Author Topic: How to deal with leak under pad?  (Read 3387 times)

opie

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How to deal with leak under pad?
« on: June 02, 2018, 02:34:20 PM »
Two hours after my surf, I pulled my board out of the car in 90 degree weather, and heard air squeezing through a small hole.  I can see bubbles coming out of one of the holes in the pad for foot straps.  I have never used the straps, its a Takuma foil/windsurf hybrid.  Do I remove the whole pad to find the crack(s)?  Is there a trick to getting a foot pad off?  Can I save it? 
I just checked and three hours after coming out of the water it is still leaking air.  Thanks.

eDUBz

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2018, 03:29:15 PM »
Take your time and Razor out the deck pad around the foot strap and inspect. If it is cracked then remove and install new or just elminate it completely.
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opie

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2018, 05:37:29 PM »
I cut out around it but see no cracks.  When I push down on the board within one inch of foot strap insert holes water/bubbles come out of both the first original hole and the one on the other end of the row.  Is the foot strap insert some kind of unit that could be cracked down below where I can't see? 

I am thinking vacuum for a while and then just glass right over all the holes.  Make sense?

opie

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2018, 05:41:45 PM »
Actually, after looking at my own photos in the post I do see a crack. 

eDUBz

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2018, 09:11:21 PM »
Definitely can see the crack. You could have saved the deck pad by cutting out a perfect square. Your going to need to cut out a lil bit more deck pad to get a clean repair.
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opie

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2018, 09:57:42 PM »
Thanks, I did cut out a bigger square for the repair.  I think when I get a new pad in I'll add a deck patch to make this board a little tougher.

Bean

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2018, 07:42:43 PM »
If I had to guess, since you never used the foot strap option on that board, the inserts probably created the stress risers that lead to the failure.  If that's the case, simply laminating over them might only be a temporary fix.  If you route them out, like you would a bad fin box, that process will help the board dry-out properly too.

Route the insert out, let it dry, glue in a block of foam, level and laminate.  (Cut out the foam block first to use as your router template.)

PonoBill

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2018, 08:46:33 AM »
Those five-hole inserts often delaminate when you DON'T have a strap in them. They're under the glass without any support below them other than eps. You step hard on them, they push down into the EPS and crack away from the glass, then water leaks through the screw holes. I bet these are for your front strap--where you step hardest. You don't really need a crack in the glass to have a problem, the insert is now floating below the deck, out of contact with the screw holes. The answer is to put screws in both ends to hold the insert tight against the deck, even if you don't have a strap. I added screws to the long strap inserts on my Jimmy Lewis for just that reason.

This is what the insert looks like:


If you don't want to cut up the board, just dry the board out as much as possible, force some gorilla glue into all the holes and put a screw in each end, coated with wetted gorilla glue. Tighten the screws firmly, put your pad back on and call it good. If you want to do belt and suspenders, put GG wetted screws in all the holes. You probably don't have a lot of water in the board.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 09:11:07 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.

PonoBill

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2018, 01:09:19 PM »
Afterthought--that might sound like a half-assed repair, but really it's a superior one. No compromise to the board, and you retain the use of the strap inserts if you choose to use them in the future. Your insert is probably only separated at the ends, just closing the screw holes with glue and retaining the insert with a screw at each end is adequate. I see what you are thinking is a crack, I doubt it is. Your leak is through the end holes, which are the first to separate--picture the deck bowing with the rigid strap glued to the underside and you'll see why. You could have fixed this without cutting the pad. Sorry I didn't see it sooner. If you have other inserts like this on your board that might get stepped on I recommend adding screws to each end. You don't need washers and they don't need to be long screws, but they do need to be stainless and you need to tighten them snugly. I used washers, but I noticed that Alex Aguera didn't when he repaired a similar leak on Tomoko's Jimmy Lewis board.
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.

Bean

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2018, 01:22:55 PM »
Afterthought--that might sound like a half-assed repair, but really it's a superior one.

In the world of half-assed repairs, that certainly is one... :D
 

opie

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Re: How to deal with leak under pad?
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2018, 02:22:25 PM »
I've already put a patch on top, after my vacuum pulled out as much water as it could.  I was surprised how much came out.   I'll add screws to the other inserts on the board,  thanks for that info.

Stepping hard on that part of the board is an understatement.  When I foil too high and come slamming back down, if I try to keep riding, I basically stomp on the board, sometimes heel first, from 28 inches up.   Almost exactly what I would do if I was trying to destroy a board without tools. 

I will try to avoid this in the future.

 


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