hi
some cracks in the gel coat, or the top coat of an equipe.
I'm guessing its mostly cosmetic and won't let water in. Is that correct?
I will repair them, probably brush, inject some epoxy into the crack & push down with some weight.
Aother alternative is PPC two pack white coat urethane paint. I used on the Tiga's bottom. It's very liquid yet dries very tough & flexible. I'm going to repair the bottom of the board and then over coat with it.
Nigel
Those cracks look a fair bit more than superficial to me.
If you dearly love the board and you want to sail it for years more I'd look at taking it to a professional repairer.
If it's a board you bought to learn on and you're not too worried about looks and overall longevity, I'd at least put some fibreglass over it to seal it up and give it back a little strength.
the foam underneath those cracks may graduallyget crushed/ start to break up as the board thumps over waves etc.
Are you the handyman type, done any f/glassing? I would grind/route all those cracks out to about 5mm wide, only as deep as needed to remove the outer shell, get a flat bladed screwdriver and push under the edges of the grooves up against the shell about 10mm to form a cavity, prepare 25mm wide strips of cloth to be tucked into cavity when wet out (butter knife works a treat, do a dry run to get knack of rolling glass mat in with knife) if you can work quick enough and you've got some depth to fill have a narrower strip of cloth ready and put straight over the top or just bog the rest to fill flush.
Seen heaps of over the top fibreglass jobs on windsurf and surf boards, if they don't lift they look crap.
Thank s for replies. An update for history...
I have contacted a few surf & sailboard shops here in Melbourne. None can help due to the ASA skin over the top of the board.
I emailed Eva, The Board Lady, who has been absolutely fantastic in helping.
Essentially not a lot sticks to ASA. I did the hot sun bubble trick and there are only a couple of through cracks despite the poor condition of the board. [Luckyish here!]
Only one small part of the crack in the pics is through to the underneath.
The plan is to drill holes & pump it with 'Marine Urethane Foam' and then patch the holes with glass and paint over with two pack urethane.
The bottom is easy in that I can paint it white, but the top is hard to repair & maintain the graphics.
If I want to use the board in racing, then I have to maintain the original graphics, as per race rules;
(b) The deck grip may be restored to its original condition with a clear coating provided that the original deck graphics can be clearly seen
I have asked for some clarification re that rule, so well see what is said before I start the repairs
thanks again, Nigel
