Small crack and water inside...need help to drain it.

[Marcelo]

There is a small crack on my board from my last session that has a little bit of water inside, I have sucked some of the water out but was wondering what is the best way to make sure the inside of these boards is as dry as possible before patching it.

Thanks.

[Kaweeka]

The pro's may scream but putting it out in the sun and letting bubble out worked for me.  If the crack is big you can also try to stick a paper towel in and wick the water out but this takes too long if you only have one board . . .

[Sam Pa'e]

Aloha Kaweeka,
Just wanted to ask.........Were did you get your Idea from? I was reading the repair section of the "Board Lady" and she said the same thing.....

The pro's may scream but putting it out in the sun and letting bubble out worked for me.  If the crack is big you can also try to stick a paper towel in and wick the water out but this takes too long if you only have one board . . .

And I though I was the only one doing this.....

Marcelo,
Here's a quote from the "Board Lady" on how to remove water: http://www.boardlady.com/waterextraction.htm

Maximize the water's mobility! Put the wet board into a warm space. Don't overdo it, though, lest you add heat problems to your moisture problems. 110 degrees F would be about the warmest you can safely go.

Maximize the surface area! Twirl a paper towel to a point loosely, stuff into the vent fixture or the wound with a tooth pick, making sure there is contact with the EPS foam, fan out at the top.

Maximize the dissipation! Point a fan at the wound or vent fixture.

For me I just leave it in the sun for a few hours and monitor.......If bubbles are eminent, then no surfing on that board for a few months till bubble stop......then repair.

But sometimes I use the international board repair technique...."Duck Tape" (and fix it later) 

However I would like to try "Vacuum extraction" this will speed up the process....but I'm still yet to learn.

Hope this is helpful.......

Aloha......Sam

[Marcelo]

it is a small 1/2" crack and not really open, should i go ahead and open it a little more?

[Rogue Wave]

Since you have to repair it anyway, I'd drill a hole big enough to stick some paper towels in, as suggested by Sam.

The trick with EPS is to get the water out ASAP, otherwise it's in there for good!

If it's really wet, you could try vacuuming it out, but I've never had much luck doing that. If you want to try, make sure you drill a hole at the opposite end of the board to let air in.

Good luck!

[PonoBill]

You have to leave the vacuum connected for a long time. The idea is not just to "suck" out the water, but also to decrease pressure in the board so the water will evaporate faster and be pulled out as vapor. You don't want to apply too strong a vacuum, even two or three pounds would put a lot of force on the board's skin. I modified an old contactor-type fuel pump that has a solenoid pulling a rubber diaphragm against a spring. It clatters away until the vacuum overcomes the spring and then it holds the contacts open so the pump doesn't run until the vacuum drops enough. It's pretty efficient, but it can scare the heck out of you if it starts suddenly clattering. 

You need to weigh the board accurately and then keep tabs on the loss of weight until it stops. In my experience for a small leak it took about two weeks for the board to stop loosing weight. I just left the board sitting on the scale with the pump attached.

As Sam says, The Board Lady is the Goddess of board repair. I hear she quit doing it though she's generously passed on her tecniques.