Hi All,
Please see attached pic.
This is about a third of the way from the nose and goes from rail to rail, but only on bottom and rails (top is smooth).
Will it totally snap or can I still sail with it?
Does it pay to get it repaired?
Dang! This is a Starboard Carve I have less than 2 years.
Yes, I do catapult from time to time, with the mast hitting the rubber nose guard on top.
Is this normal? - only 2 freakin' years old?

I had several boards don't that. Save the fin and foot straps.

yes its repairable but of course you can;t use it in the mean time, will end up full of water.

or snap in half

Thanks for the replies gents.
I'm pretty surprised that this could happen after relatively little time on such a reputable board.
It's not like I sail in 3 meter waves or catapult 10 times a session.
Is there a typical cause for this kind of buckling?

Do you jump it? Flat landing after a jump? Did it happen after a catapult?

this board might have been Made on Monday

Don't sail it like that unless you like swimming.
It's fixable, but likely not worth fixing. Two years is pretty good for Starboard

I bet it's a starlite carbon tech. Only biaxial carbon fiber with glass over, no sandwich. Too flexible skin on light eps core so buckle and crease. Easy to repair but i would then sand paint and mastic and laminate a full layer of ud carbon with a light finish to stiffen this bottom skin.

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nuteman said..

Is there a typical cause for this kind of buckling?

There is a chance it could have been damaged in transit, or dodgy manufacturing. If you bought it new, it should last a lot longer than 2 years with normal use. I'd take it back to the shop you bought it from and press for a warranty claim. We shouldnt have to put if with such poor quality. If they take it apart any dodgy manufacturing could be visible, eg lack of resin with dry spots.

ps what construction is it?

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Hydrosurf said..
Do you jump it? Flat landing after a jump? Did it happen after a catapult?

If you call popping off a 0.7 meter wave and being airborne for like a tenth of a second jumping, then yes.
And yes, it was after a catapult - but it wasn't a particularly violent catapult - just run-of-the-mill catapult that I've done many times over the past 2 years.

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jdfoils said..
Don't sail it like that unless you like swimming.
It's fixable, but likely not worth fixing. Two years is pretty good for Starboard

Really? So what board should I get?

How many liters are you looking for. Goya one seem well built.

thought about losing weight?

That is a weird one,a compression failure on the bottom 1/3 from the nose, about where the mast track is??????
That means a downward force on the nose and back of the board and an upward force at the buckle.
Easily happens between the straps on a flat landing, but up there is strange.

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nuteman said..

jdfoils said..
Don't sail it like that unless you like swimming.
It's fixable, but likely not worth fixing. Two years is pretty good for Starboard

Really? So what board should I get?

Something from the Kinetic factory.

Starlite is crap but it's worth repairing
how close to mast track? but yes 70cm high is a reasonable impact for a cheap non sandwich bottom
the rig pounded down pretty hard for a start

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Mark _australia said..
Starlite is crap but it's worth repairing
how close to mast track? but yes 70cm high is a reasonable impact for a cheap non sandwich bottom
the rig pounded down pretty hard for a start

OK, well now I know that if I buy another board to stay away from Starboard - thanks.
I haven't measured how far forward of mast track this is, but I estimate at least 40 cm (board is not in front of me now).
I'll see if the repair shop is willing to take this on and how much they want.
I guess if it doesn't go well I'll be back here asking for board recommendations...

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ThePhil said..
thought about losing weight?

Considering I'm 61 kilo, I doubt that's the issue - but you funny man, yes, yes

It's not a starboard thing. It's their deliberately cheap n cheerful entry level construction. The wood/carbon an PVC sandwich Carve can be ridden like that for years. The Starlight, nope. but the proper construction is more expensive.
other brands also do a real basic heavy laminate that is going to last like a full sandwich board.
where r u located?

It's not a starboard thing. It's their deliberately cheap n cheerful entry level construction. The wood/carbon an PVC sandwich Carve can be ridden like that for years. The Starlight, nope. but the proper construction is more expensive.
other brands also do a real basic heavy laminate that is going to last like a full sandwich board.
where r u located?

I'm in Israel.
Not everything is available here and shipping from abroad can be so expensive (for large items) that it just pays to buy locally from the local distributor.
I really enjoy the lightness of the Carve I have (I estimate it's half the weight of the equipment I used to rent), but I'd rather have heavy and durable (if that's what it takes) at this stage of my windsurfing journey.

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Mark _australia said..
It's not a starboard thing. It's their deliberately cheap n cheerful entry level construction. The wood/carbon an PVC sandwich Carve can be ridden like that for years. The Starlight, nope. but the proper construction is more expensive.
other brands also do a real basic heavy laminate that is going to last like a full sandwich board.
where r u located?

A "reputable" manufacturer would NEVER sell boards built that way anyhow.

sorry my typo was that it is heavy and NOT going to last. I left out the word 'not'.

Most major manufacturers offer a crappy construction option for beginner and intermediate, otherwise only the super rich would do this sport.

Nobody wants their first stepdown board for learning planing and waterstarts etc to be 5kg and eggshells. Likewise though, if you buy a FREERIDE board that is not 'normal' construction, jumping it IS going to crease the bottom. Like this example right here.

Yes "big" brand have entry tech wich is monolithic fiber build with some thin wood on deck. Starboard Starlite, exocet ast, jp es, tabou mte, goya wood sandwich...
Monolithic build well done can make an effective cheaper freeride board at decent weight but for me not how they (cobra) do them.

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Mark _australia said..

Likewise though, if you buy a FREERIDE board that is not 'normal' construction, jumping it IS going to crease the bottom. Like this example right here.

Thats odd, they dont mention that in their brochure. They should really put a warning about jumping.


windsurf.star-board.com/windsurf-board-construction-technology/starlite-carbon-technology/

The lightest and highest performance budget-friendly technology. Thanks to its full carbon bottom and a deck built from 0.6mm Australian pine wood sandwich wrapped with Military grade-glass and laminated all with Bio Resin, Starlite Carbon offers an unprecedented level of high quality in a value package with an excellent finish.?

We developed the Starlite Carbon Construction to answer our quest for a construction that would combine four crucial factors: Performance, Durability, Value and Low Environmental Impact. The result is a great combination, delivering strongly on all four criteria with direct, responsive onwater feel and no compromise on your riding comfort.

Want to get airborne? The aerodynamic nose lets you fly and remain at top speed with full control.

WTF is Military grade-glass?
If you look at their picture of the layers of materials used, there is 1 layer of biaxal-carbon, 1 layer of glass, and a PVC sticker? No sandwich?

I've seen 2 carbon Futura boards with their 'aerodynamic nose' (wide and thin concept) crack from deck to bottom about 40cm long after a catapult hit.

If people dont complain about their poor quality boards, then they will continue as is.

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nuteman said..
Hi All,
Please see attached pic.
This is about a third of the way from the nose and goes from rail to rail, but only on bottom and rails (top is smooth).
Will it totally snap or can I still sail with it?
Does it pay to get it repaired?
Dang! This is a Starboard Carve I have less than 2 years.
Yes, I do catapult from time to time, with the mast hitting the rubber nose guard on top.
Is this normal? - only 2 freakin' years old?

did you really buy that board NEW from a retailer? Then I would contact him and confront him with it. And also can you really be sure that you haven't had a part in the damage? Even the transport on a roof rack with the straps tightend too much, having the board in car with the sun shining and not opening the vent, or transportation by plane could have already "predamaged" the board. Unfortunately boards are very fragile and there are unlimited possibilities for you to do harm to the construction. If a brand would sell a robust board nobody would buy it because customers are crazy about the weight of a board. And then their is windsurfing skills. And then there is beginners: They do catapults that can kill every board.

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lemat said..
Yes "big" brand have entry tech wich is monolithic fiber build with some thin wood on deck. Starboard Starlite, exocet ast, jp es, tabou mte, goya wood sandwich...
Monolithic build well done can make an effective cheaper freeride board at decent weight but for me not how they (cobra) do them.

cobra is so stupid. Everybody knows better how to build boards....

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SchobiHH said..

lemat said..
Yes "big" brand have entry tech wich is monolithic fiber build with some thin wood on deck. Starboard Starlite, exocet ast, jp es, tabou mte, goya wood sandwich...
Monolithic build well done can make an effective cheaper freeride board at decent weight but for me not how they (cobra) do them.

cobra is so stupid. Everybody knows better how to build boards....

It's not about better boards, it is about making them faster and cheaper.
As small as the windsurfing market has become, it's a surprise that companies like cobra even participate.

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lemat said..
Yes "big" brand have entry tech wich is monolithic fiber build with some thin wood on deck. Starboard Starlite, exocet ast, jp es, tabou mte, goya wood sandwich...
Monolithic build well done can make an effective cheaper freeride board at decent weight but for me not how they (cobra) do them.

cobra is so stupid. Everybody knows better how to build boards....

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geoITA said..

Mark _australia said..
It's not a starboard thing. It's their deliberately cheap n cheerful entry level construction. The wood/carbon an PVC sandwich Carve can be ridden like that for years. The Starlight, nope. but the proper construction is more expensive.
other brands also do a real basic heavy laminate that is going to last like a full sandwich board.
where r u located?

A "reputable" manufacturer would NEVER sell boards built that way anyhow.

it is the brands and not Cobra who sell the boards. And the brands decide what quality they want. Cobra is just the one who is producing the product to the specification of the seller. And the seller defines every little detail what goes into the board.

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nuteman said..

Hydrosurf said..
Do you jump it? Flat landing after a jump? Did it happen after a catapult?

If you call popping off a 0.7 meter wave and being airborne for like a tenth of a second jumping, then yes.
And yes, it was after a catapult - but it wasn't a particularly violent catapult - just run-of-the-mill catapult that I've done many times over the past 2 years.

Beginner catapults finally will kill any board. Imagine the hammer that you hit at the nose. Boards are not meant to bear that kind of beating. Especially beginners can not catapult the way that there is no harm. But it is possible to catapult without breaking the board or even the nose. But if needs experience.