Hi. I introduce myself and take the opportunity to consult a question in case someone can clarify it for me. I just received an inflatable board that I bought second-hand and inflated it at home to check that its condition is correct. It appears that it is not leaking air either from the valve or elsewhere and is seen in an acceptable condition. What worries me is that I see a couple of bubbles on the non-slip rubber. The largest is about 9 cm long and does not seem to have much pressure. My question is if they will be due to some pore in the structure of the board and if the non-slip rubber will withstand the pressure or will end up giving problems over time, and if any scratch on the rubber will cause the board to end up losing air in that area.

Thank you very much in advance. Regards.

I have such bubbles under my full length black diamond pattern non slip pad, but on a hard non-inflatable board. What I do is ignore them or sometimes take a needle and gently let the air out of the bubble, so it settles back flat. It may have nothing to do with the integrity of the main bladder, just air between the glued pad and the inflatable unit. Can you press on the bubble to see if the firmness matches that of the pumped bladder, or if the pad is separating from the sup?

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billekrub said..
I have such bubbles under my full length black diamond pattern non slip pad, but on a hard non-inflatable board. What I do is ignore them or sometimes take a needle and gently let the air out of the bubble, so it settles back flat. It may have nothing to do with the integrity of the main bladder, just air between the glued pad and the inflatable unit. Can you press on the bubble to see if the firmness matches that of the pumped bladder, or if the pad is separating from the sup?

Thank you. The EVA bubble seems to be separated from the board. When I press on the bubble, it has no high pressure and I can feel the hard surface of the board under it.

I'm trying to add a photo but I must wait a few days to do it.

These bubbles are often due to excess heat, e.g. in a car, that melts the pad glue.

Just put some MS/Polymer glue (or other glues that cure with moisture and stay supple when cured) in a syringe, cut some hole on one side of the bubble, another on the other side to let air get out, inject, press flat, wipe off excess glue, and let cure under a plate and weight.