Hi All - had my FG 99l board for 3-4 months and it got a 3cm long shallow dent on the underside rail from a 6 hour car trip resting on my pump, and the board was in the bag... Armstrong's answer was a generic "the cause of this small dent issue was caused by external pressures. Armstrong gear is engineered to balance both lightweight and strong construction. It would be impossible to engineer gear that can withstand impact damage/external pressures and provide gear that offers performance. Unfortunately, this is not covered by the warranty."

It doesn't affect performance and it's water-tight so i'm all good to keep using it, but of course it's a bummer to have a board that i'm going to have to treat with even more kid gloves than i thought. I'll be double-bagging it for my flights and foils will go in a different bag.

I have rail tape on but need to add nose protection asap.

What's other's experience with their Armstrong FG boards and anything special you do to protect it?

I guess it could happen with any brand.
6 hours of vibrating pressure on a small surface is going to wreak havoc on anything, even through a bag, especially if the board is allowed to move a bit.

Plus the underside of the rail may be on the bag seam, less protected.
I have heard of damage on board on boats where the constant motion would progressively delaminate the board.

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colas said..
I guess it could happen with any brand.
6 hours of vibrating pressure on a small surface is going to wreak havoc on anything, even through a bag, especially if the board is allowed to move a bit.

Plus the underside of the rail may be on the bag seam, less protected.
I have heard of damage on board on boats where the constant motion would progressively delaminate the board.

I think i was spoiled by my previous board, Naish Hover Ultra Carbon S26... had that for a solid year with 0 issues and no kid-glove treatment. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

FYI, all boards are more prone to denting on the bottom than the top. Always treat the bottoms with more care. Applies to all boards, including surfboards.

Decks are made for abuse, not bottoms.

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DWF said..
FYI, all boards are more prone to denting on the bottom than the top. Always treat the bottoms with more care. Applies to all boards, including surfboards.

Decks are made for abuse, not bottoms.

That's very much true. I once put my windsurfing slalom board very gently on concrete floor, but there was small stone which I did see and it went thru bottom without any noticeable resistance.

I currently have 3 different brands (4 boards) wing boards in use one being Armstrong fg which has seen more water time than any other board and it is still in perfect condition excluding some scratches due to rocky beaches we have here, but obviously most abuse has hit deck and rails, not bottom.

Also I haven't seen anyone else breaking their FG boards here.

My worst experience was sub 5kg board from small brand. I made flat landing and foilbox collapsed about 10mm inside the board. ??

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kiwiupover said..

colas said..
I guess it could happen with any brand.
6 hours of vibrating pressure on a small surface is going to wreak havoc on anything, even through a bag, especially if the board is allowed to move a bit.

Plus the underside of the rail may be on the bag seam, less protected.
I have heard of damage on board on boats where the constant motion would progressively delaminate the board.

I think i was spoiled by my previous board, Naish Hover Ultra Carbon S26... had that for a solid year with 0 issues and no kid-glove treatment. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

I have two FGs and have not had any issues. I am super careful when not in the water but there's the occasional bump here and there. The S26 is a solid board--I started winging on the 95L. The FGs are incredibly stiff but lightweight--the tradeoff most likely affects potential fragility. My first FG was a used 75L (#2XXX, produced in 2021); I now have two 60Ls (#6XXX and #7XXX, produced in 2022). Armstrong likes to make incremental improvements to existing products without any announcement. The newer FGs feel significantly stiffer and more robust.

If looking for a super solid board, try the PPC SOAR. I was thinking of getting one but they don't work very well with Armstrong's HA foils. A friend of mine just got one--the construction feels incredible. I believe PPC run some tests where they drive over their boards (slowly) with a compact car. The FGs would definitely get crushed. Needless to point out, no board is bombproof, as some manufacturers like to claim.

If it's really light, then it's going to be really fragile! Even a double vacuum bagged, fully Divinycel wrapped windsurf board will dent easily on the bottom as that's the last place a mfg will add glass (weight.) Keep it in a bag, and be careful to put the leash on the deck side while transporting or remove.

I paddle into the shallows with my weight on the bottow as the foil is in the air, and I expect it to dent a bit. The deck will also dent, but you just don't see it with pads glued down. The rails on the hand, should be strong enough that you can not dent, only break.

I have three FG boards; 34 & 39L prone boards and a 75 L wing board. I would not call any of them fragile. Great boards that have taken beatings time and time again.

That's what i was hoping with mine too, except that they haven't had a beating yet :-(

Eventually i'll do something to it that will require a proper repair and i'll see what it looks like inside. Meanwhile the Arm Foils are doing great and the Awing i have is built so solid it will last for some time :-)