Foam insert to fill a gap around a moved handle.

[Zooport]

I have a really nice, Riviera, T Patterson Risingsun 10'3 that I love to ride, but the handle was installed improperly and the board carries terribly out of balance.  Add that to the fact that the handle Riviera put in there sucks, so I am installing one of the great Blue Planet handles and placing it properly.  The &%$* original handle is placed so poorly that I will have to install my new handle about 1.5" further back to get the board to balance. So here's my question:

Since I'm moving the handle pretty far back, I'm going to have to cut and install a foam insert to fill the gap left by the original handle.  The problem is that I don't know where to find EPS.  Can I use the construction grade EPS I find at Home Depot, or should I order some from a surfboard supplier?  Seems silly to buy, pay for, and ship a big chunk of EPS when I only need at 1.5" X 3" cube of it. 

[PonoBill]

Sure, blue construction EPS is good stuff. It's substantially stronger than the EPS your board is made of, or any big chunk you might order. Generally 25 psi vs 10 psi for 1 pound EPS. Adsorbs a lot less water also. Technically it's XPS, Extruded Polystyrene.

I'd rout out a rectangle that would encompass the new handle and the old hole with a couple inches of margin on the new handle. Don't do something patchy. Gorilla glue the new section in. Then rout the handle template into the new blue foam.

This is effectively like making a plug of Divinycell without spending 60 bucks. Nothing like Divinycell in strength, but it's better than regular 1 or 2# EPS.

[Zooport]

You are saying that I should 1. Remove old handle.  2. Rout the entire area out, including where I plan to put the Blue Planet handle.  3. fill the whole thing with foam block Gorilla Glue it in place.  4. Rout out the new foam to fit the new handle. 

So the new handle will be completely surrounded by the new foam block.  None of the original foam will be touching the new handle.  Is this correct?

[PonoBill]

Yup.

If you want to be have a super-strong handle install, rout the handle hole and table-wet a first layer of glass that's the length of the handle and wide enough so you can push it down into the handle hole and have it lap slightly over the edges of the old glass (sand the old glass so you have a feathered area the size of the largest patch you intend to use). Batter the hole up lightly with thickened epoxy, brush a thin layer on the handle and push the handle down into the hole with the wetted glass laid across the hole so it winds up under the handle with the sides lapping into the feathered area. Then do the install as normal. Probably not really necessary given the wide flange and reinforcing glass over the crossbar of the Blue Planet handles, but what the heck.

It's a fussy thing to do, but it adds a lot of strenght to a hole in the board that takes a beating. It's what I do to install mast tracks--definitely worth it there, marginal for a handle, but IMHO worth the effort. The Blue Planet handles are killer.

[Bean]

Zoo, if you cut the replacement foam block first, you can use it as a template.  Rounded corners make the process a little easier for the router.

Also, you've probably already looked at the Blueplanet installation video at

I personally think that they use way more glass than necessary, but it's hard to argue the outcome.

[Zooport]

Yeah, already installed one Blue Planet handle in another board.  It's a great handle and a pretty easy install. 

Good idea cutting the block first and then using it as a template.  Thanks, Bean!

[Supnazi]

Here's one I did last year where the handle came loose and sucked water. The mold release was not properly removed and the glass did not stick. I installed the new one using a block of blue extruded foam using gorilla glue white. Then I roughed up the foam and beveled the old glass around the edge about 3 inches (not shown in picture) for better mechanical bond. Glassed with volan and S glass and epoxy for strength.

[Supnazi]

Sorry I forgot to note that I extended the glass over the standing area to add strength to prevent large pressure dings from knee paddling. Common on boards that don't have a deck patch.

[Zooport]

Sorry I forgot to note that I extended the glass over the standing area to add strength to prevent large pressure dings from knee paddling. Common on boards that don't have a deck patch.

Supnazi, those photos were very helpful.  Thanks so much.  How well did it work when all was said and done? 

Love those LiftSup handles.  They were my first choice until I discovered the Blue Planet handles which have no moving parts but are just as easy to carry. 

[Supnazi]

Worked out real well put a new piece of deck pad on it, also fixed the rear deck plug that popped out during a big swell session now its bomb proof also glassed it heavy to withstand big tugs on leash.

[Supnazi]

Update on Lift sup handle repair, Its been over a year and the Lift Sup handle has been working pretty good and I no longer have any collapsing of the deck around standing area, the deck is very strong now, The double leash plugs are also holding up very well. Unfortunately I damaged one of the fin boxes in shore break earlier this year and the board was in dry dock again, The nice guys at Epoxy Pro in Oceanside gave me a chunk of XTR white extruded foam as a re-enforcement insert for the new fin box. It is now stronger than original. I also decided to paint the tail of the board because the color of the epoxy didn't match well after lamination. Aloha...