Board repair

[kris]

There it stood so proudly leaning up against the wall....the big ol' LFT

Then I heard a scream........it was my scream

I bumped it and it slid sideways right into one of those cheap ass Homedepot metal shelves.....those stamped out cheapies that cut your hands everytime you touch them!

So now it has a chunk missing....about the size of 1/2 quarter

any ideas on repair? bondo?

[V]

I rode my LFT for a year with a crack. It dries out and no worries. But... just glass it. That would work. If you've got bondo that would probably be fine too. You can sand it down and smooth it out afterward too. But I think bondo would be more susceptable to water damage and eventually break or wear out. I'd glass it.

[skysurfr]

1. Go slow during the repair.

2. Experiment with the materials away from the board, do a little testing on a piece of wood.

3. When you are confident with your materials, then tackle the board job.


I use...

MARINETEX it's a two part filler that can be sanded, it dried even under water, and can be used to repair a cracked engine block!

For smaller repairs, you can try the little sticks of two part material they sell in the plumbing section at Home Depot. It's called Ding Stick in the surf shops. This stuff looks like a candy Bulls Eye.... dark circle filled with a white center. It's a little log of the stuff. You cut off what you need, smash the shite and grey together, and it hardens in about 10 minutes.

It's much easier to remove excess before it hardens with both of these materials. They are very hard when dry. You risk sanding a hole in the board, while trying to sand down the repair.

Appliance Enamel Spray Paint, available in the suburbs, works great for a finish coat.



Don't use BONDO, it's made for cars and needs to be painted over I think. It's also not very strong as I remember.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[Trent Hink]

Epoxy with 3M Microballoon filler works best for small chips and dings, it's way easier to sand smooth compared to Marinetex. Whatever you choose to use make sure you clean the area well with denatured alcohol, then use some sand paper to rough up the area for good adhesion. You could probably get a small West System repair kit with the filler at Boat US or West Marine.

If the damage is large or in a critical area (on the rail and or under your feet) you should use fiberglass reinforcement in the repair and attempt to reconstruct the original layup, then fair the repair into the original, then fill and sand smooth, then paint.

I've fixed a few broken production boards and have all of the required materials and tools, I could do professional quality repairs for anyone who wants to pay for them, but for little chips and dings most guys should be able to take care of it themselves.

Trent