like mine, it shouldn't require much.  Nice to keep it clean, but probably don't need to go to the length of bagging or rail tape (unless you're a habitual rail-banger).  I never stored mine inside and after I stepped up to more performance boards, it probably sat outside in my yard for 5yrs.  Cleaned off the tree sap, etc every now an again when friend wanted to use it, but didn't see any yellowing.  A little 303 certainly wouldn't hurt it though.
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Bulky

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2016, 11:33:09 AM »
Just saw the pic on your other thread and will say what I was going to say in my previous post:  Isle has picked up their quality quite a bit.  The era I got mine they were basically all 12' popouts--that didn't even have handles.  Heavy and clumsy barge but it got my out on the water and started the addiction.  Like I said, durability was no problem with that board.  Hope/assume that's still the case.  Get on out and paddle!
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Larry2c

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2016, 03:44:19 PM »
Thanks for the feedback all. So that sort of leads to another question. I did get a bag as part of the deal on the board but loading a 12' board into a bag by myself seems like more of a chance of scratching/dinging the board up than if I just put it up on the roof racks and drove home. Once I get home I usually hose down my board and anything that got saltwater on it, let it sit out in the yard until dry and then I have a rope & pulley thing to raise it up out of the way in the garage. So having said that, is bagging it a good idea or a bad one?

re: rail tape - I've read a number of posts about taping the rails but I'm a bit confused on why that would be necessary. Unless I get into a bunch of rocks I can't imagine scraping or banging the rails while paddling and I would guess most folks are pretty careful about how they handle their boards out of the water - so when/where do they get rail damage?

PDLSFR

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2016, 04:26:26 PM »
Larry2C

Most paddlers will whack or hit their board when paddling on occasion (some do it more than others), having rail tape prevents the scratches, paint chips, etc. damage that can be caused by the paddle hitting the board. I've been doing this for around 8 years now and I have RSPro tape on all my boards because when surfing or flatwater there are times "whacks happen" and I'd rather protect the board than see it get all banged up. Sometimes after a great surf session I've found spots I hit the board and didn't even recall doing it during the session.

As for a bag, If driving a long distance to surf or flatwater paddle, the bag will protect the board from the occasional rocks or other road crap that can hot the board while driving (especially at 55+ mph).

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Larry2c

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2016, 04:48:24 PM »
Now that you mention whacking it while paddling I can't believe I didn't think about that. My previous board was a foam board and I never noticed any marks in the side but I imagine the foam wouldn't show it unless you really nicked it with the blade.

spirit4earth

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2016, 07:26:09 AM »
As a side question, does anyone rail tape or otherwise protect their carbon paddle blades?

ford

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2016, 09:29:29 AM »
As a side question, does anyone rail tape or otherwise protect their carbon paddle blades?

I've read or heard about people buying helicopter tape and using it on the edge of their paddles.


Larry2c

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2016, 04:24:24 PM »
So from the sound of some of these response I gather that rail tape is something that once you put it on, it is pretty difficult to remove. Am I right on that?

Bulky

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2016, 05:42:04 PM »
search the forum for "Rail Saver Pro" and you'll come up with a bunch of posts about the stuff.  People do write about RSP being removable and transferable to a different board.  I've seen it on boards and it's pretty tough stuff, but like I said above, I don't ever use it.  I know there people who would never own a board without it on there, but for some reason or another, I've never seen the need.  I paddled over 1000mi last year and can certainly see scuffmarks on my rails (which clean off) but no major nicks or damage. I, on the other hand, never transport a board without a boardbag--the topless ones are just so simple and prevent sun exposure (no big deal with the Isle but not so with a carbon board). 

Make the call based on your usage.
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Badger

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #13 on: May 25, 2016, 05:46:43 PM »
Most rail tape including helicopter tape comes off very easy with no glue left behind.

In some cases, decals and/or paint chips may come off with it on certain brands but this is rare, but most boards are no problem.

I recently had to move some Rail Saver Pro on my Sunova 8'10 because I put it on wrong and the Sunova decals came off when I pulled it up. That's the only board I've ever had that happen to. Not many companies use decals anymore.

I put the RSP back down where I wanted it, and it still works fine, although I kind of ruined the cosmetic perfection of the board by removing it.

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Re: New board, rookie questions
« Reply #14 on: May 25, 2016, 07:52:03 PM »
As a side question, does anyone rail tape or otherwise protect their carbon paddle blades?
Yes, always (and I own 22 SUP paddles...). You can use electrical tape, whxih is cheap and easy. 2 layers lasts much better than one. Or you can use vehicle door edge protection. There are various versions of this, but the stuff I like is basically a long narrow strip of 3M helicopter tape. Again, 2 layers works very well.

RSPro also sell tape for SUP paddles. It is good, but expensive and not really any better than door edge protection IMO. But if money is no object then it is an effective solution. Again, I'd use 2 strips per paddle.

There are "how to" videos by forum member DJ somewhere on the forum that show how to tape your paddle. I'm sure you could find them with a search of this forum or of his posts.

If you tape your paddle and aren't an out-and-out rail-whacker, you won't also need to tape your rails, and your paddle blade will be usefully protected. It can be particularly useful to stop yourself catching your feet with a sharp carbon paddle blade when eg. changing hands, which can sometimes happen when you are starting out, or even occasionally for experienced paddlers in some critical situations (eg. surf).

Some people maintain that taping your blade affects the performance of your blade. But if you do it well and use thin tape, you are very unlikely to notice any effect, especially if you are starting out. if it does affect performance, the difference will be so small that it is hard to measure scientifically.

 


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