Author Topic: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"  (Read 8054 times)

The Kernel

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Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« on: April 08, 2016, 10:35:29 PM »
Finally getting time to post pictures of a repair/rebuild I did on a Nugg Turbo last year.  In lieu of putting text on each slide to tell the story (and driving myself crazy using the photo editor), I just pasted in the pictures as a series, with a file name on each one that generally describes what’s there.

Here’s the text synopsis:

PROBLEM
Loved the board, but the deck of my Nugg Turbo was concaving from aggressive use, which caused a crack around the handle.  A little bit of water had leaked in. 

BEGINNING STAGES OF REBUILD
Let it dry a few months.  Shave off deck pad with oscillating multitool, scrapers, Goof Off, hair dryer, etc.  Clean up area.  Drill holes around the handle to “reinforce” with an epoxy/microballoons mixture that I will eventually cover with glass.  “Hey, I got this NAILED down baby! 

SCREWUP BECOMES EVIDENT
Wisps of epoxy smoke emanate from some holes while drying.  ”WTF is that?!”  After drying, tap surface for noise test and it sounds hollow...”Uh oh, I think I remember something about too much epoxy, exothermic reactions....CRAP!”  Push on board hard, crack surface to reveal a “cave” created by melted EPS foam...”Yep, I was indeed a dumbass.”

CONSULT AN EXPERT
Shove the Chernobyl like disaster into the van and visit TallDude to get a verdict.  (“Will she make it Doc?”)  He says it’s fixable, gives me course of action, PhD quality advice that I half comprehend, and higher density foam to fill in the hole.  Admonishes me about dangers of melting foam by using more than 1/4” thickness of epoxy at one shot.  Comments that others with “top names” in the field made similar mistakes in the earlier days of SUP building and doesn’t call me a dumbass...(Thanks Matt)

ATTEMPT #2
Clean up Chernobyl hole and cut new foam into smaller blocks (didn’t have one piece that would fit the whole area).   Piece them together into the hole like a 3D jigsaw puzzle with Gorilla Glue.  Put weights on top while the glue sets.  Do this in multiple stages for several days until nearly flush with top.  Shape with rasp and oscillating multitool to match board contours. 

Apply multiple layers fiberglass (STARTING with 3 layers of 6oz) & epoxy/microballoons, and even some carbon fiber cloth at the normal standing spot.  Smooth out, feather into existing level of board using more cloth and epoxy/microballoons mixture.  “Looking like a real board again!”

Determine center point (with fins in) and use oscillating multi tool to cut hole, put the handle back in.  Gorilla Glue handle in (hey, no risk of melting the foam with Gorilla glue)and put bricks on it to hold in place while glue foams out.  Let it dry and shave dried glue down. 

Put a few more layers of fiberglass at the handle and actually stuff the cloth into the handle to dry and lock it in place even better.  Sand down the hardened fiberglass shards in the handle and do rough sanding of deck.  Do final sanding(s).

Paint.  Regular Krylon type stuff.  Use painters tape to get some lines.  Spray UV resistant clear coat. 

Using a string stretched from tail to nose at center line for reference, apply new deck pad.

Apply Riviera stickers on side. 

Kick back and admire while drinking a cold beer.

Total time....maybe 6-9 months because it was done only when I had free time.  Probably would take 5-7 days working hard at it, with a lot of that time waiting for epoxy and glue and paint to dry.


END RESULT:
Deck is super strong.  Could probably take a hit from a 9mm round now, so no danger of concaving.

From a design aesthetics standpoint, the board looks better than when I bought it new.  Now has “bad ass” looking knobby black deck pad instead of humdrum gray corduroy.  Looks more stock car and less emasculated middle age athlete wannabe.   

Board definitely gained some weight.  I never concerned myself too much with the weight gain in this case, as I erred on the side of strength.

WHAT I LEARNED:
- Too much epoxy = danger of melting foam.
- Gorilla Glue is fantastic.  Hard to overstate how key it was in this rebuild.  Foams up to fill gaps.  Bond between foam pieces is stronger than the foam itself (similar to what happens when glueing up wood pieces).  Can shave it down easily with a rasp or oscillating multi tool. 
- I now go lighter on glassing.  I use only the stronger “S” glass--with less layers though.
- Sanding creates lots of dust in the garage which drives the wife crazy.
- Final finish was not nearly as nice as factory, but just don’t have the patience or see the point of going to a high gloss.
- TallDude has forgotten more about board repair than I'll ever know, but it was worth trying and making mistakes because I'm a lot better now than I was before. 
- The Zone has plenty of good advice from guys also much better than me.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARD:
- Surfed it a bit for “op checking”.  It worked well, felt super strong.  I’m not an expert SUP surfer, but I’m good enough to sense the additional weight though.  Still a solid board, just a bit slower getting going on waves.  Used it also for teaching flat water paddling to novices and even for teaching adults to prone surf.  Figured I’d keep her forever as a backup board.
 
- Went to Riviera warehouse sale a few months later and heard the sweet sound of a brand new Nugg Turbo CARBON calling my name--with a jaw dropping deal price.  Did Homer Simpson scream and put down the credit card.  Loaded the van, and took the new “stealth fighter” home. 

- Sold older repaired Nugg Turbo to new happy owner.

- Living happily ever after with a quiver of five boards.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2016, 11:28:52 PM by The Kernel »
Kernel:  Cutting through the bull**it.
"This is the kernel of the argument."

Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

8'0 L41 Simsup
9'2" T. Patterson Rising Sun
9'2" Riviera Nugg Turbo Carbon
10' Riviera Machete

surfcowboy

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2016, 02:23:30 AM »
Good work man. One more staying out of the landfill. Love it.

Zooport

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2016, 07:34:06 AM »
Looks awesome!  Is that the one I rode?
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PJBrendel

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2016, 08:08:40 AM »
Looks Great!
Thanks for all of the detail.  I think that will help a lot of us out if we have to venture into that territory.
Seems the working qualities of the EPS foam and polyurethane foam are very different. 
I don't even remember if the polyester resin used to give off much heat when it cured.

Bean

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2016, 08:25:09 AM »
It's not just the heat of the resin as it cures, but also the nature of EPS blanks compared to the denser/heavier urethane blanks.

TallDude

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2016, 08:54:36 AM »
Gary, glad to see you (your son) figured out (showed you) how to upload a picture. I think I should start asking for a 'BOARDFAX' before purchasing another used board:)

BTW, nice result.
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

The Kernel

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2016, 09:58:32 AM »
Looks awesome!  Is that the one I rode?

Yep...that's the one.....
Kernel:  Cutting through the bull**it.
"This is the kernel of the argument."

Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

8'0 L41 Simsup
9'2" T. Patterson Rising Sun
9'2" Riviera Nugg Turbo Carbon
10' Riviera Machete

The Kernel

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2016, 10:02:42 AM »
Gary, glad to see you (your son) figured out (showed you) how to upload a picture. I think I should start asking for a 'BOARDFAX' before purchasing another used board:)

BTW, nice result.

Thanks for all your help Matt....For the record, I fully disclosed to the buyer that it was rebuilt and reinforced, which he seemed to appreciate; I like to sleep at night!
Kernel:  Cutting through the bull**it.
"This is the kernel of the argument."

Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

8'0 L41 Simsup
9'2" T. Patterson Rising Sun
9'2" Riviera Nugg Turbo Carbon
10' Riviera Machete

StarboardSUPMan

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2017, 01:03:29 PM »
Reviving an a old thread, I'm about to attempt the exact same fix on my Nugg.  After 3 years of ownership the fiberglass has started to delaminate and pull away from the handle due to my feet compressing the foam in the middle of the board.  I've known about the issue for 6 months and have kept the water out by putting clear silicone into the gap.  It's worked really well at keeping it dry since it's flexible and keeps a seal, however it's time for a permanent fix.

My board is not as bad as The Kernels was in the pics above.  The handle is only de-laminated on one side and not the whole way down.  And there are a few small (3"x3") spots under my feet that have started to delaminate.

I am going to start the same way, by drilling holes on either side of the delaminated areas and pouring epoxy resin in and put weight ontop to hold it down while it sets up.  I'm a little nervous about getting it too hot and melting the foam, but I've been told epoxy doesn't melt EPS foam.  Any suggestions, it looks like even though The Kernel used epoxy it still melted his foam, maybe only do small areas at one time?

Then I'm going to build up the depressed foot areas with 3-4 layers of glass and finish by actually wrapping the final layers of glass down into the handle so it will have less tendency to split at the handle edges again.  I'm not too concerned about adding 1-2lbs for more strength in the foot area.

Here are a few pics of the board in it's current state.  I'm purchasing the epoxy resin from uscomposites.com I've heard a few good things and they are near me in Florida.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2017, 01:06:27 PM by StarboardSUPMan »

surfcowboy

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2017, 09:19:57 PM »
I'll let others weigh in on the epoxy but the main thing is the volume of epoxy at once. Little by little you can do a repair but as TD said, over a 1/4" of epoxy in any one shot will probably get crazy hot. Experiment a little but if you leave even a little in the bottom of a cup you will see what we are all talking about.

I'd like to hear from the crew here about how to get a thin layer under the deck.

TallDude

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2017, 10:47:04 PM »
If you're planning any kind of injecting, I would only use Gorilla Glue. Wet the hole first. It will cause the glue to expand. If it expands too much, it might even lift the handle and / or the veneer and go to far. You could try it in smaller areas first. Personally, I'd just rout out the handle area, glue in a cassette of high density foam under it and around it. Clean up the old handle, and reuse it if there are no cracks in it. Set the handle in with a piece of glass under it. I do fin boxes the same way. There are a number of threads on replacing handles. This should be minor compared to the Kernels massacre ::)   
« Last Edit: June 06, 2017, 10:49:24 PM by TallDude »
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

StarboardSUPMan

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2017, 07:02:48 AM »
Thanks for the advice!  I will stick with Gorilla glue for any filling.  I'm going to try to inject it in the delaminated areas and keep weight on it and see how it goes.  If it ends up pushing up the glass around the handle area I'm fine with that I need to re-glass the entire deck anyways.  I'll update with my progress.

PonoBill

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2017, 08:53:06 AM »
Shortcuts rarely work. Injecting something to fluff up the inner structure sounds like a useful repair, but really you're going to wind up with an amorphous chunk of something in the middle of the EPS, like a rock in a cake. It will not flex the same and the EPS will break up all around it. It will be a few weeks worth of OK and then not. I'd route out the damaged foam and replace it. Glue the new stuff in with gorilla glue. You've gone this far, it's not a lot more work to do it right and then you'll have learned something useful.

Incidentally, when people say epoxy won't melt EPS they mean chemically--that it won't dissolve it. But if the epoxy goes exothermic (has a runaway chemical reaction where heat generated by bonding accelerates bonding and releases more heat) it can get hot enough to catch fire. Believe me, that will melt the hell out of the EPS.

Anyone who knows me well is laughing at this post. I've tried every sleazy shortcut I could think of. But that makes me an expert at "that ain't gonna work" not because I'm a perfectionist (more laughter) but because I've done it, and then redone it.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2017, 08:58:07 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Zooport

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2017, 09:25:47 PM »
If you're planning any kind of injecting, I would only use Gorilla Glue. Wet the hole first. It will cause the glue to expand. If it expands too much, it might even lift the handle and / or the veneer and go to far. You could try it in smaller areas first. Personally, I'd just rout out the handle area, glue in a cassette of high density foam under it and around it. Clean up the old handle, and reuse it if there are no cracks in it. Set the handle in with a piece of glass under it. I do fin boxes the same way. There are a number of threads on replacing handles. This should be minor compared to the Kernels massacre ::)   

Agree about Gorilla Glue.  I've used it around two handle replacements and it has filled gaps well and has stood the test of time.  I don't think it was designed to be a foam replacement, but it works pretty well as one.  Doesn't have the exothermic reaction of epoxy either, so there is little heating and I saw no melting of the EPS.



.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2017, 09:28:09 PM by Zooport »
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The Kernel

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Re: Nugg Turbo "Repair" Disaster Turns into "Rebuild"
« Reply #14 on: June 09, 2017, 09:49:17 PM »
Lots of spot-on advice here from smart dudes---as usual.  Saw your PM; shoot me your phone number back via PM and I'd be happy to converse about any questions you have.
Kernel:  Cutting through the bull**it.
"This is the kernel of the argument."

Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

8'0 L41 Simsup
9'2" T. Patterson Rising Sun
9'2" Riviera Nugg Turbo Carbon
10' Riviera Machete

 


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