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Maintenance and repairs

Proper maintenance and timely repairs are essential to keep your surfboard in good condition. With a few simple habits, you can extend its lifespan and avoid costly repairs.

1

Maintenance

A little care can substantially extend the lifespan of your surfboard.

  • If possible, rinse with fresh water after every surf session to remove salt and sand. If that is not possible, don’t worry too much about it.
  • Avoid prolonged sun exposure to prevent yellowing and delamination. Bringing a sun-reflective board bag to the beach is a good idea. Leaving a surfboard in a car exposed to direct sunlight is not a good idea.
  • For any transport, use a proper board bag as much as possible. A board sock mainly prevents wax from touching things you don’t want it to touch, but doesn’t offer much protection.
  • Store in a cool, shaded place.
  • Check regularly for small cracks. Unfortunately, you will often find ones you didn’t know existed.

2

Repairs

Repairs are part of surfing, fixing them early is what matters most.

  • The moment you notice a crack, get the board out of the water.
  • You can do a quick fix with duct tape, but this is only an I-want-to-keep-surfing solution. Remove the duct tape after each session.
  • Close the crack as soon as possible with resin (the only way to make it properly watertight).
  • Be aware that there are different resin types depending on your board. If your board has a PU core, you can repair it with polyester resin. If your board has an EPS core, you should use epoxy resin. If you are unsure, always use epoxy resin.
  • Make sure the board is completely dry before starting any repair. If you have a crack, you can put your board in the sun (yes, normally not recommended), so the board pushes the water out. Make sure the crack is the lowest point of your board and keep doing this until the area feels dry.
  • If everything above sounds complicated, just take it to a professional repair shop.
  • Many surfers have doubts about boards with repairs, but if they are properly fixed, the board keeps its full function. When it looks well finished, it is usually structurally sound.