Author Topic: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub  (Read 6210 times)

photosettle

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cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« on: October 27, 2007, 09:30:51 PM »
After having my board out today (about it's 7th time on the water) i noticed two cracks in the epoxy.  Both of them are in locations that woudl be difficult to have causeed by hitting them with the paddle.  My guess is that they are 'stress induced fractures'.  Both look like cracked glass.  One is on the rail near a sidebiter fin.  The other is about 2 feet from the back of the board in between the deckpad break (where the stringer is).  The pictures attached look like the one on the rail is worse but actually the one on the deck of the board is worse.  the crack continues under the deck pad for just a bit.

My questions are as follows:
What could have caused them and is this normal for epoxy?
Would you suspect they are leaking and how could i fix them?




« Last Edit: October 27, 2007, 09:32:54 PM by photosettle »

Mamo

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2007, 12:37:22 AM »
Hi photosettle, looks like an impact shatter on your rail, probably from some part of your body. the one on your
deck looks like a heel dent. If it was my board i'd run a lite coat of epoxy resin over the rail shatter just in case . the one on the deck....not sure. You can probably find repair kits at most surf shops. The cracks are inevitable
on boards constructed glass over foam. Check your board often, repair quickly if it looks bad, EPS is thirsty! I hope you don't have any more problems, good luck!

Blane Chambers

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2007, 10:24:42 PM »
Howzit photosettle,
From the pics it looks like they are not leaking.   If they were, you would know by salt building up around the cracks or water actually dripping out when the board gets warmed up in the sun....    When I get stress cracks like those I don't do anything if they are not leaking but to be sure you can lightly sand the surface and use a clear 5 minute epoxy brushed on.     

Those cracks have to go through 4 layers of resin saturated glass on the rail and 3 layers on the deck so it has to be a good deep crack to leak...  If it is leaking then  take it to a ding repair guy or you can go to Swaylocks.com and search ding repair.      Pretty simple fix if its leaking...   Have fun surfing! 

Aloha,
Blane



www.paddlesurfhawaii.com
« Last Edit: October 28, 2007, 10:29:41 PM by Blane Chambers »

photosettle

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2007, 06:29:58 AM »
Thanks for all the replies.   

Shane

alap

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2007, 08:26:08 AM »
I used couple finger nail polish layers on mine. wasn't leaking... won't hurt.

Rand

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2007, 09:08:54 AM »
Cracks do not always show up where the pressure/impact occurred.  It is really common for a fin whack to show up on or near the rails, with little or no sign on the fin.  Also, this can happen from weighting the fins in or on a vehicle.  For instance if you have the board in a bag, and the bag gets strapped down inadvertantly so it is pulling on the fins this kind of damage can happen. 

Nate Burgoyne

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Re: cracks in epoxy on a newer sub
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2007, 09:30:16 AM »
You're right. Dings are inevitable. I used to get dings all the time all around the tail of my board, exactly where you have yours...and they used to stress me out becuase of the time that goes into fixing them. I tried many products to try and fix them and prevent them. The best thing I've found is an epoxy ding repair you can get at www.bruddabrand.com.

As soon as I have some spider cracks or anything, I suck on the ding to see if any air or water comes out. If I can suck air through it, eventually the water will get in. If there's water in it, I dig out the ding with a utility knife and some sandpaper until I get all the cracked glass off. If there's water in it, I dig it to the foam  to get the ding wide open so the water can come out easily. Then, I get a shop vac and seal it around the ding with my hand to suck all the water out for like 5-10 minutes I'll then let it drain for a day, then shop vac it again. If it comes dry I fix it. Sometimes I'll get a ding I can suck air through but the water didn't get in yet. Fix those right away. I use Brudda Brand to fix small to medium sized dings. I haven't found anything better. It's awesome. I just knead it in my hand then fill the ding. It's hard and water tight in like 5 minutes or less.

In short if I ding my board today, I dig it out, shop vac it, and lean it up so it can drain. Then, tomorrow morning, I shop vac it again to be sure it's dry, fill it with the epoxy putty like Brudda Brand and go surf. Easy... and I never miss a session because of dings.
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