Any advice on anybody suitable for carrying out board repairs locally? I've been given the name of Mason Rowing Industries in Deloraine who is a whiz apparently (?) with carbon repairs, but not sure if there are alternatives around (particularly up North).

The nose has taken a few (too many) whacks when I've lost control of the mast hand in gusts. Responses on the General Seabreeze forum seem to suggest that there's some relatively major cutting and shutting required to do a decent repair.







Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers

Hi mort,
That does look like a big job, try the surf board shops.

Hopefuly someone from the North will read this soon and give you better local advise.
Where abouts are you?

Yeah i imagine there would be a few backyard surfboard shapers /repairers who would take on epoxy resin repairs.

The guy in Deloraine (I assume there is only one) is good with all sorts of composite repairs from what I've heard (carbon bike frames, kayaks etc). He'd probably have no worries with this.

I'd give you a hand, but I've got a bit on (inlcuding a few board repairs of my own).

Some of the local guys (many of whom went to Lake George) could be worth a try.

You'd probably want to sand the fracture right out, down to the foam core along the cracks I'd reckon. If you've been sailing it like this make sure you suck out the water prior to repair.

To re-create the sandwich effect you'll probably need divinycell or similar, and a few layers of matting both below and above the divinycell.

I think this is the place in Hobart that sells the foam/divinycell. http://fibreglassshop.com.au. Everything else is available from Tamar Marine.

Beware of surfboard shapers using polyester resin on polystyrene core boards like this (see thread by Yuppy in main forum).

Clarence

Hi Mort,

Looks like a nasty one there for sure and the presence of carbon always makes a repair more difficult.

I have done a few nose jobs, dings and cracks to a lot of boards including my own! And have all the gear here to get it watertight again.

May be best to have a crack at it yourself as there is a lot of time and material in that one and it may not be worth investing as much money into it as it costs to repair.

Anyways, PM me if you want any more info or help along the way taking it on yourself.

Cheers
Ben

Have a look at theboard lady.com site. Eva Hollyman has repaired over 5000 boards. It is the go to web site for DYI repairs. As the other respondents say; beware polyester fibreglass and make certain the foam core is dry before attepting a repair. It doesn't look like structural damage. Once dry, lift laminate carefully and bond it together with "Megapoxy" from the Fibreglass Shop. Sand it. Then if you're fussy mix some Q cell with epoxy resin fill and sand. Finish with automotIive spray touch up. Not worth the time and effort of removing laminates and relaminating with Divinylcell etc. Good luck!

Yeah dont get too fussy, just seal it up and get back on the water. Bond it down and cover with some glass/resin. Might not look pretty but works.
You mentioned " too many wacks" to nose. This suggest it could happen again straight away??

When you get to the level where this is not happening ( or not as regularly anyway), then put some more effort into nice cosmetic repair.

Thanks for the feedback all. I'm sure that I'll need to learn a bit about repairs, but right now I'm between a DIY bathroom reno and fixing up the camper for an Easter trip, so I think I'll take the easy way out and take up an offer made by one of the Seabreezers or a pro job. This is an awesome site and full of good info.

Clarence, I appreciate your comments here and on the other post, as well as Ben. I will get in touch to confirm what sort of materials I might need in the future. And to Relic, I have had a quick look at the Boardlady, but ditto with the 'maybe next time'.

And yes, Damien I'm looking forward to when this is not happening as my skills improve. It could be a costly reminder on why I should be investing in more sails to make sure I've got the right gear for the conditions (Single 5.7m Severne sail at present, tends to get a bit overpowered). Also might need to have a bit of flat water practice to get a bit more on top of the water time (rather than in the water).

Cheers & I'll let you know how it goes.
Mort

Adam, gimme a call 0407875960