Hi all,

I'm a learning foiler, I've got a JP Freefoil 130 with an Axis HPS 980 front wing. I was out for my first proper foil the other week and in my excitement to be up and foiling I ran my foil into the sand while at slogging speeds coming back to the beach. I've got some small scratches on the front wing tips where they've dug into the sand and hit shells or whatever. I thought I'd ask if there's any reason to be worried, like will this disrupt the waterflow over the wing and cause stalls or anything like that? And if so, is there anything I should do about it, e.g. giving it a sand with some fine grit wet and dry or something? I did continue sailing on it (and will be much more conservative with distance to the beach in future) and noticed no issues but thought I'd ask. Cheers!

No worries small scratches are part of foiling

It won't be the last time.
Don't worry to much. My HPS 880 was whistling loudly so I decided to use the Blue planet paint pen method which reduced the whistling dramatically. Not sure I went any better, just less annoying.
?feature=shared
You can buy the pen at Officeworks
www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/sakura-solid-marker-black-xpxsc49

Ok thanks guys!!

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lao shi said..
It won't be the last time.
Don't worry to much. My HPS 880 was whistling loudly so I decided to use the Blue planet paint pen method which reduced the whistling dramatically. Not sure I went any better, just less annoying.

?feature=shared
You can buy the pen at Officeworks
www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/sakura-solid-marker-black-xpxsc49

Ok that guy's foil is far far more scratched than mine. I'll save that video & the officeworks link for when (if) I never need it, thanks mate!

Please no more crayon.

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Mark _australia said..
Please no more crayon.

What the prodlem with the crayon? I was just got one and was just about to try it. Thanks!

Every few months I spray them with automotive spray putty, then give them a wet and sand with 250 first and 600 finally. If I have big dents or tip damage I might fill them with epoxy and if necessary a few strands of fiberglass. If you dont race is mostly for your satisfaction, never noticed much difference.

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utcminusfour said..

Mark _australia said..
Please no more crayon.

What the prodlem with the crayon? I was just got one and was just about to try it. Thanks!

Wings, in my experience don't like hydrophobic substances. One of my foils behaved much better about ventilation once I cleaned off a couple of Tef-gel fingerprints. Also, it makes any subsequent repairs more problematic, I'd think. That's just my take and I can't speak for Mark_australia.

I'm with powersloshin on the black sanding primer (it's thicker than plain primer) or, if you have a clear finish, a clear gloss coat and then sanding things smooth. Bigger repairs, of course, merit more involved methods. I'm too lazy to find it but a fellow in NZ did a few nice videos about repairing windfoil wings. And, I'm sure that everything I just said is been repeated a few times in previous threads.

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utcminusfour said..

Mark _australia said..
Please no more crayon.

What the prodlem with the crayon? I was just got one and was just about to try it. Thanks!

It doesnt set properly. Its a very lazy way of doing it. Clearcoat as above then wet n dry sanding is far far superior.
Deeper stuff can be resin then sand and clearcoat, albeit more care needed. The crayon strikes me as an invention by someone who never painted or built something. Its novel but just not right.
It just makes it look ok, that's it.

Now the self interest part - i charge 100 to 150 to make a wing like new. It cost you a grand, why rub crayon on it? (Caveat- more cost for race stuff that will be subject to scrutineering)

Automotive bondo stuff, with a lot of sanding, works well. Problem is, now my foils have all these orange spots all over them. LOL

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Mark _australia said..
Please no more crayon.

But we like crayon

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Sambo # said..

Mark _australia said..
Please no more crayon.

But we like crayon

No. Thats botch

I use Solarez for chips, gouges,

I'm with Mark on this, a proper epoxy repair is far superior to any crayon, it also make any future repairs easier to carry out if you have a larger repair to do, unless you can fill it with crayon.

Here is a suggested fix for light scratching
-wet sand with 800 & dry off with paper towel
-apply 5-10 light coats over 30-minute period of below single pack clear auto acrylic [aerosol can from Repco]
-allow time to dry
-wet sand with 800 then 1200
You will be surprised how easy this is to do and how good it will look after

It's better to add a layer of clear rather than sand off the wings original top coat

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tonyk said..
Here is a suggested fix for light scratching
-wet sand with 800 & dry off with paper towel
-apply 5-10 light coats over 30-minute period of below single pack clear auto acrylic [aerosol can from Repco]
-allow time to dry
-wet sand with 800 then 1200
You will be surprised how easy this is to do and how good it will look after

It's better to add a layer of clear rather than sand off the wings original top coat

Thanks for that. Dumb question but do you suggest sanding and applying the lacquer to the entire wing surface or just where the scratches are?

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dieseagull said..

tonyk said..
Here is a suggested fix for light scratching
-wet sand with 800 & dry off with paper towel
-apply 5-10 light coats over 30-minute period of below single pack clear auto acrylic [aerosol can from Repco]
-allow time to dry
-wet sand with 800 then 1200
You will be surprised how easy this is to do and how good it will look after

It's better to add a layer of clear rather than sand off the wings original top coat

Thanks for that. Dumb question but do you suggest sanding and applying the lacquer to the entire wing surface or just where the scratches are?

I would always do the entire under surface of the wing, then when it's sanded it all ends up looking uniform

I do only where the scratch is, even masking to prevent much overspray. Reduces the chance you change the shape of the wing by having to do a lot of sanding. Most of us aren't that good at sanding especially the compound shapes of the underside. Plus it's a lot quicker.
Of course, the world isn't going to end if you don't quite sand properly so if it's a fun thing, go for it. Just be aware of what you are trying to avoid.

Glazing compound for scratches: