Board Repairs. Complicated?

[JSmith]

Hey all.

Looking at buying a beginner board but the edge is in rough shape. Lots of chips and cracks. Just to get my hans on a beginner board and get out there would it be as simple as running an ugly strip of fiberglass around the edge to seal it up? Sounds hokie to me but maybe it will work?

Toner i will try calling you again.

Thanks,
Jeremy.

[downwind dave]

is that an old bic? use epoxy only as polyester resin will eat the eps foam. if the board is cheap and not waterlogged its probably worth a repair!

[JSmith]

Not sure if it is a BIC. How can you tell? The board is $75 with mast, boom and dagger. What do you think?

JS.

[JSmith]

How can you tell by looking at the board if it would be a glass repair or a epoxy repair?

JS.

[UnusuallyLargeRobin]

If the "skin" seems like plastic or some variant it's almost guaranteed to have a polystyrene foam core which requires epoxy resin NOT polyester resin as DWD said.

Basically, you can't go wrong using epoxy resins on windsurfing boards, as the likelihood is very high that is what it requires. Other composite skins (non plastic) utilizing various layers of fibreglass and/or other materials again probably have an eps core which requires epoxy resin for repair.

If it's plastic the trick is getting adhesion of fibreglass to the plastic skin, really rough it up with a rasp or very coarse sandpaper, use acetone wiped over repair area (but not exposed foam!), just prior to glassing and that will help prime for bonding. It won't be pretty but it will serve it's purpose.

[UnusuallyLargeRobin]

...polyester boards typically look like what you'd think of as a classic old style surfboard, - painted graphics, logos, or color underneath clear glossy layers of fibreglass/polyester resin.

[downwind dave]

my opinion is you likely did someone a favor getting old junk out of their garage but hey if it gets you on the water thats not a bad thing. (reduce reuse recycle!)
if there is a seam along the rail where the board was constructed in 2 parts its got to be an epoxy fix. (note i mean epoxy resin, you still use fibreglass) I dont think there ever were poly-glass longboards with daggers but i could be wrong. good luck!
ps...what ulr said!